1. THE FRANK AND WALTERS : F&W UK DATES
Posted on: April 27, 2008

The Franks will be making a welcome return to the UK to play 2 shows in:

• 23/05/2008 The Cellars, Eastney, Portsmouth
• 24/05/2008 The Luminaire, London

 Tickets available here for The Cellars and here for The Luminaire

FRENCH RELEASE FOR - A RENEWED INTEREST IN HAPPINESS
Posted on: April 27, 2008

Our friends and french label partner Ra'N'Bo records (http://raandbo.free.fr/) will be releasing 'A Renewed Interest In Happiness' by The Frank And Walters in France this June. The release will be preceeded by the singles Miles & Miles and Fight, both of which will be sent to radio similtaneously. The band already enjoy huge support in France from the media and press, nost notably from Les InRocks Magazine and DJ Bernard Lenoir (often referred to as Frances John Peel).

Ra'N'Bo was formed in 2002, in Normandy to promote the local scene there and help the working bands from the region develop their networks and reach. Since its formation the label has has gone from strength to strength, charming the french press with their integrity, hard work and most of all great taste.

We are delighted to add them to our growing list of partners and our ever expanding network of coperative indie labels. For additional information contact them on Dovemato@aol.com

Other acts on the Ra'n'Bo roster include:

• Banco Bravo

• DSP

• Torn Violence

• Da Brasilians

1. THE FRANK AND WALTERS : FRENCH RELEASE ON RA N BO RECORDS
Posted on: April 26, 2008

We're delighted to announce that The Frank And Walters acclaimed album - A Renewed Interest In Happiness will be released in France this June. The band enjoys great support in France with notable champions of their music being Les InRocks magazine and Bernard Lenoir.

Tour dates to be announced. 

**NEW** FIFA BLOG
Posted on: April 07, 2008

We're not that good at keeping our opinions to ourselves, so rather than preach to the uncaring masses from our stools at the bar or gossip quietly in the corner about what we've heard (not always just music...), we've started a blog. Its therapy...

The man with the cyberpen is BoyGotRhythm. This week the noteable www.pitchfork.com have upset him with their review of Bell X1's 'Flock'.

Makes for interesting reading...

NEW FIFA BAND
Posted on: January 26, 2008

We are delighted to announce that we will be working with dublin based Grand Pocket Orchestra. Rather than hearing us wax lyrical about the band, we've decided to let them tell you themselves...introducing GPO...

You got your dark times and you got your happy times. We are somewhere in the middle. We write happy songs about not so happy things, with the intention of making the awful seem not so bad. If you feel that we have made the not so bad seem awful then we have failed, and we apologise.

Rather than wait too long FIFA Records and GPO are getting straight down to business with the release of the bands debut EP (on CD and Vinyl) on February 1st - Oddsocks will be available in all good stores and based on the initial reaction we have received you will definitely be hearing it on radio and possibly seeing the video on TV!

FLA GET 2 METEOR NOMINATIONS
Posted on: January 25, 2008

Fight Like Apes have been nominated for not 1 but 2 awards in the upcoming 2008 Meteor Awards. The categories are:

• Best Irish Band
• Best Live Performance

You can vote online:

• Best Irish Band: Vote For Fight Like Apes
• Best Irish Live Performance: Vote For Fight Like Apes

You can text your vote as well:

• Text 'VOTE BAND' to 085 7114444 for FLApes as best band
• Text 'VOTE LIVE4' to 085 7114444 for FLApes as best live performance

1. THE FRANK AND WALTERS : THE FRANKS TRIBUTE TO POP MUSIC
Posted on: January 25, 2008

Recently the Franks were asked to appear on the popular Podge & Rodge TV show to perform a song. They werent specific on which one but told the band on the night that their preference was to hear Pop MusiK by M (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Muzik)

They were given an hour or 2 to get their version ready and what happened was one of those creative explosions where they transformed the 1979 classic into a modern great.

• To hear the original song and see the video by M click here
• To see the Franks interpretation follow this link

4. FIGHT LIKE APES (2007) : FIGHT LIKE APES VINYL MINI-LP RE-ISSUE
Posted on: January 24, 2008

Due to the phenomenal demand for the 'Limited Edition 12inch Vinyl' that was released for the Fight Like Apes Vinyl Release Show in Whelans on December 3rd, the record has been re-issued and is now availble in most stores. 

Featuring all of the tracks from EP1 'How Am I Supposed...' and EP2 'David Carradine...' and remastered for Vinyl, its one of those records that should really feature in everybody's collection.

The tracklisting is:

• Do You Karate
• Can Head
• Accidental Wronghole
• Snore Bore Whore
• Jake Summers
• Lend Me Your Face
• You Are The Hat
• Battlestations

2. GRAND POCKET ORCHESTRA : 4 STAR REVIEW FOR GPO EP!!!
Posted on: January 24, 2008

The debut EP from Dublin quirkmeisters Grand Pocket Orchestra may only be 6.5 minutes long, but in its brevity lies an individuality that's rivalled only by the quartet's brazen sense of fun. If you've seen GPO live, you'll be well aware of their penchant for playing dress-up and generally turning in mischievously tumultuous sets - they do describe themselves collectively as 'the lovechild of Pavement and Liza Minelli', after all. Well, Odd Socks doesn't quite capture that mayhem, but it does present three songs that are roguishly and fiendishly charming. The title track is a snappy alt-pop number with the most offbeat vocals this side of Termonfeckin, Get Go is a brilliant hip-hop/slacker-rock-referencing delight, and Chongo Pop is a pep-riddled, punky rollick. If there's any other band in Ireland doing what GPO are doing, step forward now - the bar has just been raised.

