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Friday 20 July 2012

John Peel Show- Punk Rock Special December 10th 1976


Click here to enlarge
Peel intro.
The Damned - So Messed Up (Peel Session)
The Seeds - Pushing Too Hard
Iggy and the Stooges - Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
Eddie and the Hotrods - Horseplay (Wearier of the Schmaltz)
The Damned - Neat Neat Neat (Peel Session)
Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation (E.P. version)
Television - Little Johnny Jewel Pt. 1
Tuff Darts - Slash
Pere Ubu - Final Solution
The Damned - New Rose (Peel Session)
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the U.K.
The Fast - Boys Will Be Boys
New York Dolls - Personality Crisis
The Saints - I'm Stranded
The Damned - Stab Your Back (Peel Session)
Shadows of Knight - Light Bulb Blues
Ramones - California Sun
Ramones - I Don't Want to Walk Around With You
Peel outro


The now legendary Peel punk special. Radio history in the making. Peel refused the BBC mandarins who asked him not to play Anarchy as it may offend their listeners. He went ahead anyway. More power to the old codger. Enjoy. 

Thursday 12 July 2012

You May Need A Murderer

Last night, July 11 2012, marked a particular musical high point for me. I had tickets to see Minnesota minimalists, Low. A band I had adored for over a decade but one which I had never gotten to see live for a myriad of different reasons. So I was especially delighted to finally break that duck last night.


A word or two about the support band. I believe they were called Saint Yorda. With the appalling PA they used you would never know what came out of those microphones. Maybe this was a good thing. I am normally very patient and forgiving of support bands because it's a pretty tough slot. This bunch, though, need serious reconsideration of their careers. It was a four piece band completely in thrall to Wild Beasts, Arcade Fire, Bitte Orca et al yet I reckon they must have heard those bands records at the wrong speed. This was just four people who seemed to all be in diferent bands at the same time. It was mayhem and completely irritating. With added cowbell. Back to the drawing board, chaps.


 Now, the crowd. This was easily the most packed I have seen Cyprus Avenue in Cork in many a long year. Josh Rouse was the only other act that I saw that jammed people in there like this. Mostly a cool crowd who were there for the tunes and that was great. As usual, there were pockets of idiots who could not possibly stop talking to their equally dull friends. Three guys in particular, with this hideous North Cork/South Limerick amalgam of an accent, were really pissing everyone off and eventually got flung out. Also, hipsters. Yes, you read that right. Hipsters. In Cork. I couldn't believe my Instagram. Full Iron & Wine beards, artfully distressed hair cut at oblique angles. Shiny jeans with elasticated cuffs on the bottom of the legs (OMG), manbags, beads...and that was just the women. Even Cork has now been infected by this zombie nation. Nowhere is safe. Get out. Get out now.


 The Main Monkey Business On with the show eh? Not a completely chatty bunch, our Minny Soda heroes take the stage and proceed to deliver a set filled with fantastic songs from all across their career. The first thing that strikes you with the opening song, Pissing, is the quiet way the song begins, builds and forces the crowd into stillness just by the weight of the tune's beauty. Then Alan and Mimi's voices soar and harmonise and it's completely wonderful. Like a winter wonderland Gram and Emmylou. Alan as a guitar player is hugely gifted. One minute so delicate and precise, the next making a noise that Crazy Horse would be proud of. Mimi brings so much to the mix rather than just being the minimalist drummer of course. Her vocal work is as good as any woman in music today. In fact, as I suspected, the biggest cheer of the night was for her turn from current album C'mon, Especially Me. It got huge applause and cheering which delighted her and I must say me too. They are coming to the end of a European jaunt and looked a tad frazzled but never let it impact on the performance. A fantastic night and one that just confirmed to me how special this band really are. Go see them if you can.

 SETLIST
 Pissing
 Monkey
 Nightingale
 Dragonfly
 Witches
 Especially You
 Nothing But Heart
 Sunflower
 Words
 I Remember
 Try To Sleep
 Murderer
 Dinosaur Act
 From Your Place On Sunset

 Encore
 Starfire
 Waiting (new song)
 Last Snowstorm Of The Year