John Peel Show- Punk Rock Special December 10th 1976

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. 

http://rapidshare.com/files/321817629/John_Peel_-_10.12.76.zip

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

Running to stand still

Let me be the first to say I don't like U2 at all but the song that provides the title for this entry is absolutely fantastic and quite apt.

My burgeoning late life surge into running and generally getting a bit fitter has hit a wall. A wall as big and insurmountable as the Immersion edition of Pink Floyd's Wall album, all 99 discs of it.
I have been carrying a bad soft tissue injury to my left ankle for quite some time now since I went over on it late last year. Nothing seems to be doing the trick with it. Visits to an osteopath have given me some relief but nothing permanent. A visit to a doctor left me with a referral to a physio which is a bit of a cop out I think. It seems nothing but staying off it completely for months will sort it out and even then that's just taking a punt on luck.

The thing is, it's hard to stay off it when you actually require an ankle to walk and stuff. Stupid biomechanics. I fear if I let the jogging go for any appreciable length of time then I will leave it behind me completely. Leave it behind like a babbling fool (cf The Jayhawks Break My Mind). This would not be a desirable situation at all as I fear a slide back into previous states would occur. Also, I am committed to a ten mile race around my home place in mid April which I do not want to back out of as it's for charity and I've already been sponsored by several people.

I can actually do the ten miles, that's not worrying me at all. It will be slow but it will get done. The only thing I can think of now is to stay off the foot, road-wise, and rest it as much as I can and then do the race as fresh as I can in April. So we shall see.

Another thing niggling at me is this blog itself. Now I understand why there are so many orphan blogs out there in the electronic miasma, the digital swamp. It takes dedication to write something every day or even weekly. My life is just not that interesting. Not to me and certainly not to others.

You begin with enthusiasm and good intentions but it can become a chore and something you purposely avoid after a while. I read quite a few sports blogs and music blogs and I completely admire the tenacity and talent of those authors who stick at it and keep pushing out material. Maybe I need a new job, something that would provide thrilling material. I must check the availability of international trouble shooter job openings or industrial espionage vacancies. Surely there's something out there.

I suppose not everything can be thrilling and exciting. I mean, look at The Walking Dead. That has zombies in it and yet it is the most dreary, mind numbing tripe ever committed to tape. They're still at the farm!! Nothing happens, nothing happens...nothing happens..ooh, exciting cliffhanger bit at the end to make you tune in again next week where...nothing happens.

I need a holiday. Take it easy...

Gentle (nothings) on my mind

Hello....been a while. Quite a while actually.

I started this blog with good intentions of posting fairly often and updating it but for the longest time now I've been drawing a blank and neglecting this little place like a puppy discarded after Christmas.


The diet and exercise thing is moving along nicely and I am aiming to complete a 10 mile road race around the island here in April. So, that is my immediate goal. Well, that and trying, once again, to kick smoking. Pain in the ass that one. Keeps dragging me back in.

Looking forward to seeing The Jayhawks again in March in Dublin and then hitting Kilkenny for the Roots festival in May for the weekend. No sign of who is playing when/where but I am hoping to see Willy Vlautin/Dan Eccles play and Richard Buckner too. There's a night with Andy Kershaw that looks quite interesting too. Reading from his autobiography and doing a Q&A.

Currently, I am trying to get into the third book of George R.R. Martin's A Song Of Ice and Fire series and looking forward very much to the tv premier of the new season of that in April.

Getting very pissed off with Arsenal's performances this season too. I am close to wanting Wenger to just pack up now and not totally tarnish what is a fine legacy. The way things are going now is very like Clough at Forest. We won't be relegated or anything like that but we could be left behind by the big spenders and end up a more glamourous Stoke or Fulham.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Mind is drawing a blank again....oh, do find yourself the new albums by Damien Jurado and Lambchop. Hugely enjoyable records.

Be cool...

It's a hit!

This post holds just a few albums that have really been big favourites of mine this year.

The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
Richmond Fontaine - The High Country
Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Tom Waits - Bad As Me
The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient
White Denim - D and Last Day Of Summer
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
Wild Beasts - Smother
Josh T. Pearson - Last Of The Country Gentlemen
Gillian Welch - The Harrow and The Harvest
Joe Henry -Reverie
Okkervil River - I Am Very Far
Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO
The Black Keys - El Camino
Opeth - Heritage
Mastodon - The Hunter
The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps

The Ultimate Rule ought to be: 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchin'; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty.

It's the most poptastic time of the year..

Every publication, blog and website seems to be running down their albums of the year so I thought why not?