Review by Lauren Murphy

2. GRAND POCKET ORCHESTRA : GPO TOUR ANNOUNCED
Posted on: January 24, 2008

GPO announce their arrival onto the Irish music scene with a slew of shows across the country, in the UK, Germany and Holland.

• Club Head Bang Bang Tralee, January 07, 2008
• Whelans, Dublin,: January 20, 2008
• Bang Bang Club, Berlin, January 23, 2008
• The Spirit Store, Dundalk, February 01, 2008, Supporting The Kinetics
• The Brewery, Monaghan, February 02, 2008, Supporting Green Lights
• Tower Records, Dublin at 14:00, February 02, 2008, EP Release In-Store
• The Pavillion, Belfast, February 04, 2008
• Cypress Avenue, Cork, February 05, 2008, Supporting We Should Be Dead
• Baker Place, Limerick, February 08, 2008
• Lethean Portlaoise, February 09, 2008
• Roisin Dubh, Galway, February 19, 2008
• Old Blue Last, London, UK, February 26, 2008
• Brixton Windmill, London, UK, February 27, 2008
• The Good Ship London, UK, March 01, 2008
• Bullingdon Arms, Oxford, UK, March 06, 2008
• Ghost School At The Macbeth London, UK, March 07, 2008
  

More details available on the gigs section.  

2. GRAND POCKET ORCHESTRA : GPO ODDSOCKS VIDEO
Posted on: January 24, 2008

This is a have to watch video. Probably one of the best that we have ever been involved with.

2. GRAND POCKET ORCHESTRA : GPO PRESS RELEASE
Posted on: January 23, 2008

Grand Pocket Orchestra (GPO) are set to bring musical mayhem to the masses with their debut EP Odd Socks releasing on 1st February 2008.

Self-described as the lovechild of Pavement and Liza Minelli and sounding, funnily enough, like an orchestra you can fit in your pocket, GPO have risen through the ranks of the Irish indie scene in recent times. Having supported bands of the ilk of Fight Like Apes and Giveamanakick, played a storming set at 2007’s Hard Working Class Heroes festival and taken part in Hotpress' Tisch Music Video awards, the band are now set to play in Germany, Holland and the UK and currently feature on the most recent edition of the influential US compilation Future Sounds.

The Odd Socks EP features three tracks, ‘Odd Socks’, ‘Get Go’, and ‘Chongo Pop’ and is releasing on FIFA Records, the self same label that brought you music from Meteor nominated electro punk rockers Fight Like Apes last year.

Formed in early 2007, Grand Pocket Orchestra consist of guitarist and vocalist Paddy Hanna, bassist and keyboardist, Miss Murphy-White, drummer Pete-R and guitarist Chester. Having been branded as everything from from indie-rock Toytronica to ‘evil clown kids music’, their sound is angry, sad and enthusiastic, bemusing and entertaining the listener in equal measure.

Grand Pocket Orchestra write happy songs about not so happy things with the intention of making the awful seem not so bad. If they make you feel that they have made the not so bad seem awful then they have failed, and they apologise profusely. This is Grand Pocket Orchestra in a nutshell, and they are yours for the keeping.

Press Release by Entertainment Architects

4. FIGHT LIKE APES (2007) : FLA TO APPEAR ON OTHER VOICES
Posted on: January 23, 2008

Fight Like Apes have been invited to perform at The Other Voices TV Show on December 6th. The set will be recorded in a church in Dingle Co. Kerry for broadcast next spring on RTE 2. The show has already sold ... The Apes? In a church? Lyrics like did you f*^k her, stick things up her? The mind Boggles!!!

1. THE FRANK AND WALTERS : MISTENE COSMETICS LIKE COLOURS!
Posted on: January 15, 2008

Thailand based cosmetic company Mistene (http://www.mistine.co.th/) have decided to use The Frank And Walters hit song Colours in their brand new ad campaign. The company loved the energy and theme of the song and as the band have a good profile in Thailand, they felt that the song would be a good ambassador for their products.

The advert which is broadcast on all national and local TV Stations has prompted a boost in the bands sales and airplay. Its likely that they will tour there soon.

To see a clip of one of the adverts click here

1. THE FRANK AND WALTERS : A RENEWED INTEREST IN READING
Posted on: January 14, 2008

The Franks postman (Jack Lyons, aka Irish Jack) has written an excellent book to celebrate the madness and genius of the Franks. Its not subtle and it doesnt pull any punches but it captures the spirit and integrity of these Indie Pop merchants and attempts to explain why it is that they are inspired to do what they do.

"Interviewed once in the late nineties for an August Irish journal, I was asked who was the best actor, singer, band I ever interviewed. Easy. The Frank And Walters, I said" - Dave Fanning

"The Frank And Walters,

Brothers, Paul and NIall Linehan with Neighbour Ashley Keating came from a place called Glencairn Park, Bishopstown in Cork - door numbers 19 and 8, to be precise. I watched them grow up for a lot of years and delivered many postcards, letters and unwanted bills through their letter boxes - well thats another story.

You see, I was their postman and over the years I have seen their meteoric rise from a small garage band to unrivalled success appearing on the world fanous Top Of The Pops with Paul McCartney, having the likes of Suede, PJ Harvey and Radioshead supporting them, Noel Gallagher as a roadie to the their widely acclaimed albums. I've seen their status as an internationally renowned band develop. Over the years of eccentricity and in-bred surrealism I've seen letters with the sweet smell of perfume from eager girl-friends to hampers from record companies and fan mail as far away as Japan and the U.S. arrive on their doorsteps.

