A quiet 2002 for Irish bands?

back to front

This year has been a great year for Irish musicians. In my opinion, 2001 has proven to be a fantastic year. Bell X1, Turn, Melaton, Brando, Subrosa, The revs, Redneck manifesto, Blotooth, David Kit, Label, The Frames, Damien Dempsey, Gemma Hayes and Damien Rice have all had an amazing year! Did I leave anyone out? And it's not as if these bands are all similar, some of them could'nt be more different than each other. We've seen a dozen new Web- sites dedicated to Irish music, Phutloose.com, Teasureisland.com(coming of age), wheresthecraic.com and gigsmartireland.com to name a few. R.Stephenson and the Blast gigs shaking Dublin all summer. Inernational acts frequenting our shores more than ever before, with festivals the like Green energy and Witness breaking box office records. Phanthom coming back (with a vengance).

Can it possibly get better this year. Was that the fuse being lit. Will we see an explosive renaissance in Irish live music, or in five years will we look back at ghosts and say "(whispering) seize the day" ?.?.?

Thomas from Presence

I hope so.

Three point plan to sucessful Irish music scene

1. Everyone must support it. They'res good music out there so why bother with lo-quality samey English/American music when there's better stuff here. Buy the cds, go to the gig. Its cheaper!

2. Bands and those interested in MUSIC (like Gigsmart, phantom, thumped.com & any based-on-the-love-of-music-organisations) unite and work together in all aspects of mutual promotion and organisation.

3. Bands be the best you can be.
Don't defame the music you love by playing it badly. If your crap then sort it out, be honest to yourselves. Get out and promote yourselves. Make alliances with other bands. Don't go half measures on any aspect of your act (songs, gear,recording, stagemanship).

www.gigsmartireland.com

o sleep

points 2 + 3 i'd agree with, very well said aswell. but i think you're generalising by calling english-american music lo-quality music ... you could say the same about a lot of irish bands (i won't mention them here, but you know who i mean). by the cds, go to the gigs IF the music is up to standard. i've been just as impressed (dudley corporation, estel, redneck manifesto, connect4orchestra) as i have been dissapointed by the irish music scene this year (el diablo, countless boring singer-songwriters etc). turn surprised me too by having some songs i actually liked ...

Thomas from Presence

I exagerate playfully with point one but one thing is true that there are some Irish bands who would whoop da hole off of em anglo-american lads with there big dealz and ho's etc.

Blotooth vs Matchbox20
Brando vs Oasis
Skyjack vs Limp ****biscuit
Melaton vs Blink 182
who would you pick?!

But of course the same could be said of placing Your-favoured-non-Irish-act Vs some-irish-act-who-are-highly-overated-but-not-very-good-not-named-for-the-love-of-peace-and-diplomacy.

Point is this, there is some Irish music of a higher quality and is cheaper to buy, easier to attend and self satisfying to know that your dough is supporting some burnt out hippy in Rathmines/Ballymun/Inner city/Kilmainham/enter-your-suburb/county-here to do our nation proud!

Viva Gigsmart
Viva Ireland

I love you all

o sleep

hmm. but the bands you placed against the irish bands were hardly any good. matchbox20? i think i'd nearly take *anyone* over them. same goes for oasis, limp biscuit and blink182. you took the worst of the foreign music scene and placed them against a bunch of average-to-bad irish bands (with one exception, and only because i haven't heard them, so i can't say). but you are drunk, so ...

DadaKopf

HAHAHAHA. Yeah, o sleep! In your face, Presence whoever you are.

Thomas from Presence

bah! Humbug!

JUST BUY IRISH MADE MUSIC KIDS!

Raggamuffin

ehyeah whatever dreamland..........

Irish music renaissance?

yeah whateve lets not go nuts here...

Its been an awful year just like 2000 with little quality filtering through to our ears.

Wish Radio stations and websites wold hav more opinions and not just pandering to peoples awful tastes.

Was'nt the renaissance a break from the past re-birth new beginning inventive creative.

Ireland is far from that, its all been done and until you realise that what your seeing is nothing new you'll do something about it.

