The Frank And Walters 25th Anniversary Concert At Cork's Opera House. October 25th 2014.

Paul Linehan lead vocals and bass.

                                         

One of Ireland's truly greatest bands The Frank And Walters were celebrating in style last Saturday night at home in their native Cork city. It was the band's 25th anniversary and the venue was a packed, sold out show in The Opera House located in the heart of town.

Preceding their performance tonight all four band members along with several hundred fans assembled at Grand Parade and marched to the concert venue to the sound of  The Barrack Street Band. Support onstage came from The Minutes and Rubyhorse but it was clear that everyone there just wanted to see their heroes The Franks.

Twenty five years is a long time in one's life and for many including myself there are a lot of great memories of The Frank And Walters music. I was lucky enough back in the 1990's to get promo cassette tapes of bands from record labels such as Setanta Records. I remember one time in particular receiving a floppy vinyl promo of the band back in the very early days. I also remember seeing them play support to The Wedding Present in Limerick's Savoy Theater over 20 years ago. 

Tonight was more of a reassurance of their brilliance than a trip through nostalgia as they kicked off their set with 'Tony Corcoran' and delighted the crowd again and again by playing almost everything important from their back catalogue. 'After All', 'Fashion Crisis Hit's New York', 'Colours', 'Michael', 'How Can I Exist' were just some of the highlights.  Between each song the chanting from the crowd 'we are, we are the frank and walters......' could be heard throughout the venue.

It was evident tonight that there is a huge loyal following to The Frank And Walters and probably most people assembled there have been fans from the beginning. Their music has an honesty and as much relevance to me and many others of our generation as The Smiths or The Cure or Joy Division ever had. This is a band who has survived and that's what is the most important, they never sold out to become obnoxiously overpaid rockstars but they have provided many of us with the soundtrack of our lives. May they continue to do so and we will look forward to their next album which will be a welcome release in 2015. It was a delight to see them being appreciated and celebrated in such a fine way last weekend and I will stand by my opinion that they are Ireland's greatest band.

The Pixies Live At The Marquee Cork. 30/6/2014.

Frank Black

Boston favourites, The Pixies, a band I have waited 25 years to see play live, finally came to play in my neck of the woods last Monday night. I was naturally apprehensive at first as to would they still cut it as a live band after all these years.

The big surprise on the night was the presence of a mostly younger audience, which I did not expect, many who would not have even been born in the late eighties or early 1990's.

Too much alcohol and teenage angst was not something I was somehow expecting to witness at a Pixies gig these days, however it seems there is a new resurgence of interest in this bands music today.

The original line up is the same today, except for the absence of bassist Kim Deal, replaced now by Paz Lenchantin.

Just after 9pm the band entered the stage to a rousing version of 'Debaser', by now standing near the front of the stage proved somewhat unbearable because of the recklessness of some of the crowd's juvenile antics.

Beer spilling,pushing and shoving and blatant smoking (despite a smoking ban) was not what I signed up for, so I pushed well back from the front position I was holding to appreciate the music with less obstructions.

Joey Santiago

The band were in flying form as they thralled through a fine set of all the songs any fan would have wanted to hear from their back catalogue. Highlights included greats such as 'Cactus', 'Wave Of Mutilation', 'Where Is My Mind', 'Tame', the list goes on and on, in fact they played a total of 27 songs throughout the 90 minutes onstage. Frank Black's lead vocals as familiar as ever,  crashed through incredible guitar work by Joey Santiago. At one point Santiago toyed with no less than 3 guitars demonstrating his skills at playing different riffs on all instruments.

Paz Lenchantin

Argentinian born Paz Lenchantin fits the band perfectly as the latest replacement bassist. New to the line up as the second replacement after Kim Deal's departure. Her CV to date has included  work with Silver Jews, Queen's Of The Stone Age and Jenny Lewis. David Lovering, magnificent on drumming duties also did some fine backing vocals on 'La La Love You'.

David Lovering

Despite some media criticism about The Pixies last album 'Indie Cindy' released last year after several years of a break, the band certainly are still dynamite as a live act . New creativity might no longer be their greatest point but their legacy from the 80's and 90's has stood the test of time as I witnessed at this Cork show. The Pixies were one of those bands that gave us fresh hope during a time when MTV and daytime radio dominated the airwaves with continuous dross. Listening again to such albums as 'Surfer Rosa' and 'Doolittle' today I am reminded of their greatness, this night I realised my taste in music thankfully hasn't changed much at all since my childhood.