I just wish they had bigger letterboxes! - Jack Lyons (Postman)" 

5. DAE KIM (2007) : DAE KIM GIG PREVIEW - WATERFORD NEWS
Posted on: January 09, 2008

Dae Kim to stop in Traffik

DAE KIM makes an appearance at Traffik, the Forum’s indie late club, this Saturday night.

The band have been together in various guises for the past 18 months, releasing their debut album ‘Matador’ in November 2005 on the independent Sofa Records.

Last year saw new members beef up an already impressive line up and gigs in the UK and Europe polished these diamonds in the rough ’til they could cut glass. Dubbed, according to the band, NME’s leaders of the ‘New Gaze’ movement, February 2007 sees the release of their eagerly-awaited album ‘Sticky Fingers’, on Fifa Records.

Set to headline the Water-ford stage of the Murphy’s Live gig and tour to support the launch of Sticky Fingers in 2007, you can expect big things from this five-piece, who never fail to deliver a potent live set.

7. MYSLOVITZ (2006) : LINKS TO MYSLOVITZ VIDEOS
Posted on: January 09, 2008

I'd Like To Die Of Love: Click here to watch video

W Deszczu Maleñkich ¯ó³tych Kwiatów: Click here to watch video

Zycie to Surfing: Click here to watch video

Sound of Solitude: Click here to watch video

Dla Ciebie: Click here to watch video

5. DAE KIM (2007) : DAE KIM VIDEO LINK
Posted on: January 08, 2008

Watch Postcards on Youtube

7. MYSLOVITZ (2006) : MYSLOVITZ ON WIKI
Posted on: January 07, 2008

Follow this link for information on Polands most famous rock band: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myslovitz

4. FIGHT LIKE APES (2007) : 4 STAR REVIEW FOR DAVID CARRADINE....
Posted on: January 07, 2008

'We haven't misspelt 'whose' on our new EP cover', the latest Fight Like Apes press release declares, 'we have decided to reinvent the English language'. It's an attitude that typifies the Dublin quartet's amusingly tongue-in-cheek peculiarities, and one that would probably set them up for a fall if they weren't so bloody good. The extravagantly-titled 'David Carradine..' is the synth-grungers' second EP, and although it doesn't have the same bushwhack effect as their excellent debut did, it's a sophomore offering to relish. Do You Karate?'s rude buzz-rock-bass-thump is an exquisite opener; uber-catchy ode to fish and chips, Canhead, is a neat, jerky, burst of whimsical brilliance; electro-heavy track Accidental Wrong Hole is succinctly aggressive, while standout Snore Bore Whore is proof that born-to-be-a-star singer MayKay can do pastoral as well as blow-your-eardrums-out cacophony. They might look like they don't care either way, but Fight Like Apes are going to be stars.

Review by Lauren Murphy

4. FIGHT LIKE APES (2007) : FIGHT LIKE APES UK TOUR (SUPPORTING VON BONDIES)
Posted on: January 05, 2008

Detroit Garage Rockers, The Von Bondies are doing a UK and Ireland tour this February and Fight Like Apes have been asked to support them on all of the shows. It will be the bands last tour before they hit the studio to record their eagerly awaited debut album (due out around October 2008) Dates and details below:

• 16 Feb 2008, Von Bondies Tour @ Spring & Airbrake Belfast, Northern Ireland
• 19 Feb 2008 Von Bondies Tour @ Night & Day Manchester, UK
• 20 Feb 2008 Von Bondies Tour @ Stereo Glasgow, UK
• 21 Feb 2008 Von Bondies Tour @ Cockpit Leeds, UK
• 23 Feb 2008 Von Bondies Tour @ Bodega Nottingham, UK
• 24 Feb 2008 Von Bondies Tour @ Thekla Bristol, UK
• 25 Feb 2008 Von Bondies Tour @ Bar Academy Birmingham, UK
• 26 Feb 2008 Von Bondies Tour @ Scala London, UK

Admission to all shows is 10.00 Stg. Merchandise will be on sale on the night.

4. FIGHT LIKE APES (2007) : FIGHT LIKE APES VIDEOS
Posted on: January 04, 2008

Do You Karate? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed7-7C2c70U

Jake Summers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gi1psuS8JQ

Lend Me Your Face http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MKXsFMhTAw

Live at HWCH http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUmvfSiTdVc

1. THE FRANK AND WALTERS : THE FRANK AND WALTERS LIVE AT THE SPIEGELTENT DVD
Posted on: December 16, 2007

Cherry Red Records (http://www.cherryred.co.uk/), FIFA Records and The Frank And Walters have got together and made the bands's first ever DVD. Entitled 'Live At The Spiegeltent' it features the band performing in their annual and now legendary Spiegeltent show in Cork City.  

The DVD also features a 6 songs recorded at Whelans in Dublin in the spring of 2007 while the band was touring the second single 'Fight' from their latest album 'A Renewed Interest In Happiness'.

As a bonus, there is a career-spanning interview with Ashley and Paul. On the mike is long-time friend and mentor Colm O'Callaghan (credited by the band in getting them their first big break in the UK). Its 30 minutes of fun, history and some revealing views.

