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MySpace Review – The DC Experiment

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , , on November 3, 2009 by Tickets There

thedcexperiment

The 2009 Dublin Rocks! Festival is taking place on November 13th and 14th in the Village on Wexford Street. To celebrate a rock festival (or mourn actual rock music), Tickets There is taking a look at all six acts that have been announced. We didn’t have too much joy with The Alphastates but things tool a turn for the better when we heard The Beat Poets. Now it’s time to look at Dub Country….but unfortunately, we can’t find their MySpace. Instead,. We’ll jump straight along to The DC Experiment who are scheduled to play on the 14th.

As usual, Tickets There hasn’t seen the band live or heard their record.

Right, The DC Experiment actually list themselves as rock, so that helps. The openings bars and vocal styles of first song, The Game would fool you though,. A tad too wishy washy to be considered rock n roll. ‘You’re a rock n roller, you’re a renegade’. Little too cliché for TT’s tastes and it sounds like Moby covering Rock N Roll Kids by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan. Very dull, very plain and very uninteresting. Still though, never judge a book and all that.

Now, second song Cassius Clay is a little more in keeping with the kind of style this band should stick to. It’s more along the style of bands like The Stunning. Melodic country rock with that ever so slightly horsey yet smooth voice. If the lyrics were a little more free flowing and certain words didn’t suddenly jump out then this song would be a much more stable piece of music. At the moment its holding its own and Tickets There is turned around a little and actually looking forward to the next one. See what I said about the book?

Tonight is like a mix of funk and The Game. The opening verse is kind of annoying but the chorus goes back to that smooth Irish country rock. There’s a nice bass solo at the bridge which will get your feet tapping. Something bugs me about the vocals. The singer (Dave Conway) can definitely sing, you can really hear it during the chorus. It’s a very distinct voice, cool voice and just a couple of tweaks would need to be made to turn this into a pretty great track.

Last song (there’s two more demo’s after this but we’ll leave it at this, give them a chance to finish the tracks before we jump on em). Who Are You has some nice harmonies in there. It’s actually a demo aswell so they haven’t been finished but the chorus will be a must hear when it’s done. The verse again is a little weak but overall the song has alot of potential.

Well, may not have been the most positive review I’ve ever done. There are a couple of things that bug me but Tickets There would recommend The DC Experiment If you’re a fan of bands like REM or the Stunning, then they’re a good choice to keep an eye on for the future. Just listening to A Weight (one of the last two demos) and it’s pretty upbeat and sweet so there’s more there than Tickets There has called out.

Check out their MySpace Now by Clicking Here.

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MySpace Review – The Beat Poets

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , , , , on November 3, 2009 by Tickets There

beatpoets

Stop the presses, this isn’t a genuine MySpace Review. This is a Breaking Tunes Review and Tickets There has decided to use BT because this next band decided it would be better to put two minute samples on their MySpace instead of full songs (B*stards). Ah well, fortunately the first song on breaking Tunes sounded a hell of alot more appealing than the one on their MySpace, so it’s all for the best. The band in question or The Beat Poets. They hail from Belfast (not enough Dublin bands to choose from?) and they seem to be getting alot of great press. Tickets There doesn’t care about all that. We’ve chosen them because they’re one of six groups playing the Dublin Rocks! Festival this month in The Village.

As usual Tickets There has never seen them or heard their album.

Ok, I postponed taking a look at The Spikes because…well, carpet doesn’t match the curtains with that lot. Imagine Lemmy (Now added to Word Dictionary. Lemmy should be a recognized word!), singing Snow Patrol and you’re on the right track. So instead The Beat Poets have the opportunity to surprise, entertain and delight the notorious, yet sedated Tickets There. First song, Staring Stars Down does a pretty good job of doing just that. Fast paced, loud, guitars, drums and almost Axl speed on the vocals. It’s a big song and any radio station that turns down a track like this needs to be taken out back and shot (hear that ya pricks?). Very good fast paced rock n roll. Now we’re rolling.

Ohhh, very big change on second track Bloodline. Their profile mentions that they have the potential to be the biggest band to emerge from the north since Snow Patrol and a track like this will only further that notion. Rather than the full on guitar explosion and heavy riff filled belter than they have in Staring Stars Down, this is more intertwined with melody, light breezy effects and typical new millennium radio friendly characteristics. Not all bad. The chorus is quite good, the guitars do get heavier towards the end and there are a few elements of modern Red Hot Chili Peppers in the songs structure. Not bad but no Staring Stars Down. Tickets There remains confident that the last song will pull them back.

G.I doesn’t start off sounding like its gonna blow you away but by the time you reach the chorus they knock you back a little. Lyrics and vocals throughout the verse aren’t the best but the chorus is a total belter. Unfortunately, the guitar solo Tickets There was hoping for never materializes and the tune ends very abruptly. Still though, not a bad group at all and hopefully they have several more wee shit kicking tracks up their sleeve. Guess we’ll find out on November 14th when the play Dublin’s Village. Before all that, TT is going back to hear the first track again.

Tickets There would recommend. Check out their MySpace by Clicking Here.

To hear the tracks we’ve reviewed, check out their profile at Breaking Tunes by Clicking Here.

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MySpace Review – Alphastates

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on November 3, 2009 by Tickets There

alpha

It’s very, very early and Tickets There is trying very, very hard to stop collapsing onto the floor with tiredness. How can people do this? There is something very sick about a society that demands we be in work around 9. We’re Irish people, let’s quit all this American corporate shite and act like Irish people. That means we get up at 5.30am and start farming. What am I talking about? Don’t know.

