1. Roughneck Riot – Need I remind you
2. Absolutist – Sleepless Tension
3. Ultramantis Black – Oil and Gas
4. Crookshanks – Merit Roll
5. The Ground is lava – Good Talk, Russ
6. Hank Wood and the Hammerheads – I am Hungry
7. Pissed Jeans – Closet Marine
8. Newtown Neurotics – Newtown People
9. Kleenex – Heidis Head
10. Tragical History Tour – Rebel Girl
11. Bis – Sweetshop Avengers
11. Moldy Peaches – Anyone Else But You
12. Common Rider – Firewall
13. Trouble Pilgrims – Instant Polaroid
14. Jawbreaker – I Love you so much it’s Killing Us
15. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros – Coma Girl
16. The Specials – Doesn’t Make It Alright
17. Hooligan – No Blacks No Dogs No Irish
18. Vic Chesnutt – You Are never Alone
Starting off the first show of the new year with the Roughneck riot from their excellent Out of anger record out now on TNS records. This is the bands third album and sees the sound expanding but losing none of their anger. Up next are Irish hardcore band Absolutist with Sleepless Tension from their . Keeping up the power set are ultramantis black from the full on album on Relapse Records. Ultramantis Black is a pro wrestler that has decided to spread his vegan and environmentalism message through music and has teamed up with Pissed Jeans to produce a full on onslaught,
Changing the mood a little is the more emotional tunes of, the now departed, Crookshanks, from Ohio, USA who pay homage to Harry Potter in their name and the Ground Is Lava who are as positive as ever with the line “The New Year Doesn’t Erase Old Problems, It creates New Ones”
Hank Wood and the Hammerheads from their recent 7″ stay home and Pissed Jeans with Closet Marine take it out to the garage with the Newtown Neurotics bringing back the punk from their recent live album triumph over adversity and Newtown People telling the tale of people living in endless maze of concrete which symbolised new housing estates built in the 70’s + 80’s when the state started to give up on social housing.
Kleenex, from Swededn, are 7 lives away from being cats. They have had 2 incarnations, like so many bands form the 70’s period therer has been a rejuvenation in interest. With Kleenex it was was Kill Rock Stars in the 90’s to accompany their 70’s time with Rough Trade. Kleenex would have been influential in Bikini Kills progress so that gives me reason to play the Tragical History Tour’s versoin of Rebel Girl. The gig in Dublin featuring Bis, Bikini Kill and Team Dresch desevedly goes down as one of the more memorbale diy gigs in our city. I remember the pa heaving in Charlies as the sardines in Charlies were celebrating Bis on the day. Scary but very very fun
Juno is one of my favourite films and I still listen to its soundtrack, Anyone Else But You is the theme tune. I was talking during the week to someone who hated Operation Ivy, it got me thinking about the band as it was the first time I had heard such an opinion, sure there’s people who don’t think much but this was an informed opinion – it made me take out the old records and my thoughts are very musch the same, I’m glad I have the t-shirt. jesse Michaels went on to play in Common Rider whose This Is Unity music album stands the test of time
As do the Trouble Pilgrims with their homage to the Man On Dublins O’Connell Bridge who took pictures of couples as they made their way from one side of the city to the other. Trouble Pilgrims have spawned from the Radiators with a lifetime of music and work in between.
Jawbreaker paid a couple of visits to Dublin in the 90’s and they were some gigs. Memorable songs.
I can’t believe it has been thirteen years since Joe Strummers passing, thirteen sad years. As these years pass and we all move one day older each day it has been a sad week for loss. John Bradbury from the Specials was a particularly sad one and Doesn’t Make It Alright is in his memory. What a first album that Specials album is, nearly up there with the Clash.
Dublin’s Hooligan grew up listening to the Clash and many others. This is from their EP released three years ago
With all the talk of memorials and of people passing and with the Ground Is Lava talking about the New year not erasing old problems I wanted to end on a respectful note for those not with us and those left behind. Vic Chesnutt died 6 years ago to an overdose but the music stays with us and his message of “Keep on keeping on” is one to let everyone be aware of.
“Keep on keeping on”