Track Listing

• The Spiegeltent, Cork City, Ireland On June 22nd 2007
  • Miles And Miles / Fashion Crisis Hits New York / Colours / Changed My Way Of Thinking / Fight / Keep The Faith / Lately / Castaway / New York / How Can I Exist? / Indian Ocean / After All / City Lights / This Is Not A Song / Time We Said Goodnight / Underground / Happy Busman / Funky Cold Medina

• Whelans, Wexford Street, Dublin, Ireland on May 12th 2007
  
  • Plenty Times / Walters Trip / Tony Cochrane / Michael / Country Boy

The DVD is for sale in record stores, at gigs and online from Cherry Red. Click here to purchase

5. DAE KIM (2007) : DAE KIM GIG PREVIEW
Posted on: December 09, 2007

Dae Kim released the fantastic Sticky Fingers EP this year giving them the opportunity to play live around the country and make a debut trip to the UK for a very well received set at the influential Barfly in London. The Kim, fronted by the former Ten Speed Racer drummer Terry Cullen, have developed a nice and sleazy indie-rock sound with a real sixties garage rock flavour to it. Hailed by NME as ‘leaders of the new shoe-gaze movement’ and with The Irish Times describing their track All That Glitters as having ‘drama deeply buried in it’s grooves’, Dae Kim’s debut album Matador was released on Sofa Records in 2005. A lush, layered, dramatic affair, the album release paved the way for a host of Irish and International tour dates, with numerous headline shows and tours of Germany, Belgium and the UK. Support slots to date have included Babyshambles, Ash, House of Love, Whipping Boy and The Frames amongst many others. Recording of the second album has already begun with a planned release early in 2008, but in the meantime The Kim are determined to play a memorable NYE hometown show,

6. HYBRASIL (2005, 2006) : WE GOT MUSIC EP REVIEW - THE SCENE
Posted on: December 09, 2007

Hybrasil has taken the act on the road this year and already played a series of gigs throughout Ireland and signed a management and recording contract with Fierce Indie Frontal Attack (FIFA) Records. FIFA have recently released Hybrasil's debut EP entitled "We Got Music" nationally. The band and its management are already in preparations to organise an extensive tour throughout Ireland and the UK.

Grammar may not be to the forefront of Hybrasil debut EP "We Got Music" but nonetheless with this four track disc they prove themselves to be a talent waiting to be discovered. The EP begins with the title track 'We Got Music' and one thing for sure is that the quintet certainly have got music - the drums and jangling guitars are shadowed by a wave of synth that will have you tapping your foot and nodding your head to the rhythm after a bar or two. The vocals are cool, collected and repetitive enough to have this song whirling around in your mind long after the synths fade out to silence.

The second track "A Million Moments" is an understated love song with a simplistic beauty to it. The vocals are Snow Patrol without the Northern twang, the Thrills without the California sunshine gloss. The voice is soft and almost bordering on melancholic but the lyrics and the steady underlying drumbeat save this song from any gloominess.

'God Bless the Devil' could be written by Beck for all its kookiness and tongue in cheek humour. As guitars glitter alongside a shimmering eastern twist, the singer recalls his conversations with Jesus and the Devil regarding his music.

Bravely enough, the Wicklow lad stands up against Christ Almighty and the Prince of Darkness and defends his music. He ignores the advice from up above "Forget those drum machines and you'd be a star" but maybe there is an ounce of truth in that opinion. The final track 'Hy Fy' is an instrumental that can only be described as a trip through outer space. If Star Trek required a soundtrack Hy Fy would fit the bill.

Based on the other three tracks on the EP, Hy Fy seems a bad choice for their debut. As the last song it is responsible for leaving the final impression of the band, this track is an unfitting representation of what Hybrasil are capable of achieving. It may end on a bad note but regardless of that, this EP should have enough strength in its other three songs to win over some new followers and raise Hybrasil's profile.

Aoife McEvoy (The Scene, Sligo)

Full review on The Scene

1. THE FRANK AND WALTERS : ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW AND MORE...
Posted on: December 03, 2007

For those of you who want to learn more about your favourite band, we have included as many links are we can find (ones we think are useful...)

http://www.thefrankandwalters.ie/ - official site for the band

www.myspace.com/thefrankandwalters - maintained by Ashley - provider of the beats

http://www.frankandwalters.net/ - official fan site and the nicest guys you're likely to meet

http://www.frankandwalters.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi - forum for fans and for Ashley and Paul to deliver their words of....emmm....wisdom I guess

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=divdrums - Youtube video blogs by the Franks little pal Div

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Frank_And_Walters - The Franks in Wiki Land...feel free to contribute

http://www.setantarecords.com/php/biog.php?art_id=12 - The Franks old label Setanta.

http://www.idiot-dog.com/simple-times/text/ - the bible...basically this is everything you need to know to do a Mastermind quiz.

http://turquoisedays.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_archive.html - This guy is a pal of the Franks. Worth reading.

3. ILYA K (2007) : ILYA K PRESS RELEASE
Posted on: November 22, 2007

Beginning in 2005 Ilya K set out on a path of destruction and mysticism across the venues of Ireland. The objective was to become the best live band in existence.

In 2006 ilya K became the first and only band to play on The Hill of Tara. From that day forward, strange forces collided to forge a band like no other.

With mysterious forces now pushing the band, they were entered in Murphy's Live 2007. They obliterated the field and won the contest at Dublin's Village in April 2007. Consequently leading the band to a single release with Fifa Records.

With a sound like no other, expect to hear tribal rhythms, quirky indie-rock sounds, experimental noise and beautiful harmonies. Think what would happen if QOTSA and Animal Collective formed a band with The Cure.