Album Review Apple Rabbits- Kilburn State.

            

Earlier this year saw the release of  the second Apple Rabbits LP Kilburn State, a 12 track collection that plays out like the soundtrack to an imaginary dark suspense film with a surreal storyline.

Jay Fisher's music certainly doesn't fit easily into a particularly defined category, however that is precisely one of its finer qualities.Heavily experimental; this slow burner congers up several feelings with each listen and grows more and more intense as it draws you into its atmospheric web.

'I Could Not Care Less' is a solid stand out single from this extraordinary album...

            

Brimming with immense creativity Kilburn State is one of those records that will have you searching for the play button again after hearing it throughout. A record that could otherwise slip under the radar for its modesty, it deserves high praise for its sheer uniqueness. Certainly it is one of my favourite albums so far this year, a slow grower that reaches far and beyond.

It is available now for download through Kilburn State Records.

 

      

New Single From The Frank And Walters.

This week saw the release of the second single from The Frank And Walter's excellent 6th studio album 'Greenwich Mean Time'. The song is called 'Loneliness And Sweet Romance'.
Forever producing some of the finest pop songs, this band will have you humming their tunes after one listen. Here is the video....
                                    


                                  

                         

The Frank And Walters Live @ Dolans Warehouse Limerick. April 28th 2012.

    

The ever loveable Frank And Walters thankfully stopped  by at Dolan's Warehouse Limerick on April 28th last as part of their Greenwich Mean Time tour.This is a band very close to my heart since their beginnings in the early 1990's. Their perfect blend of Indie Rock and uplifting Pop has for years steadily reinforced their position as truly one of Ireland's finest bands of all time.
With a late entrance onstage at Dolans on the night this wonderful 4 piece treated us to a 90 minute set of familiar treasures like 'Fashion Crisis Hits New York', 'Colours' and 'After All'.
There was also a generous array of tracks from the latest album 'Greenwich Mean Time' provided; most  notably their latest single 'Indie Love Song' which is up there as one of their finest ever releases.
One happy punter quite rightly  pointed out on the night, that every song of theirs could very well be a hit single, I could not argue with such a statement.
Front man, vocalist and bassist Paul Linehan forever delights with his faultless singing and good humoured jibes between songs. The hour and a half set seemed like a far lesser measure of time altogether, in fact I was so hooked, I could have watched them play for at least double the distance. Time has done nothing to this precious band from Cork, only make them sound better and better.

                                    

                                         

                                               

                                                  The Frank And Walters 'Indie Love Song'

                          

The Twilight Sad- No One Can Ever Know.

                                                                    
Happy New Year to all and let me say 2012 promises to be a flourishing 12 months of exciting new releases. Forthcoming albums from as diverse artistes as avant-garde Australian instrumentalists Dirty Three, a return of British space rockers Spiritualised and even yet another long player from the godfather of smooth Mr. Leonard Cohen will no doubt provide ample, eclectic listening.
A new year and a fresh start then and on to another album that must be mentioned 'No One Can Ever Know' by Scottish threesome The Twilight Sad.
This record will be officially released on  Fat Cat Records on February 6th and the first single proper from it is entitled 'Sick'...

The Twilight Sad - Sick

Assisted by legendary producer Andrew Weatherall, this 3rd LP since their first release in 2007 could arguably be their finest yet. James Graham's thick tongued Scottish accent fits perfectly over the almost industrial sound created by Andy MacFarlane (guitar) and Mark Devine (drums).
Recorded over a month period in London, the band under instruction from Weatherall experimented with vintage analogue synths thus finding the core sounds they wanted.
Inspired also by the innovative production perhaps that Factory Records brought to the world over 30 years ago, this album florishes with such influences. If you enjoy the sound of Joy Division, Editors, Depeche Mode, or Interpol, this slow burner will not do any disfavour to your already well chosen record collection.












New Mixes From Tiny Telephone Exchange

As promised previously the latest mixes from Tiny Telephone Exchange have been finished and are ready for listening on the Soundcloud website. All  tracks 'Not The World', 'City Song', 'Indifference As The Opposite Of Love' and ' Birthday Song' have been revitalised with a fresh new meatier sound. Also a new song 'Quicksilver Star' has been added and here it is....
Quicksilver Star (The Elephant and the Astronaut) by Tiny Telephone Exchange

All the 5 finished tracks can be found here

War Paint

One of the many bands I will be looking forward to seeing live at The Electric Picnic in a couple of weeks are L.A girl group War Paint. Emily Kokal (vocals, guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitar, vocals), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass, vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums, keyboards) released their first album called 'The Fool' last October on  the Rough Trade label.  A previous EP called Exquisite Corpse was self released by the band in 2008 and got to a number 1 slot on the Amoeba Records local artists chart. This song 'Billie Holiday' was featured on the EP, performed here live last year in the U.S.

