Eddie’s Bar Part 1

Finally managed to stick the Portugal photos onto the laptop and I’ll post some of the Eddie’s Bar pics up soon, but for now, I thought I’d share this image….

Residual Effect

So I’m back from Portugal, feeling slightly frazzled and dog-eared. I’ll post up some pics of Eddie’s Bar soonish, but for now, here’s a transcript of an interview with the mighty Residual Effect who are playing the Big Gig 6(66)  this Friday and if you’ve even the slighest interest in punk rock or metal then come down. It’s only 4 brick in and we’d love to see you there.

Residual Effect

For the last five years Residual Effect have reigned as one of Ireland’s high kings of metal and on Oct 2 they headline the Big Gig 6(66). This issue we met up with the band’s singer Micky Higgins to hear what it’s like being on the frontlines of the metal scene, why cops in Birckenhead don’t like Judas Priest and how tubs of butter can spontaneously combust in the so-called Crystal County.  

Ok, let’s start at the start-tell us the secret origin of Residual Effect. 

“Well, myself, Willie [Caulfield, guitars] and Anto [McKee, bass] formed Residual Effect from the ashes of Spindrift (remember them?) back in 2004. We’d taken a year off and were itching to get gigging again. We knew Antony Weston [drums 2004-2007] was free and Andy McCallister [guitar] was too, so we arranged a practice and it started there. For the first year or so we were driving to Dublin and back twice a week for practice. It was tough going.”

How’s the new(ish) drummer settling in?

“Gerry [Gallagher] came on board last April after Antony decided he wanted to do other things. He’d been a fan of the band already and knew the songs so he slotted right in. It’s worked well so far!”

 

We’ve heard rumours of a new EP. How’s it coming along?

“Yeah, we haven’t recorded in nearly three years! We’re working on a debut album, it’ll be a full length with 10 tracks. We’ve played some of the tracks live so people will be familiar with them, but the rest we’re keeping under wraps. We’re at the stage where we’re looking at studios and producers to work with-it’s an exciting time.”

 

What’s been your favourite gig of the year so far?

 “My personal favorite in the past 12 months was playing with Raging Speedhorn in the Bunker last October. It was their last ever tour and had a lot of sentimental value for me. We’ve been friends since they started out and we’ve played with them many times over the years. It was a good way to go out.”

 

And what’s been the most memorable (for the wrong reasons) over the last five years?

“Can I have more than one answer to this?! Going on stage in Blackburn to no-one but the barman two years ago was pretty grim. Getting our van clamped in Dublin when we supported Soulfly in 2006 and using our first proper gig pay to unclamp it was another memorable one and having the local constabulary raid a gig in Birkenhead (same tour as Blackburn) whilst we were two songs into a set and threaten to arrest Willie for playing the riff to ‘Breaking the Law’ was something we won’t forget. Yeah, we’ve had a few moments…….”

 

What about these rumours about tubs of butter spontaneously combusting during you appearance at the Lowend Festival in Waterford….?

“Haha, damn the internet for rumours! You’d best ask another Belfast band about that, who don’t ‘sit down!’ We spent the whole weekend in the local church praying for everyone’s souls. Honestly……”

 

What was the one moment growing up where you decided you wanted to be in a band?

“I’d always wanted to be in a band, from I was a wee lad rocking out to ‘Appetite for Destruction.’ Then I was kind of thrown into it, I started out playing the drums when I was 15 because my friend’s band needed a drummer. I had my kit for a week and we played our first gig in the Rosetta in December 1994. I quickly decided I was pretty crap at it, so then I decided to try singing, I’m still deciding if I’m crap or not.”

 

Do the Residual boys get along with the rest of the Irish metal scene? Do you feel like you fit in?

“We might, ahem, possibly have a bit of a reputation for enjoying ourselves too much… but seriously though, I think we get on great with most people. They might not all like or enjoy the music we make and play, but if the dedication and feeling behind it is similar then we have something to talk about. The Irish metal scene has its many genres and sub-genres, but it’s a great community. We’ve never cared about fitting in though, it’s never been about that. If you’re in a band and that’s all you worry about-you’re in the wrong game.” 

 

Personally this writer feels it’s about time the Big List put on a metal and punk gig. How do you feel about playing a show which roots aren’t strictly in the metal scene?