We're just trying to relive stuff at the moment i say stand up and make it your own decade full of your ideas not some poxy 60's progressive rock band's ideas.

Influences **** them out the window drink more beer and learn how to NOT play your guitar and then maybe one person may come along and show us the way, and they might even be good aswell.........

p-t saviour

cynicism will get you nowhere... from Melaton, Brando & The Frames to the bands who are only getting off the ground like Otranome, Paradox and Presence (ok, so they broke up, still a great year for them!). in the words of Thunderclap Newman and more recently the infallable Tom Petty...

there's something in the air.

Seán.

back to front

O SLEEP and RAGAMUFFIN. You're musical tastes are as narrow a path as from one side of my rectum to the other and I'm not yet sure whether you're both f ucking me here, or I'm just squeezing you out (as I do with most opinions that dont agree with me).

JohnMatrix

Originally posted by back to front
Every human has their own individual taste in music and all the bands I've mentioned pretty much cover each one.

unless of course you like Metal, Hip Hop, Electronic Music, Dance Music, Jazz etc. I guess those people dont count and should be thankful to have BellX1.

Maybe I should change my original post to:
'cantankerous and spitefull humans. Do they have a right to blurt out their opinions and should us normal happy folk just accept them for being angry inside and leave them be? or should they keep their opinions to themselves'.

Take it easy pal. Live a little. Wash your hands of your issues buddies and be a little happier with yourselves. (Ragamuffin. you could turn out to be the next Hitler. I can see it now...band genocide....with you at the helm. I bet you've got an ugly soul. What did daddy do to you....and dont tell me 'he died asshole' cause I dont give a f uck).

you sure showed them...showed them what an ass you are! ZING!

You should be more considerate of the tastes of all people with an interest in Irish music and stop trying to lump everyone together. It wont work. Stop being surprised if fans of bands like Estel or Connect4Orchestra think bands like Bell X1, Turn, Melaton, Brando, Subrosa etc are kinda crappy and dont want to turn out and 'support that scene'.

Sure, you guys are posting all this with a good spirit and good intentions, but your reactions to anyone who disagrees with you are painful to read.
I dont think I'd want to be part of a music scene with people like you. "ACCEPT WHAT WE SAY OR SHUT UP AND STOP POSTING HERE!". No, not that you can stop anyone from doing that anyway. Or maybe you're just a loudmouth who's being a poor representative for a lot of people, who's unintentionally putting off people like me from going to see the bands you mention.

All that stuff about the guys dad and not caring if he was dead? Uh....

back to front

yunno you're right. Im sorry.

Trev M

2002 will be busy for gigsmart bands no question.!

anony

I haven't been "on the scene" or playing in bands for 2 or 3 years now , I haven't given up or anything...just chillin' .... I'm wondering who is the latest to steal a hot press phrase "A&R darling's" ..... a few years ago it was Eva Dallas or neon..... I always though it was a bit stupid HP would print something like "A&R darlings Brando are playing blah blah" if they're a&r darlings then why arent they signed???? I've seen Brando live and heard a few songs on Phantom and their a good band.....but I don't see it happening for them.....I could be wrong, i could be right



The last irish release I bought was Skindive's album......to be honest most irish stuff dosen't do much for me......especially the Thumped type thing....I want to buy more irish, but why buy stuff just because it's irish........

the_corpo

whats the *thumped type thing*?

Dolores

It was also a great year for Petronella,Sutras,Woodstar. People should remember that there is other places outside of Dublin that have good bands!!Petronella,Sutras,Woodstar

mixer007

Here, Here, Dolores.

ro7

but anyway ...The Redneck Manifesto were my favourite Irish band this year along with a few other bands . Hopefully 2002 will be even better.

knobbles

Originally posted by anony
I've seen Brando live and heard a few songs on Phantom and their a good band.....but I don't see it happening for them.....I could be wrong, i could be right

The last irish release I bought was Skindive's album......to be honest most irish stuff dosen't do much for me......especially the Thumped type thing....I want to buy more irish, but why buy stuff just because it's irish........

...agreed. Every year you become familiar with many new bands
around the country from gig listings/hotpress/ radio. In most
cases they simply sound good but you can't see interest going
further than local. Great music deserves the platform of backing
from a wealthy company and few bands are worthy of it.