Their haunting vocals flow beautifully over intricate guitar lines, creating a mesmerising sound bordering between psychedelia and post-rock.

The Cocteau Twins, and Siouxsie and the Banshees have been  mentioned as notable influences to War Paint .Some of their songs would also sit comfortably with anything we have heard so far from the equally brilliant Bobby for instance. 

This is one of  the standout songs called 'Bees' from the new album performed here at the John Peel stage at Glastonbury earlier this summer.

                                              

                                              

                                          

                                 

Currently on tour in the U.K and Ireland, here are the venues and dates;

08/23/11 Edinburgh Queen’s Hall United Kingdom

08/24/11  Belfast Spring and Airbrake Ireland

08/25/11  Galway Roisin Dubh Ireland

08/26/11 Leeds Festival United Kingdom

08/28/11  Reading Festival United Kingdom  

09/02/11  Co Laois Electric Picnic Ireland

WU LYF

WU LYF are certainly one of the most exciting new rock bands to emerge from the U.K in quite a while.

Hailing from Manchester,this 4 piece are kicking up a storm with their self produced debut album just released called 'Go Tell Fire To The Mountain'. Members, Evans Kati, Tom McClung, Ellery Roberts and Joe Manning formed the band in 2008 and soon caught the attention of music critics with the release of some recordings made available through their website.

World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation have managed to go against the grain of conventional studio recording by opting to make the album in a disused church in Ancotes, Manchester. They also released the album without the assistance of any established record label making the project even more unique.

Much attention is given to the fact that WU LYF have managed to maintain a kind of mystique, giving very little away to the press and refusing to do interviews, only adding of course to their growing cult following.

'Go tell Fire To The Mountain' is certainly one of the most impressive rock albums I have heard in a long time. With its instant earth shattering force it has as much angst and energy as  Nirvana's 'Nevermind' or perhaps Rage Against The Machines debut. Essentially this is a band likely to define 2011 and go on to global status while bypassing any conventional path.

This is the opening track on the album called LYF..................

Apple Rabbits

This is a record you will want to have in your collection. Jay Fisher aka Apple Rabbits latest 12 track release is called King Of Anglia and is a wondrous affair indeed. You will find it on the independent Kilburn State label.  Fisher is a native of London and has been recording through many different projects since 1994, creating music that doesn't sit easily into particular genres due to its blatant expansiveness.

Having once supported John Martyn on tour during the 1990's, English folk music is certainly an influence in Fisher's work but there is a much more complex mix of sounds running through his songs. Experimental electronica runs deep on tracks like 'Wrong Again' and 'One rolls Over' reminiscent of  recent synthesising work by bands like Radiohead for instance. However the album overall never fully abandons its folk rock roots.

This is the opening track called 'Sing To Me', Americana UK magazine recently described this song as... 'like stumbling across a rare orchid in a meadow', quite an apt observation in my opinion.

'King Of Anglia' is as satisfying as it is complex, surreal as it is adventurous but overall it is altogether ambitious. For those of you who enjoy discovering new music that pushes the boundaries I cannot  recommend this album enough.

Cloud Control

Cloud Control are a 4 piece Australian indie band hailing from the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, who first got together in 2007. Alister Wright is the lead vocalist, Heidi Lenffer plays keyboards and sings backing vocals. Ulrich Lenffer plays drums and Jeremy Kelshaw plays bass guitar.
They have just released their first album called 'Bliss Release' and it is available on the Infectious Records label. Bliss Release is an appropriate title certainly for this album which sounds marvellously fresh and optimistic throughout. Its an record brimming with ambition and short on austerity,which gets you hooked the more you explore it.
They could be compared perhaps to bands like Modest Mouse or The Flaming Lips for their driving melodies. My first introduction to this band was hearing this song 'Ghost Story' played on the radio by the forever adventurous broadcaster Dave Couse and it really is one of the standout tracks. I went out and bought the album because of this song alone...' I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up'....indeed!