Past Shows with The Automatic, Babyhead, Cork's Indie-pendence festival, along with many Free Parties in various squats, forests and beaches across Ireland have cemented ilya K as THE band to see.

The foundations have been laid, the Ilya K live experience beckons.

3. ILYA K (2007) : ILYA K IN THE HOUSE!
Posted on: November 14, 2007

Ilya K are set to rock Kilkenny once again and they’ll be doing so in the Zoo Club on Parliament Street tonight. The winners of last year’s Murphys Live competition had to cancel their Thomastown gig a few weeks back but return to Kilkenny tonight before heading on to the Underground in Carlow tomorrow night.

We’ve seen the lads in action a few times and myself and Daw have enjoyed sharing a bill with them back at the start of 2006 and I’ll happily vouch for them being a top class act. It’s loud, it’s upbeat, it’s experimental in pieces and it’ll leave you crying out for more - the music that is. Collectively, the lads are packed brim full of energy on the stage and it makes for a cracking live set. The new single ‘Empire Is A Cave’ is a great one as well and worth grabbing while you can.

Full preview on http://www.kilkennymusic.com/gig-news/ilya-k-in-the-house-tonight/

4. FIGHT LIKE APES (2007) : IN DUBLIN INTERVIEW
Posted on: October 24, 2007

MayKay and Pockets are two of the nicest people you could ever meet. When I arrive late for our little chat, they both smile like it’s no bother at all and MayKay assures me I’m only three minutes over. My excuse is lame – I’d just come from interviewing The Frames. We sit down with refreshments and I mention that it’s quite funny to interview a long-established band like The Frames, followed by a freshly minted band like Fight Like Apes.

“It’s funny you should mention them,” says MayKay. “To this day we don’t know what we want to sound like, but one of our guidelines to start with was, never in a million years did we want to sound anything like The Frames!”

The difference between this band and anything else around is a recurring theme of our subsequent discussion. The band’s live performances –MayKay’s wonderfully impassioned, screaming vocals, Pockets’ singular, bobbing dance moves, the sheer tourniquet-tightness of Tom and Adrian, their rhythm section – and their two brilliant EPs have captured the hearts of everyone from Ryan Tubridy to Steve Lamacq. I want to know why they do what they do but Pockets, he of the deadpan wit and Bill Oddie beard, is keen to elaborate on MayKay’s point about not being The Frames.

Read the rest of the interview here 

Written by Johnny Craig

6. HYBRASIL (2005, 2006) : WHEN IM YAWNING EP REVIEW
Posted on: October 08, 2007

Given that their constituent parts include a painter, a writer, a glass worker and a scupltor, Hybrasil represent the amalgam of uncovered Irish talent, and their latest tour is set to feature input from such individuals.

But When I'm Yawning is not a biography, but a song - and a rather good one at that. Building through levels of fuzzy bass, a bruising, LCD Soundsystem-style drum loop and vocal to match, this is prime indie dancefloor filler, not least for the ear-smashing distorted kazoo.

Not a groundbreaker by any means, but certainly further evidence as to why this Irish collective is slowly but surely making a name for itself with the movers and shakers at all-night disco parties across the land.

6. HYBRASIL (2005, 2006) : OXYGEN.IE INTERVIEW WITH HYBRASIL
Posted on: September 12, 2007

Every now and then a support act rocks up on stage with a set that starts off politely suggesting that you might want to give it your attention, proceeds to convince you that really you should be listening quite intently as each track betters its predecessor and finishes with a thundering percussion onslaught so damn original and exciting you are dragged by the earlobe into a high octane, explosive, sonic experience that leaves you reeling and wondering what the hell just happened and can you do that again please!

One such act would be Hybrasil. Rarely have I had that one shot and I’m hooked experience with a live act. Rarely have I heard a sound that so sublimely fuses the finest elements of classic rock, indie and dirty electro, adds a subtle, unobtrusive yet seductive vocal and packages it neatly in a slick polished performance worthy of a far greater audience than a Monday night support slot in Crawdaddy. I’m excited folks, very excited.

Hybrasil are John (Spud) Murphy: lead vocals and guitar, Keith Byrne: guitar, Neil Horner: drums, Neil (Nipper) Kinsella: bass and Joe Kavanagh on keyboards. It’s a familiar story, you get together with a few of the lads, jam for a while discover that actually there’s something pretty damn good going on here, start throwing ideas about, get your best mate to come up with a name for this “something pretty damn good” and set about getting a gig or two. Eighteen months later you’ve got yourselves a record deal with FIFA records and are starting to make some fairly impressive waves in the music scene in this country, which let’s face it desperately needs a seriously fresh vegetable to liven up the Damien/Paddy/Damien flavoured stew it has become in recent years.

The Hybrasil sound has been steadily evolving and changing over the last year. “When we started off” explains Murphy “we were using accordions and acoustic guitars and slide guitars then the songs just progressed. Adds Kavanagh “it’s very natural, very organic it just goes in whatever direction it goes in, we watch what the crowd likes and see what they think, try out new stuff on them” Murphy is credited as the main songwriter for the band, he will “come up with an idea and record it down…. but everyone has an opinion, I’ll throw it to the lads, they’ll throw it back then hopefully it works.”

If their debut EP is anything to go by it’s fair to say that this process is working pretty well for them. Particularly in the UK where they are not the first act to find that they have a keener audience across the pond than on home turf. Their music is being played by more than sixty radio stations across the country and their sound is being extremely well received. The reason for this Murphy explains is that “there’s more of an indie crowd in England, they latch on to you a bit more and they respect you even if they don’t know you yet”.

