Sunday Morning Coming Down

Dublin music fans were up in arms when PhantomFM cancelled the much loved ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down‘ show last year. They as well as Cork and Limerick radio listeners now have a second chance to enjoy the show on recently launched 8Radio. Last week’s playlist included Low, Smog, The Go-Betweens, Serafina Steer, Beth Orton, DJ Shadow, Smithereens, Grant Lee Buffalo, Suicide, Madrugada, Dexys, Cowboy Junkies, Public Service Broadasting, Tracey Thorn, The Smithereens and The Tycho Brahe. 8radio has a 15 week weekend licence and broadcasts on FM from midnight Friday until midnight Sunday. Tara Gleeson aka Pearl can be heard on Sunday mornings from 9am – 12 noon at 94.3FM in Dublin, 105.5 in Limerick, 106.7 in Cork or via the stations website.

Ten Speed Racer

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since one of my favourite bands called it a day. Joe Chester, Pat, John and Dermot Barrett and Terry Cullen in other words the band that was Ten Speed Racer are having an impromptu reunion this Friday upstairs in Whelan’s. Originally listed as a gig by The Hedge Schools (Pat’s post 10sr solo project with Joe), all 5 original 10sr members will be on stage which is no mean feat given that a number of them no longer live in the country. Dermot and Joe (who produced Ryan Sheridan’s album, currently at the top of the German charts) will appear on Colm
O’Sullivan‘s TodayFM show tonight. If anyone has any sessions please get in touch.

Joe & Dermot with Tom Dunne (3rd May 2013)

Joe & Dermot on TodayFM (1st May 2013)

‘The Bands That Nearly Made It’ Dave Fanning (Irish Independent, 20th April 2013)

Dave Fanning had a two page spread in last weekend’s Irish Independent titled ‘The Bands That Nearly Made It‘. In it he recounts the story of his early days at RTE when himself and Ian Wilson started the Fanning Sessions and what that meant to up and coming Irish bands of the time. Dave then gives a nod to Rodriguez and Gilbert O’Sullivan before turning to Stephen Ryan of The Stars of Heaven and The Revenants (did they do a Fanning session?). Others mentioned are Paul Cleary, Gerry Leonard, liR and The Undertones. Read the full article online, thank you to Reekus Records for the image.

John Peel plays ‘Teenage Kicks’ twice in a row (1978)

I saw ‘Good Vibrations‘ a second time and enjoyed it just as much as first time round. Favourite scenes include Terri’s first listen to ‘Teenage Kicks’ and John Peel playing said record. Congratulations to all who played a part in making the movie a reality. As a tribute here’s something I came across recently..

It’s been well documented over the years both in magazine articles and various TV interviews that John Peel played this record twice in a row stating, ‘I’m going to do something I’ve never done before’. This is also what he says in the excellent ‘Good Vibrations’ film. It’s sort of gone down in Undertones folk law. Interestingly though (unless he played it twice in a row on two occasions which I don’t think he did) he didn’t actually say that – as this clip proves. I believe there are two reasons why this misconception has arisen. Firstly, as far as I am aware, this sound bite has not been available to hear since its broadcast in 1978 and, secondly in subsequent interviews Peel stated that he played the record twice in a row and hadn’t ever done that before. So this statement became part of what he actually said at the time with nothing to prove otherwise.

It’s all semantics of course. All that matters is that he played this awesome record twice.

Fanning Interviews (1986)

Fanning Interviews (1986)

Cathal Coughlan (1992 Interview)

Here’s an clip of a 1992 Fanning interview with Cathal Coughlan of The Fatima Mansions shortly before their Rock Garden gig in Dublin. Up for discussion are; supporting U2, provoking a reaction in Germany, irony in lyrics, ‘Valhalla Avenue’, a holiday record, the film festival in Cork, music for a Channel 4 documentary, ‘Paper Thin Hotel‘ missing out to ‘A Singer Must Die’ on a Leonard Cohen tribute album. Thanks to Brand New Retro for the NME photo, check out full article here. Update: an eagle eyed reader informs me that the year was 1992 so corrected the year.

Cathal Coughlan (1992)

So She Said

So She Said were formed in Dublin in 1987 from the ashes of The Delegates. The band featured from left to right, Anto Healy (drums), Brian King (bass) and Pat O’Sullivan (vocals, guitar). The first two of the following tracks are demos that featured on the 1988 Danceline Records compilation ‘Swimming Out Of The Pool‘. That same year the band were Hot Press Band of the Year finalists. The photo is courtesy the great Irish Rock Discography. The final track ‘At Home In June’ won Hot Press /Murphy’s song of the month in 1989 but the band split up shortly afterwards..

So Happy (1988)

Let Me Out (1988)

At Home In June (1989)