Thankfully Cloud Control are beginning to gain the notice they deserve outside of their native Australia while currently touring across Europe. They will also play 3 dates in the U.S next month including The Knitting Factory in New York. An extensive tour of Britain follows and one date so far has been been pencilled in for Dublin's Academy on October 7th next. This is another great song from the album called 'There's nothing in the water we cant fight.'

Bobby

Bobby are a 7 member band who were formed out of a senior project at Bennington College in Vermont, they are about to release their excellent self titled album later this month on Partisan Records.
This is another project for members Molly Erin Sarle and Amelia Randall Meath who also make up two thirds of the alt-folk group Mountain Man. A departure perhaps for these ladies to enter into more experimental territory, it is also satisfying to see artistes spreading their talents into other ventures. Bobby's album is certainly one of the finest releases you will be likely to hear this year. Its run time is over an hour and with its building melodies and intricate sounds it grows and grows more addictive the more you listen.
My favourite track so far has to be 'Sore Spores' for the vocals especially that echo nothing but brilliance throughout.

Currently touring in the U. S. Bobby are likely to encounter a huge interest across Europe too as soon as more people get to hear the album. This is the kind of band I would love to see playing at a festival. Mountain Man were a late addition to last years Electric Picnic, my fingers are crossed that a similar situation will happen with Bobby...

Dead School

Dead School are a fresh new rock band from Cork who are definitely one to watch out for,especially as a live act. Formed just last year, this 4 piece group are creating quite a stir nationwide on the gig scene, recieving rave reviews along the way. The band  comprises of  Donal McDonald (vocals/percussion), James McDonald (guitar/drums /vocals), Cathal Maher (guitar/drums /keys) and Ruairi Dale (bass). Their musical influences include My Bloody Valentine, Killing Joke, Nirvana and Joy Division among others.
Last month saw the release of their debut double A side single, the 2 songs are titled 'Frailties' and 'Standing On The Edge'. Its comforting to know that it is getting plenty of airplay on alternative radio shows over here, most notibly by Paul McLoone from The Undertones fame, on his show which is aired week evenings on Today FM.
This is Dead School performing 'Frailties' live in Cork last January...

Hopefully we will see an album release later in the year from this promising band, but as yet there are no specific dates mentioned.

The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra

Limerick band, The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, released their excellent debut album  'Lowering The Tone' last year to quite an array of critical acclaim. It can be found on the independent record label  Silly Goose.
The Irish Times journalist Tony Clayton-Lee commented that while the album was titled 'Lowering the Tone', they were raising the bar more like'....
Hot Press magazine described The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra as ...'difficult to define-and impossible to ignore'.
They have built up quite a large following throughout Ireland with their lively concerts over the past few years, including playing a couple of times at The Electric Picnic festival, where I saw them last year.
Drawn together as college friends, the 8 piece group, all hail from Limerick, bar one from Galway  (the 3 vocalists David, James and Ann Blake are siblings). Their music could be compared to Canadian indie bands like Broken Social Scene or Arcade Fire for their multi instrument and varied styles crossed with  a cabaret friendliness especially when they play live.

This is them playing the song 'Grace Jones' from the fore mentioned album live at The Crawdaddy Dublin two years ago...

They regularly play in Dolans Limerick and are back again at that venue next month for another gig in the upstairs venue. This is a video of them performing the song called 'Soon'..

Villagers

Irish band Villagers released their Mercury Prize nominated album 'Becoming A Jackal' in May last year on Domino Records. Although they didn't win the award, the album received critical acclaim beyond their wildest dreams. I was lucky enough to see this band live last September and it was a joyous experience to witness such a young band being embraced with real genuine adoration.

Conor J. O Brien reminds me of Sufjan Stevens in many ways, with his songwriting style and his inventive melodies. There are also many other influences in there too, Elliot Smith, Conor Oberst, and even The Flaming Lips come to mind, however their drawing on such sources are merely observations. This is an album brimming with originality with each song building into the next, a collection that you don't feel satisfied with until you hear it in full, from start to finish. Their beautifully crafted songs are a joy to hear, they are not immediately pleasing to the ear, but gain an addictive momentum piece by piece. This is the title song...

I would go as far as to say, that 'Becoming A Jackal' is one of the finest albums to come from an Irish band in the past 10 years. Their debut is already a magnum opus, wherever will they go from here?

My favourite song on the album is 'Pieces', this is the live version here from The Crawdaddy venue in Dublin 2009 (over a year prior to its release).