The Dollybyrds - Belfast Rain CD EP
(Oval Records DB0001)
This debut EP from East Belfast's Dollybyrds has been out for a while now but no harm in giving it a wee bump up here. The 4 songs presented on the CD offer a marked change from the SLF / Clash vibe from the bands early days. The band now employing a more modern American pop-punk sound although at times they remind me of 90's bands such as Pseudo Hippies and Destination Venus. If my ears aren't deceiving me, the first 2 tracks Belfast Rain and Seditionaires Are Go are one and the same tune albeit with different titles and lyrics! Fast-paced pop-punk with an instantly recognisable intro and catchy as fxxx chorus. More of the same on the bands theme tune Dollybyrds Are Go and the final track Go Go Goal! which is a kind of instrumental reworking of the theme tune with Go Go Goal chanted throughout. All in all, an excellent debut and a nice little taster of what the Dollybyrds have to offer.
The Dollybyrds - Number 21 CD single
(Time To Be Proud Records TTBP0001)
Number 21 is the most recent offering from the band and the first release on the new Belfast label Time To Be Proud (an offshoot of Immortal Records). Released in October 2011 Number 21 is a fine slab of guitar driven pop influenced punk now devoid of the Americanism's of the first EP. The follow up track Get Over It is a more bluesy/rock influenced tune reminding me a little of Crooksy's earlier band PBR Streetgang (no bad thing). The final track Broken Doll is a real slow burning ballady type - like Jesus And Mary Chain without the feedback! On this evidence The Dollybyrds are definetly a band to look out for.
Time To Be Proud - sampler CD
TTBP Records have a busy year ahead with a slew of releaes and gigs planned for 2012. This sampler highlights some of the bands / artists who have been involved with Immortal Records / TTBP for some considerable time. Representing a wealth of musical talent and an ecclectic mix of styles the CD kicks of with Belfast's own rockabilly kings - The Sabrejets. Also making an appearance are indie darlings of yesteryear Emily Ryder and Jade, 80's hearthrobs (lol) Lunatic Fringe (big hair and big guitar sound - why was this band never signed up???), solo artists Robert Holmes and Leslie Rich (whose acoustic version of the Dead Kennedys Holiday In Cambodia is bloody fantastic!), new(ish) indie darlings Kitty and the Can-Openers (with their reworking of the Undertones Wednesday Week), the punkyesque Dollybyrds, The Vipers (brilliant reworking of Stage B's Light On The Hillside, and last but not least, that old codger Terri Hooley with Red Cadillac & a Black Moustache (funny as fxxx!).
For more info on Time To Be Proud and The Dollybyrds check out their Facebook and Myspace pages.
For more info on Time To Be Proud and The Dollybyrds check out their Facebook and Myspace pages.