 “It’s a good thing. These things should happen more often in Belfast because there’s A LOT of talent hiding out there and this sort of gig is the perfect exposure. There’s gigs like these almost every night in other parts of the UK and they work. We’re really looking forward to it and we’re really grateful for the chance to play. Oh, and I promise we’ll behave…..”

Residual Effect, the Lobotomies and Gacys Threads play the Big Gig 6(66) on Oct 2 in the Spring and Airbrake. Admission is £4. For more information visit www.myspace.com/residualeffect.

Leavin’

Tomorrow (Saturday) I’m off to Portugal to visit the Maiden Mecca that is Eddie’s Bar. Now as some people know, Carrie got me flights for my birthday for October, but alas this week Steve Harris decided he wanted to close the pub for good (my luck all over really) and this Saturday is the last night it’ll ever be open. After much teeth gnashing we changed our flights and tomorrow I’ll be over there to say goodbye to 20years worth of history. I’m gone until tuesday evening (Sep 29) so if anyone gets in touch and doesn’t hear from me, you know where I am….

Up the Irons!

Guilty Pleasures-the Lobotomies

Next week (Friday October 2, homes) the Lobotomies, Residual Effect and Gacys Threads play the Big Gig 6(66) in the Spring and Airbrake, Belfast. Now I know you’ll all be at it, but here’s a Guilty Pleasures piece I did with one of my favourite punk bands the Lobotomies to plug the show that I thought you might like to read.  

GUILTY PLEASURES

Everyone’s got at least one skeleton in their closet and musicians are no different. Each month at the Big List we aim to find out just what they are and expose them to the nation. This month we’ve the Lobotomies singer/guitarist Kev Bones confesses to having a crush on chav loving popstrel Lily Allen. Enjoy.

“Guilty pleasures you say? This is a difficult one indeed. I play in a hardcore punk band and punk audiences unfortunately are among the most (dare I say it) narrow minded in the world when it comes to genre acceptance. Therefore a large amount of what I listen to could be considered a guilty pleasure in the eyes of those who live by the rules of punk rock 101.

Thankfully I’ve never been one to care much about other people’s opinions on my music tastes, but I can admit to feeling a little bit guilty about listening to a few bits and pieces…

Right so, it’s confession time. I’m going to come straight out and say I absolutely adore Lilly Allen. Ok, maybe she first caught my attention for reasons other than her musical talent but then after a proper listen I realized I genuinely liked her tunes too. Her first single ‘The Fear’ from her second album is a complete gem. It drew me in and I decided to check out the rest of the record and much to my surprise (and horror) I loved it! These days when I discover new music it’s mostly obscure ear-drum bashing American hardcore or thought provoking political folk singers, not English pop stars. My inner crusty punk is telling me “Don’t listen to this corporate drivel, it’s meaningless, mass produced and probably completely manufactured,” but I do listen to it anyway and I bloody love it.

Oh dear, a few punk rock scene points lost. I suppose the only thing I didn’t feel guilty about was downloading both her albums for free. I mean I’ve admitted to thinking she’s genius but I still don’t think she needs my money!”

 The Lobotomies play the Big Gig 6(66) on Oct 2 alongside Residual Effect and Gacys Threads at the Spring and Airbrake. They also launch their album ‘Big Bang Hangover’ with a gig at the Pavilion on Oct 23. www.myspace.com/thelobotomies.

Daftness

Anto from the Tin Pot Operation posted up this photo on his Facebook page so I thought I’d share it here too as it’s the first thing that’s made me laugh all day.

PS-I’ve no idea why the Thing looks so buff compared to the Hulk.

Conway Savage NME Review

This ran a wee while ago in NME, so here’s a reprint. Oh and pick up this week’s NME for my verdict on the surprisingly tuneful Funeral for a Friend Best Of.

