Rebellion 2017 M.D.C. Acoustic

MDC Hearing MDC always takes me back to the days when I first came across them with Mick 'Mohawk' McCaughan and Barry Cooke. They were one of the bands I listened to most when Mick was the Ents Officer in Trinity in 1984-1985. They proved that low-resource black and white photocopied punk (think fanzines/Maximum Rock'n'Roll) … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 M.D.C. Acoustic

Rebellion 2017 TV Smith Adverts

TV Smith plays the Adverts TV Smith is always a complete and total highlight of Rebellion for me. Tonight he doesn't disappoint even though he is playing the outdoor stage where naturally the sound is not as condensed as the indoor venues. I completely love the first Adverts album. Funnily enough, it reminds me of … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 TV Smith Adverts

Rebellion 2017 Bad Religion

Bad Religion These punk rock giants stride like a colossus over the modern scene. What is most astonishing is how long they've held that lofty position. To me, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, and the Rollins Band, seemed to define the evolution of punk in the US into a commercial form that could not only draw … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 Bad Religion

Rebellion 2017 Slice of Life

Slice of life Here we have Steve Ignorant of Crass with an interesting piece of theatre. And by interesting I don't mean crap/self indulgent. This is raw emotion with a lush background of keyboard, acoustic guitar and bass from a cracking backing band including beautiful male female harmonies. It's a reminder that Crass's gift was … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 Slice of Life

Cathal Funge. An interview with the broadcaster Cathal about his punk radio documentary.

What can we expect from the documentary?   The documentary is going to be a bit of a trip back forty years to tell the story of Irish music in 1977. I’ll be covering quite a few events from that year including The Boomtown Rats and The Radiators From Space both releasing their debut singles, … Continue reading Cathal Funge. An interview with the broadcaster Cathal about his punk radio documentary.

Cathal Funge….a great documentary on 1977 Punk in Ireland

Cathal Funge has produced an excellent radio documentary on 1977 the year that punk established a foothold in Ireland. The show includes some great reflections by participants including two of the best bands of the era, the Undertones and the Radiators from Space. You can hear: Elvera Butler (Reekus Records and Cork Kampus venue) Smiley … Continue reading Cathal Funge….a great documentary on 1977 Punk in Ireland

Brian McMahon Brand New Retro

2015 BOOK OF THE YEAR Brian McMahon Brand New Retro 2015 BOOK OF THE YEAR Brian McMahon Brand New Retro It is only natural that the 1916 Rising Centenary has seen the launch of, literally, countless books, exhibitions, tours, talks, radio and TV programmes. Yet, as Niall Hope’s review of From Pogrom to Civil War: … Continue reading Brian McMahon Brand New Retro

2015 Gigs of the Year: Heathers

Gigs of the Year Heathers Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology 15 September 2015 In mid-September, the sounds of both the veteran and new upstarts of punk rock were still fresh in my ears. The annual Blackpool Rebellion summer festival is a parade of punks that would be spectacular anywhere. Yet it is … Continue reading 2015 Gigs of the Year: Heathers

Jello Biafra and John Lydon…the punk jesters.

The punk jesters Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine came to Dublin this week and they entertained a large and receptive crowd in the Button Factory. When I say 'they came to Dublin' I actually mean that some promoter brought them over and make it happen....in this case, as Jello acknowledged from the … Continue reading Jello Biafra and John Lydon…the punk jesters.

Rebellion Festival 2015 Review Day 4

Rebellion Day 4 Another day of highlights New Model Army Probably the band that I have seen the most, as well as a band whose albums and songs I have looked to for inspiration for almost 30 years. At Rebellion a snippet of a documentary about the band as shown, followed by a Q&A with … Continue reading Rebellion Festival 2015 Review Day 4