Hooligan - Prodigal Son EP
Don't be fooled by the name (like I was!) - Dublin 3 piece Hooligan are no Oi band. On this 5 track EP they deliver good solid melodic punk reminding me of the Upstarts circa 2 Million Voices with nods towards the Clash and even Thin Lizzy.
The opening title track Prodigal Son is a mid-paced rocker which is lifted by the angsty vocal and the sing-a-long chorus and a not-too-long guitar solo. Track 2, Back On The Piss Again raises the tempo considerably (and has a slight latter day Vibrators feel to it). Pumps along nicely then morphs into a Clash style reggae skank (which sounds so much like The Clash). Good stuff. Track 3 is another version of Prodigal Son which sounds too much like the original (except for the spoken bit in the middle) to actually warrant inclusion. The final 2 tracks are live recordings of Rebel Heart - a real rabble-rousing Clash / Upstarts style stomper complete with Strummeresque howls and even a little Pistols guitar style near the end - and Nowhere Man, an adrenalin fuelled 80s style punk tune which is the closest these lads will ever get to Oi. If you haven't heard Hooligan before then this CD will serve as a good introduction. I see a lot of potential in this band and I know the best is yet to come. A new EP and full length album are on the cards and they will include No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs - a song which, in my opinion, is set to become an instant punk classic!
Hooligan on Facebook * Hooligan on Youtube
_GT 30/09/12
The opening title track Prodigal Son is a mid-paced rocker which is lifted by the angsty vocal and the sing-a-long chorus and a not-too-long guitar solo. Track 2, Back On The Piss Again raises the tempo considerably (and has a slight latter day Vibrators feel to it). Pumps along nicely then morphs into a Clash style reggae skank (which sounds so much like The Clash). Good stuff. Track 3 is another version of Prodigal Son which sounds too much like the original (except for the spoken bit in the middle) to actually warrant inclusion. The final 2 tracks are live recordings of Rebel Heart - a real rabble-rousing Clash / Upstarts style stomper complete with Strummeresque howls and even a little Pistols guitar style near the end - and Nowhere Man, an adrenalin fuelled 80s style punk tune which is the closest these lads will ever get to Oi. If you haven't heard Hooligan before then this CD will serve as a good introduction. I see a lot of potential in this band and I know the best is yet to come. A new EP and full length album are on the cards and they will include No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs - a song which, in my opinion, is set to become an instant punk classic!
Hooligan on Facebook * Hooligan on Youtube
_GT 30/09/12
Noise Agents - demos
I first saw / heard this band back in April 2012 at the Pavilion, Belfast, and I have to admit they pretty much blew me away! Highlight of their set that night was their England World Cup song Indestructible which should have been a monster chart hit. That song is so bloody infectious!
Anyhow, frontman Andy K (Demob) recently sent me a few demo's, and it felt like Christmas had come early! I can't tell ya how much I was looking forward to hearing the new tunes. And you know what? They blew me away all over again! This is a band steeped in commitment and passion, you can feel it oozing from the 4 tracks on offer here - Punk and Oi! / School Daze / Together We Stand / Jungle - fast, adrenalised, sweat soaked, sing-a-long punk anthems to die for! This is The Lurkers, Cock Sparrer, Guitar Gangsters et al, all rolled into one. The Noise Agents will make you wanna jump around, pump your fist in the air and sing-a-long until your throat is raw. The songs are fast, furious, catchy as fuck, and seriously infectious! None more so than Jungle, which you'll just have to hear to believe. I struggled to believe that the band could better (or even equal) a song like Indestructible but they have and Jungle is it (a belter of a tune with such astute lyrics). This is a band who'll sweat blood for the punk scene but they'll also have fun doing it! So get on board and join the party.
Good news is that Noise Agents are playing Auntie Annies, Belfast on November 30 along with Sham 69 (original lineup) and The Defects. That's gonna be one helluva gig! And, if that ain't enough, the band are contributing two of the aforementioned tracks Punk and Oi! plus Together We Stand to Belfast label Scarred For Life Records debut compilation CD, which is due out in a week or so!
Demob are dead, long live Noise Agents!
Noise Agents on Facebook * Noise Agents on Youtube
GT 30/09/12
Anyhow, frontman Andy K (Demob) recently sent me a few demo's, and it felt like Christmas had come early! I can't tell ya how much I was looking forward to hearing the new tunes. And you know what? They blew me away all over again! This is a band steeped in commitment and passion, you can feel it oozing from the 4 tracks on offer here - Punk and Oi! / School Daze / Together We Stand / Jungle - fast, adrenalised, sweat soaked, sing-a-long punk anthems to die for! This is The Lurkers, Cock Sparrer, Guitar Gangsters et al, all rolled into one. The Noise Agents will make you wanna jump around, pump your fist in the air and sing-a-long until your throat is raw. The songs are fast, furious, catchy as fuck, and seriously infectious! None more so than Jungle, which you'll just have to hear to believe. I struggled to believe that the band could better (or even equal) a song like Indestructible but they have and Jungle is it (a belter of a tune with such astute lyrics). This is a band who'll sweat blood for the punk scene but they'll also have fun doing it! So get on board and join the party.
Good news is that Noise Agents are playing Auntie Annies, Belfast on November 30 along with Sham 69 (original lineup) and The Defects. That's gonna be one helluva gig! And, if that ain't enough, the band are contributing two of the aforementioned tracks Punk and Oi! plus Together We Stand to Belfast label Scarred For Life Records debut compilation CD, which is due out in a week or so!
Demob are dead, long live Noise Agents!
Noise Agents on Facebook * Noise Agents on Youtube
GT 30/09/12
Peter Hook & The Light - live
@ The Limelight, Belfast, 09/06/12
Unfortunately, I never got round to reviewing this gig at the time, but it was too good not to mention it at all. Better late than never! This is not a full review, I just wanted to say what a great gig this turned out to be. I did have reservations about attending the gig. I was quite partial to a bit of Joy Division back in the day, but like so many others I never got the chance to see them live. What would it be like hearing the songs without Ian Curtis on vocals? Well, you knew it was never gonna be the same without him but still, Hooky did put on one helluva show. As Billy (The Androids) said to me later 'it was worth the price of admission just to hear Love Will Tear Us Apart, and witness the packed audience wave their arms in the air and just about everyone singing along.' He was right, it was a special moment. All in all it was a brilliant gig - venue packed (Limelight, not Spring and Airbrake as advertised), great atmosphere, band were superb, and it was fucking fantastic to hear all those old Joy Division songs played live!
GT 30/09/12
GT 30/09/12