CONWAY SAVAGE

LIVE IN IRELAND

(COUNTRY GENT RECORDS)

7/10

Recorded in County Leitrim, Nick Cave’s tweed clad ivory tinkler Conway Savage continues to carve out a solo career with his latest offering ‘Live In Ireland’ and it’s a record that’s a flawed yet fantastic snapshot of his often erratic performances. To paraphrase Bowie, Savage’s voice is a bit like sand and glue. He may not be blessed with the purest set of pipes, but his quivering, piano led renditions of songs off his last four albums suit his ragged, whiskey soaked voice perfectly. Highlights include the waltzing ‘Cruel Trick’ and ‘Que Sera Sera’ and despite making the odd cock-up along the way the fluffed notes only add the intimacy. All in all, it looks like this Bad Seed has made good. Edwin McFee

DOWNLOAD: ‘Que Sera Sera’

News From The North Week 40

As promised in a previous blog, here’s the NI news column from the previous issue of Hot Press, Vol 33 Issue 17

 

News from the North

Words:  Edwin McFee

This October sees the return of the Hard Working Class Heroes festival in Dublin and featuring in the line up once again are a whole host of NI’s finest. Taking place from Oct 16-18 in Temple Bar, the acts that are keeping the Northern end up are A Plastic Rose (who are seemingly everywhere these days), Cutaways, Escape Act, Here Comes the Landed Gentry (who are sure to be the highlight of the whole weekend), Kowalski, Not Squares, Pocket Promise, the Vals and Yes Cadets. Despite some noticeable exceptions, it’s a pretty great bill and we’ll be filling you in on more details over the coming weeks. For now keep checking www.hwch.net for more info.

The mighty fine Oppenheimer are busy in the studio at the moment, working on album number three and they’ve come up with a rather unusual request via their website (www.oppenheimer.co.uk in case you didn’t know). The duo (who sometimes aren’t a duo, but never mind all that) want you, Joe Public, to help write two of their new songs, as Rocky from the band explains: “There will be two songs on the next album that we will write about anything you want. Anything at all.  If you want us to write a song about the time your friend fell asleep in a taxi cab on the way to watch a boxing match, and then you slapped them in the face so many times they lost feeling in their cheek for month, we’ll do it! If you want us to write a song about the tall ships visiting Belfast once every nineteen years, we’ll do it! We’ll give you a shout out on the album, a free album, free Oppenheimer gig entries and other goodies as and when we make them.” So there you have it. Personally we’re hoping they write about a handsome young Hot Press columnist from Newry and if you’d like to hear that too, then email rocky@oppenheimermusic.co.uk pronto.

Finally this fortnight, the Thrones of Roll are releasing a new EP called ‘Video Store’ by putting on a gig on Oct 23 at the Black Box in Belfast. The chaps have also made a video for the title track and it was directed by Sean Duncan and you can have a butcher’s by clicking on the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vTI5aJ3hoQ. It features the band dressed up as iconic film characters and it’s well worth a click or two.

Clutch NME Review

Here’s a reprint of my review of the new Clutch record that ran in the NME a few months ago. I liked the fact that I managed to crowbar in a Mighty Thor reference!

CLUTCH

STRANGE COUSINS FROM THE WEST

(WEATHERMAKER MUSIC)

7/10

It’s somewhat reassuring to discover that Maryland-based beardy blues-smiths Clutch can still bring down the thunder like the Mighty Thor himself nine albums down the line. While the harsher edges of previous efforts like ‘Pure Rock Fury’ and ‘Elephant Riders’ have been sanded off long ago, frontman Neil Fallon still has a bucket-load of fire and brimstone left in his belly and no-one does the possessed preacher man schtick quite like him (’50,000 Unstoppable Watts,’ ‘Freakonomics’). Fans of comic books, corn-fed hip hop, wrestling, and bobbing your head in a rhythmic fashion will undoubtedly get whipped into a frenzy by Clutch’s groove machine and their ballsy brand of Sabbath-esque boogie woogie seems to just get better with age. Edwin McFee

DOWNLOAD: ‘Struck Down’

http://www.nme.com/reviews/10629

There’s A She Wolf In The Closet

I love pop music. A lot of people always seem surrpised when I say it but I do. Girls Aloud, 80s Madonna, Duran Duran and many more push my buttons and at the moment the new Shakira song ‘She Wolf’ is my latest jam. I’ve never liked any of her previous singles, but since this one makes her sound like a robot, so it’s almost like listening to someone else. Here’s the suitably mental video-

My favourite lyric is “I feel abused like a coffee machine in an office.” She truly is a poet.

Dr Doom Does Stand UP

This video is probably only going to appeal to comic fans, but I loved it. My favourite line was-”If life gives you lemons, blame the Fantastic Four!”