Irish Bands You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
It’s Saint Patrick’s Day tomorrow and so every website will be giving you beer lists and traditional Irish drinking songs and some recipes for corned beef and cabbage. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…all those things are great. But we wanted to bring you something a little different to celebrate with this year. So we asked our friend Mooch Cassidy to put together some music for you.
These are not your typical St. Pat’s Day tunes. Check out these great Irish bands you probably haven’t heard of before you go out this weekend, and then you can look down on everyone who puts Whiskey in the Jar on the jukebox for the twentieth time.
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Undertones — “You’ve Got My Number”
Definitely one of the strangest looking bands and probably my favourite Irish band. You get the feeling that 1970’s Derry was pretty detached from the rest of the punk scene in UK and even Dublin or Belfast. They sang songs about girls, Mars bars and wanking. Some of the catchiest riffs in pop punk. In the UK they are probably best known for making BBC radio legend John Peel’s favourite song “Teenage Kicks”.
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Alloy Mental — “God is Green”
Phil Kiernan was a DJ who made his name locally in the 2000s at a popular techno night in Belfast Queens Students Union. Alloy Mental was a move into a bit of a rock band thing that was bonkers enough to be great. It’s possible you may need to bang a few E’s to fully appreciate.
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My Bloody Valentine — “Only Shallow”
From Dublin in the 80s this one is pretty well known but putting it in anyway. Up there with the great shoegazer bands like Ride, Jesus and Mary Chain and early Blur and Brian Jonestown Massacre. “Loveless” is a classic album of that psychedelic drone guitar thing that you can listen to forever with one of those great “record company nearly went bankrupt” making it stories.
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Cashier No.9 — “Oh Pity”
Cashier No.9 are probably the nearest thing Belfast has had to a proper hipster band. Signed to the very cool Bella Union label they have some quality tunes. A bit of A Black Rebel Motorcycle sound.
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And So I Watch You From Afar — “If It Ain’t Broke… Break It”
Belfast’s second loudest band after the Shankill Protestant Boys Drum Quartet. Like Cashier No.9 they have had some success “over the water” and on “the mainland” which are both great places. Nice Mars Volta type of deal.
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David Holmes — “My Mate Paul”
The original Holmer. It’s all a bit boink dinky dink but it’s alright if your doin buckets. You probably do know David Holmes stuff from the Oceans 11 soundtracks. He’s not my mate but he used to work at my mate Wally’s hairdressers.
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The Divine Comedy — “Songs Of Love”
Dublin version of a 90’s britpop band. He always came of as a bit of a pretentious cock but they had a few decent songs. A girl from my school rode the bass player. Plus it’s the Father Ted theme song so he’s alright with me for life.
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Therapy? — “Screamager”
Everyone liked this band at my school because they were from Ballyclare and Larne. Not sure why because both towns are total fucking shitholes. Didn’t like them then still don’t. American rock ripoff type deal. On a personal level I do like the beardy one. My brother met him on a plane one time so there’s the family connection that’s important in the ole country.
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The Sultans of Ping FC — “Where’s Me Jumper?”
I think these guys where from Cork. Very odd band.
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