“We were essentially told from the get go here that what people are looking for is another Paddy Casey (Please God no!!) as far as the airwaves are concerned.” However there are a few well known jocks prepared to go out on a limb and play Hybrasil tracks, most notably the old reliables; Dave Fanning, Tom Dunne and even the king of cheese himself, the primordial institution that is Larry Gogan!

The boys have a busy six months ahead of them; their single “we got music” is due for release in the UK on February 13th so a ten date promotional tour is underway at the moment before they return to play Dublin’s Pravda on February 22nd. The summer will see them playing all the festivals and finishing work on their debut album which is due for release in late spring.

It’s so easy to bandy about throwaway labels like “next big thing” and use terms like “watch this space” but I feel sure that Hybrasil are not going to be disappearing off our music radar for quite some time. As Murphy puts it “our whole attitude is just to keep plugging away and having faith in what we’re doing”. Keep thinking like that boys and the main stage at Oxegen can’t be that far off!

Judith Schweppe

www.oxygen.ie

3. ILYA K (2007) : ILYA K GIG PREVIEW
Posted on: September 11, 2007

Ilya K have just released the stunning ‘Empire Is A Cave’, a rocking gem of a song that bodes well for what is to come when the band release their debut album on FIFA Records early in 2008. Ilya K were recently crowned champs in the ‘Murphy’s Live’ nationwide competition which was judged by Neil Hannon of Divine Comedy fame and Ashley Keating from the very fab Frank And Walters. Their most recent press release tells us that they were the first band to play The mystical Hill Of Tara and a lap dancing club, but not on the same night. Live is where they are best and no doubt this will be proven once again at Electric Avenue on NYE.

To read more click here

6. HYBRASIL (2005, 2006) : CLUB OMH REVIEW
Posted on: September 05, 2007

Headlining tonight, Wicklow's finest: Hybrasil. Making the long trip from Ireland to be here, and not disappointing in the slightest. Coming off like LCD Soundsystem minus the annoying hipster irony, and plus a head full of Guinness and a bellyful of songs that couldn't fail to get even the most disillusioned of gig-goer grinning. With lead singer John 'Spud' Murphy leaping around smashing a cowbell like it had said things about his mother, and the driving rhythm of We Got Music and God Bless The Devil ringing out, it was a fittingly impressive way to end the night

Click here to read the full review: http://www.musicomh.com/music/gigs/club-omh_0406.htm

6. HYBRASIL (2005, 2006) : 4 STAR ALBUM REVIEW FROM ENTERTAINMENT.IE
Posted on: August 07, 2007

Moloko's Roisin Murphy had better watch her back; her role as Wicklow's coolest export (after various waterfalls, mountains and err, Ballykissangel, that is) is under serious threat from five twentysomething blokes known collectively as Hybrasil. The Wickla Town lads have been gigging together for the past three years, building up an admittedly-impressive fanbase (21,171 MySpace fans and counting) whilst similarly releasing a brace of EPs (We Got Music, When I'm Yawning) and a single which has rarely been off the Phantom airwaves (God Bless the Devil).

The Monkey Pole, the quintet's debut longplayer, comes hot on the heels of that single's success, and is a surprisingly groovy and startlingly accomplished debut offering. They describe themselves as 'indietronic', but Hybrasil's material swaggers and spits more like a Britpop/dance hybrid that anything else, although the majority of the eleven tracks here are tinged with an electro vibe that the Gallaghers could never quite effect.

The danger of such a label means that they're also open to comparison with the likes of Kasabian - and though opening track We Got Music does sound like some sort of warped Gary Numan collaboration with the Leicester outfit, Hybrasil's sound is much more old school than their 'poor man's Stone Roses' act. San Fran and Heads Up are supremely catchy offerings, the former's jerky synth buzz akin to something from The Rapture's first album; Getchoo is a spacey, Eastern-flavoured stoner-electro number; Binary Love's brilliant chunky throb sounds like A House's 'Endless Art' reworked by LCD Soundsystem, while When I'm Yawning's droning chasm of synths is almost Chemical Brothers-esque. They manage to turn up the odd surprise, too; the melodic jangle of If You Feel is the most pop-oriented thing on offer here, A Million Moments' whispery tenderness could be a Snow Patrol anthem, and meandering closer Love Is In You has the same epic quality (and use of sitar) as Jape's 'Floating'. There's absolutely no monkeying around here - Hybrasil have marked themselves as contenders with this impressive, if not entirely cutting-edge introduction.

Review by Lauren Murphy

Full Review on Entertainment.ie

6. HYBRASIL (2005, 2006) : MUSIC AND PICTURES EXPLODE PRESS RELEASE
Posted on: August 05, 2007

IMRO Announcement around the Music And Pictures Explode Showcase.

Click LInk: http://www.imro.ie/newstastic//news.php?item=9360

4. FIGHT LIKE APES (2007) : ON THE RECORD REVIEW
Posted on: June 21, 2007

Look, kids, Fight Like Apes don’t exist. No, seriously, they’re about as real as the tooth fairy. I know you have read oodles and oodles about them already but they’re the new Keyser Soze.

In fact, they are the result of the first ever AGM of the Irish Music Bloggers Gang (IMBG). The meeting happened last week (Wednesday, to be exact) in the back-room of a greasy spoon just outside Drogheda. A gaggle of music bloggers sat around, compared notes, drank mugs of tea and decided a hot Irish band was needed. This is how we do it, people.