I should do some movies as well but, shamefully, I don't get to see too many throughout the year. I certainly see enough tv but a lot of film buffs would look down their Kubrickian noses at the small screen fare. Shame that because American television, especially cable television, is in a certain golden period with some fantastic shows over the last few years.

Still, it's music which rules the artistic roost in my house, so lets spark off.

I am not going to rank them or really limit myself to a top ten. I am just gonna throw a bunch of them out there. Albums that I have enjoyed in 2011.

Dave Alvin - Eleven Eleven
Iron and Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
Drive By Truckers - Go Go Boots
Antlers - Burst Apart
The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Low - C'mon
Jonathan Wilson - Gentle Spirit
Metronomy - The English Riviera
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
Wilco -The Whole Love
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
Real Estate - Days
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die
Elbow -Build A Rocket Boys
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take care
Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning
Justice - Audio, Video, Disco
A.A. Bondy - Believers
Akron/Family - ST II
Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil..
J Mascis - Several Shades Of Why
Richard Buckner - Our Blood
The Mountain Goats All Eternals Deck
The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
Anathema - Falling Deeper
Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
John Hiatt - Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns
Jason Isbell - Here We Rest
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Wolfroy Goes To Town
dEUS - Keep You Close
Wooden Shjips - West
Lucinda Williams -Blessed
Fountains Of Wayne - Sky Full Of Holes

All these fine missives have gained significant airplay in my house/work/walking areas and I would recommend any of them without hesitation.

Really, all this list goes to show is that I do very little else except listen to music. Still, could be worse. I could be a Stoke fan or spend my day looking at animal porn. Same thing I suppose.

I will put the albums that I have really overdosed on this year in a seperate post. Ones that are really special to me.

A wise man once said, "never discuss philosophy or politics in a disco environment."

Hear the drummer...batter the hell out of that kit.

Throwing Muses in Cyprus Avenue,Cork 09.11.11


25 years after their debut, Throwing Muses are still going strong. On the back of a very well received Anthology album the band have been touring hard and are a super tight unit. Really, in full flow they are a force of nature and rarely have I heard/seen a three piece exhibit such power on stage.

No real surprises in the setlist and quite a short gig I thought running just barely 90 minutes. Drawing heavily on University and the Anthology albums with a wonderful version of White Bikini Sand to finish up. Kristin on stage seems almost possessed, staring eyes and that beautifully elegant neck roll thing she does. As the singer and front of the band your eye is drawn to her almost all the time but to ignore the other two members of the band does them a huge disservice. Bernard and David are a superb backroom engine, nailing the groove to the floor to allow Kristin to spew out those lyrics and those almost Neil Young like guitar runs that she does.

The surprising thing for me last night was the discovery of how groovy the band are. Not in some smelly, tree hugging hippy way but actually grooving. Underneath that electric, almost proto metal, they can seriously get almost funky. They are three accomplished players and obviously being together this long they can lock in and really lay waste to a stage. Bernard is laid back on stage but the man is a master bass player. Kristin, well...she's Kristin Hersh. Dave, for me, is one of the best rock drummers currently operating. The man is a machine and in total control of such fury. It really is something to be able to watch him play live. He leaves it all up there.

Highlights for me included Start,Shimmer, Furious, Hazing, Garoux des larmes, Vicky's Box, Hate My Way, Mania(Dave's drumming!) and a completely wonderful version of Fish which even had my ancient ass swaying.

I love watching Kristin perform. She's totally immersed in the music and is a joy to watch. A fine guitar player and a compelling presence on stage. Even watching interviews with her prior to going to the show impressed me. She's one cool lady and I admit I'm a little infatuated.

To the maybe two people who read this, if you ever get a chance to see them then grab it. You won't regret it.

Just a couple more things. The support was from a guy called Teitur from the Faeroe Islands. He was quitely impressive and gave a hint of being influenced by Paul Simon, to me anyway. The poor chap did look tired though after travelling. Still, one to keep an eye on.

As for the crowd, I got the impression that they were a tad flat and muted at times though they did grow into the performance. The people up front were well into it, myself included, but there were a number of women there who I felt were just there for a few wine spritzers and a chance to chat to their mates. That pisses me off but hey, they paid for their tickets. Seems a waste to me though. Oh and to that twat in the white t-shirt who kept jumping around...I hope your cock rots off. Dickhead.

No real merch to speak of, everything seemed to be sold out long before they got to Ireland which is great for the band but sucked for me. I was hoping to score some vinyl and maybe a copy of Paradoxical Undressing too. (I refuse to call it Rat Girl, horrible title) Still, all in all, a great band and a super show.

Live music is better, bumper stickers will be issued...