I was sorry things didn't work out for Snow Patrol. I could
have been told they were American and I still would have
said today that it was the best album I heard From ANY artist
last year.
I really liked Kitt's and Hayes' stuff too....just because their
music is great.

I'll support local music if I truely believe in it.
And I found the above three to be the most deserving.

Brautigan

Around about this time every year this debate starts up. Be it in pubs, clubs, fanzines, that measily two pages Hot Press always give to their "ones to watch", or - what joy, it's still so new! - on the internet.

And, as always, we'll name who we think should be a sure fire bet for the year. Invariably all the bands, DJ's, MC's etc.. will be in the same place next year as they are this year:Still believing that a big gig in Dublin is the be all and end all of it all. Grow up you schmuks, name the last Irish band to make any kind of impression outside of Ireland? Or for that matter, outside of Dublin? Last year, only the names Relish and NPB appeared with any regularity in the NME gig listings. At least they tried.

Mainstream Ireland does not give two f ucking hoots about its allegedly thriving band scene. We're only too happy to see one-hit-wonders like Whetus come over and pay our 20 euros to see them in the bigger venues, while hard working but going nowhere bands like Brando barely fill Whelans. We'll all read about Ryan Adams and go see him play for barely an hour at a stuffed Ambassador, but the infinitely better Irish singer songwriter-with-a-band will play to 30 people in places like the Spirit Store in Dundalk, Connolly's of Leap and the Stables in Mullingar.

Who do we blame? Radio stations? Press? TV? Record Companies...? Blame them all, they all do their worst. But most of all blame yourselves.. You buy into the crap that chokes the IRish music scene. Not all of you directly of course... The good souls that run Phantom know something's afoot and they are trying their best to do something positive about it. Those who read and post here will give their tuppence worth, but soon jobs or whatever will come calling for you all - and when you've left your bands you so vehemently plug for a year or so on boards like this, or left the comfort of your computer lab in college, you won't give a f uck.

Thomas from Presence

What do you propose? We all sit on our arses, don't bother to help birth something beautiful and our own into the world or give up?

Thats what schmucks would do I'd imagine.

back to front

Originally posted by Brautigan
Who do we blame? Radio stations? Press? TV? Record Companies...? Blame them all, they all do their worst. But most of all blame yourselves.. You buy into the crap that chokes the IRish music scene. Not all of you directly of course... The good souls that run Phantom know something's afoot and they are trying their best to do something positive about it. Those who read and post here will give their tuppence worth, but soon jobs or whatever will come calling for you all - and when you've left your bands you so vehemently plug for a year or so on boards like this, or left the comfort of your computer lab in college, you won't give a f uck.

Wow, Brautigan.....sounds like you've been stepped on a few times. You did'nt ever happen to be in a band who's following slowly began to dissolve into the real world, did you?

I could'nt agree with you more. It's a shame is'nt it.

But everyone knows that it's only Irelands unique and relentless natural filtration system. If you're in a band from Ireland, either get out or suffer the worlds cruelest proccess of band elimination (The 'year or so' Irish), and if you survive when they get bored (though crumpled and void of any self confidence) your next bunch of colourfull little youngsters (if you fight as hard as you did the first time) will have even more respect for you than their predessessors, aswell as any of this countries shi tty inbreeding record companies (Those evil people wait for you to bloom and then die to see if you can bloom again, cruel is'nt it?). (The Frames?)

but dont blame the 'year or so' audiences. For the time it's worth, they proove very valuable to up and coming bands. They look good infront of a band who have potential representation watching in the wings. It's really up to the bands themselves to bring interest from abroad over here, and at the right time. Or else do what everyone else has had to do, and leave Ireland. You can only blame the band for not working to keep their followers, and god knows this is the hardest country do do it in.
There is simply no constant turnover of fresh listening ears. Once a good new band has a following it wont get any bigger. As the schmucks get bored and drop off (he, he), there is no-one to replace them with (whereas an audience in the states will keep multiplying....forever!)

Thomas from Presence

(applauds)

Bravo Trev and Back to Front, Bravo