Rocks, the IMBG’s queenpin, reckoned we need a band who were “fun, rocking, a bit Brooklyn, loud, messily drunk, DIY, punky, electronic, joyful, gooey, GOOD”

Torture Garden, the real brains behind the IMBG, had flown in clandestinely from his Berlin bolthole on the government jet for this re-up. He wanted a band with songs who made “violence sound like something not to be afraid of”. He wanted “vocals like Karen O stealing James Browns’ strut, distorted, flowing keyboards, which sound both beautiful and continous as an evening skyline, but as beaten and rough as a bloodied face.” He doesn’t ask for much. But what he asks for, he gets

Nialler, the IMBG’s Head of Always Being Ahead of The Curve, wanted a band who would have great titles like “How Am I Supposed To Kill You If You Have All The Guns?”.

Popcorn Bobby wanted a band with a great name (so you could have have headlines like “Lend Me Your Apes) and one who didnt need guitars.

On the Record, meantime, just wanted another mug of tea. And a band with great lyrics. Something angry, funky and ear-catching. Lines such as “you’re like Kentucky Fried Chicken but without the taste”. Or “you’re a fucking disappointment to the human race”. That kind of thing.

Enter Fight Like Apes, a band who seem so perfect at first glance that you’re excused for thinking they’re a figment of our collective imaginations. But no, they’re real. As real as a punch in the gob. As real as the menopausal Paris Hilton up a pole again in Ranelagh.

The facts. The singer goes by the name of McKay. She screams, hollers, roars and howls. The guy in the picture is called Pockets and he does most of the songwriting. There are also two lads called Tom and Adrian but they stay out of the photos.

They have a song called “Jake Summers” which has been wowing me all week. If you’re interested, IMDB have a Jake Summers who starred in a couple of porn movies. But if you want a track which slam-dunks you between the ears and smacks you in the ribs, you’ve come to the right place. This song rocks on so many different levels.

You can hear it and three other tunes from their new EP here. You’ll also get a list of the shows the band are playing in the next while.

BTW the next meeting of the IMBG happens in late June - Jim Carroll

4. FIGHT LIKE APES (2007) : MP3 BLOGGER REVIEW
Posted on: June 07, 2007

The States have had their Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the English their Arctic Monkeys so isn’t it about time the emerald one had its very own blogger endorsed sensation. So far Fight Like Apes have received quite a bit of bandwidth from assorted green-backed sources (hurry along there Matt!) so I better join the fray. They are signed to the Frank & Walters label Fifa Records (how did they get away with that monikor, Blatter will be on their doorstep soon) from which their debut EP will flow quite soon even if they remain unlisted as of yet at Fifa headquarters. Led by the shouty Maykay and assorted blokes Fight Like Apes are an interesting proposition, like the Go! Team were they to lend their vocalists more airtime. ‘Lend Me Your Face’, quite apart from being title of the year, is a spunky piece of ear candy that reminds one of Bis in their prime. All told Fight Like Apes are a much-needed swill of peppermint mouthwash in a somewhat staid local music scene. The least you can do is lend them your ear. KD

To read more Click Here 

5. DAE KIM (2007) : INTERVIEW WITH TERRY CULLEN (DAE KIM)
Posted on: May 24, 2007

DW: Can you give us a bit of background about the band, how you got together – I understand that the line up has changed fairly recently, you lost Dave Grimes but gained three new members, can you talk us through that?

TC: Dae Kim started after i moved back from London. I was at odds after Tenspeedracer broke up. I had sold all my drums and guitars and started working on a building site. After about two years of that I started playing on an old acoustic I had borrowed from my nephew and just tried to start writing songs.  And managed to hook up with Dave Grimes. We both had an interest in Sonic Youth and Spacemen 3, we just started playing and ad-libling at shows for fun. nothing too serious really.

DW: Is Dave still involved with the band?

TC: Dave is still involved with the band, but in a producer/recording way. He is busy making music under the moniker LITTLE BEAR.

After we made Matador in 2005, we stopped playing. It was only ever a project for fun. Never to be taken any further. That's why the album sounds like it does. We didn't use any proper gear. Just whatever we could find to make a noise really. He is an extremely talented man. Just trying to get him to play the same thing twice is a nightmare!! ha ha. He taught me a lot about sounds and I can't wait to start the new album with him.

DW: Where is the band name from – The Korean President or the Korean born actor based in America?

TC: The name Dae Kim is after the Korean President. Although I had never heard of the actor. I don't watch TV. The name just sounded nice and exactly the kind of name I wanted to work under.

DW: How did you personally get involved in music, do you come from a musical background?

TC: I don't come from a musical background. I just loved music and wanted to be involved with something that made you feel that good.

I just stuck on Highway To Hell by AC/DC and played it non-stop and learned the drums that way. I have played with some great guitar players over the years and learnt a lot from them. I used to busk in Dublin in the early 90's with Mundy and Paddy (Casey) and the like and learnt some tunes that way. Great fun.

DW: What are your musical influences?

TC: My influences vary really. Vocally it would fall between Jason Pierce from Spiritualized and Robert Smith from The Cure. It's the emotion in the voice and the lyrics that I always think is important. You have to believe in what your singing.

Musically I tend to lean towards the rock end of things. The Cramps, Jesus Lizard, The Dirtbombs, MC5, The Hellicopters, New Bomb Turks, kinda thing.

'Im a big Gene Vincent fan and that whole late 50's rock n roll scene. Artwork is just as important. Nialloviolence does all our covers/posters and designs and that has a big effect on what I do.

DW: Where do you get your inspiration from when writing songs? Is it personal experience, day to day situations, or something more profound?

TC: Writing songs doesn't come easy to me. It's always from personal experience. It's my way of trying to get somethuing out. I'm not a great talker, so writing songs helps me a little.

DW: You are pretty versatile, you drummed with Tenspeedracer but in Dae Kim you play guitar and sing – do you have any other hidden talents that you can tell us about?

TC: I play guitar and sing because I could not find a band to join. No-one wanted to make the kind of music I liked and I was so not gonna go down that route again. I'm handy at mechanics. I quite like engines. cars and motorbikes and the like. Not good at anything else really... I can play polo if thats any use, my Dad trains polo ponys . I was always around horses.

DW: Is it a very different experience during gigs, coming out from behind the drums and taking the spotlight? Does that sit easier with you?

TC: It makes no difference to me. As long as I get to play. I really don't care, it's easy for me to do it. I just wish everything else in life was as easy. 

DW: Katie Sullivan is in the process of putting together a solo album - am I right in saying that the rest of the band are involved in that too? If so, is it easy to keep the two projects/bands as separate entities?

TC: Katie is doing her album and I think some of the band are playing on it.. .she is very busy with it at the minute and it should be a great one. She is a very talented songwriter and glad she is finally getting around to doing it. As regards keeping them both seperate? She does it on our down time so it never really gets in the way.  Elly, Ian, Tommy are in a band called Grave Arcitecture also and always play with other people.

The only person i would colaborate with is john barrett ex/ Tenspeedracer guitar player.He lives in Perth, Australia so it's very difficult. We will be doing something next year under the name  BULLS, but I swore I would never ever play drums in a band again unless he was in it. I just couldn't do it.

DW: You’ve just released the sumptuously sleazy single Sticky Fingers – probably the dirtiest song I have heard in a while – I guess its early days but how is it doing so far?

TC: Sticky fingers came out in Ireland on 25th May through our label Bloodlust/Fifa Records. It is doing ok at the moment, getting a great reaction on radio and online. It's early days yet so we got to keep playing and trying to get to as many people as possible.

DW: You’ve had some fairly high profile support slots, Ash, Babyshambles and The Frames to name a few – touring mainland Europe and the UK – did you pick up many fans through that and have they stayed with you since then?

TC: We picked up a lot of fans while we were away in Europe and got a great response  from France, Germany, Belguim and the States... Our music is not at all Irish. The majority of our fans are American. The Irish don't like it at all, which makes it very hard for us to get playlisted over here. We are actually better off saying we are from the States. We would be huge!.

DW: What's the strangest thing that has happened to you on tour?

TC: The strangest thing that has ever happened me on tour? There are quite a few. we had some great times with the Future Kings of Spain in the UK. Great bunch of guys. That Babyshambles crowd are not as hardcore as they like to make out. Our drummer and bass player would drink them under the table. The weirdest I remember anyway was in South Amboy in New Jersey, an old 70's punk club. Lots of people with canes with skull tops.   The guy who ran the venue used to go out with Patti Smith and the place was decked out with old 5'0s vampire heads and pentacles and full of very, very, very mad people doing extremly crazy stuff. Great gig but very weird!

DW: What's your best gig experience to date and why?

TC: The best gig Dae Kim have done to date would be at a strip club we played at last year. Place was jammed. Stage diving and all sorts of nonsense. People were really into the show and we kicked ass. It was just a club show and everyone there was there to have fun. Naked women and rock n roll seem to go hand in hand I guess

DW: You have a few gigs coming up in your own right, what are the chances of you playing in the UK in the relatively near future?

TC: We will be coming to the UK late summer.Oour single  "Sticky Finger"s gets a release there early September and we will be doing some shows with two other bands on the labe. Iilya K and Fight Like Apes so that should be a good un! Really looking forward to that.

DW: What music are you listening to at the moment?

TC: At the moment I'm listening to Autolux and The Cramps. Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska has been in my car for a month now. Just total genius. Tribuite by Ozzy is never far away either!!!

DW: How healthy is the music scene in Waterford at the moment? What other Irish bands would you recommend we check out?

TC: The music scene here is pretty healthy. The death of the covers band has finally arrived and is making way from some great stuff. Notably:  LITTLE BEAR, ILYA K. UGLY MEGAN, LEGOSET and all bands are making it onto radio and getting to do shows around the country and building a fanbase, so it's great to be a part of something that is being noticed at the moment.

 Interview available on: Distant Warning

5. DAE KIM (2007) : STICKY FINGERS REVIEW
Posted on: April 18, 2007

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the words 'sticky fingers' is always barbecue spare ribs, and getting hands on and messy indulging in fun food. Dae Kim's new single isn't about food of course, but parallels can be drawn. It's messy and fun in that Sonic Youth Goo sense. It's also spunked up, propulsive and rousingly infectious as guitar driven indie-rock groove that lifts its volume a notch higher at every turn, and seriously hits the spot.

Full review on: Frequency Ireland Blogspot

6. HYBRASIL (2005, 2006) : HYBRASIL VIDEOS
Posted on: March 13, 2007

When I'm Yawning: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=JxP2bQaGs8c

San Fran: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=1_AG5wZpXto

Hybrasil emmm...smackdown! http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=vP-mtgsvKoA

Hybrasil on Last Broadcast: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeh202gKocc

6. HYBRASIL (2005, 2006) : FIRST MUSIC CONTACT REVIEW
Posted on: February 12, 2007

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