Anywho, today’s review (which is the 50th MySpace Review – Ed.) is the first of five that will focus on the odd choices for this years Dublin Rocks! Festival. Despite the name, this first act credit themselves as Indie /Alternative / Electronica. Suppose a Rock’s out of the question but TT will embrace it all the same. Judge not lest ye be judged and all that. The band in question are called Alphastates. There’s four of them in it and their influences range from Bob Dylan to Kraftwork. Could be interesting.

As usual, we’ve never heard their album or seen them live.

Champagne Glass kicks things off and it’s very Depech Mode poppy. It’s a grower and keeps evolving as new beats start being introduced. It doesn’t sound Alternative ad it definitely isn’t rock. Just sounds like several other dance based pop songs you hear in 21 every night. The actual song isn’t too bad. Wouldn’t be our thing at all and we’d have no desire to stick around a ‘rock’ festival to hear it. Best of leaving this one to the clubbers. Would go down well with Cowboy X fans.

Taste is next it’s slightly less poppy and a little heavier. A lot of electronica, lot of downbeat tones mixed in with bleak sparseness. Again, not something for the folks looking for rock music from the Dublin Rocks! Festival but hey, not too bad for those of you who want to dance like motherfuckers (love that word, going to use it more often). It’s kind of like an industrial version of Coldplay. Trent Reznor singing Clocks and wearing his make trade fair bracelet…..while he repaints the door of 10050 Cielo Drive. Up next is the bands most played track, Human Nature. Not 100% sure what all the fuss is about, Champagne Glass is a much better tune. This one follows a more Killers style of song writing. Those repetitive beats, that fecking keyboard just play the same du, dun, du duun kind of melody over and over again to give the appearance of depth. Not a fan.

You Talked I Can Tell once again sees the band sticking to the same style we’ve heard on all the other tracks. Not a whole pile of diversity or change of any kind here. The keyboards stick out like sore thumbs and some of the affects sound like they came from cheap little children’s toys rather than a professional musicians keyboard. The chorus of You Talked I can Tell would be more appealing than the majority of the material we’ve heard so far. Let’s move along. Angel Kiss is second last and has more of a psychedelic kind of vide. Still hints of the dancin’ beats (for the motherfuckers), some nods to their industrial styled influences and less of an obvious ‘play me on the radio’ pop structure. It’s slow, doesn’t rush to hasten it’s self up and it’s quite down beat. Not bad, but a little plain.

Final song is The Record Machine and it sees the band returning to their radio friendly ways. Not a bad tune and probably our favorite. The singer changes her style a little in places and this only adds and improves the over all sound. Good chorus. TT likes it!

Well, too little to late? Not sure but we’ll be sure to give them another chance in the future and see if they can up the bar a little. Until next time. TT would recommend you check them out for yourself and not always rely on a fucking critic to tell you what’s good and what’s bad. Jesus man, get some pride and think for yourself for a change.

Visit their MySpace by Clicking Here

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DUBLIN ROCKS! Festival

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, News with tags , , , , , , , , on November 2, 2009 by Tickets There

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Yet again this is something you could have read sooner if you’d visited Hotpress, but you didn’t. You didn’t because you’re lazy and Tickets There is lazy. What’s the old saying, the early bird catches the worm…but the second mouse gets the cheese (thanks Patrick).

The Final line-up and details have been announced for the Dublin Rocks Festival, which will see the like of Jaded Sun, Dub Country, The DC Experiment and more playing over two nights in The Village (Wexford Street). Final line-up’s for both nights can be viewed below.

In celebration and promotion for one of the few dedicated Rock festivals in this country, Tickets There will be taking a look at the this year’s acts over the coming two weeks so be sure to check us out.

Tickets are on sale now and they range from €15 (One Night) – €25 (Two Nights)

After the festival, the bands hit the road for a mini nationwide tour so if you’re not in Dublin, be sure to catch Jaded Sun at least.

Saturday November 13
Dub Country
Jaded Sun
The Spikes

Sunday November 14
The DC Experiment
The Beat Poets
Alphastates

Monday 16 November – Roisin Dubh – Galway
Friday 20 November – Stables – Mullingar
Sunday 22 November – Auntie Annie’s – Belfast
Wednesday 25 November – Spirit Store – Dundalk
Thursday 26 November – An Cruiscin Lan – Cork
Friday 4 December – Electric Avenue – Waterford
Tuesday 8 December – Dolan’s – Limerick
Friday 11 December – Stables – Mullingar
Saturday 12 December – Square Peg – Warrenpoint

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MySpace Review – 21 Outs

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , , on October 30, 2009 by Tickets There

221outs

Friday baby, Tickets There’s favorite day of the week and more than enough reason to look for some kick F**king ass tunes to make the evening a little nicer. After causing a little ruckus in the Galway Hardcore scene with our Only Fumes and Corpses review, we decided it was time to revisit some of the music coming from Ireland’s fastest growing city and make it up to them. After a surprisingly short amount of time, I came across the 21 Outs and they blew me away. They’re still young and the recordings on their MySpace are rough but the songs are too good to pass up. So without further ado, hey ho!

As usual, I’ve never seen the band live or heard their record/EP.

First song One of Those is very close to a Future Kings of Spain kind of number. Very heavy indie style but louder. The recording of the demo doesn’t allow the song to really burst into life which is unfortunate but listening to the live recording gives you a much better idea of what this song will be like once it gets the proper attention. Lead singer Philip Cassidy has some powerful voice on him which is great to hear. A lot of bands playing music like this in Ireland today just lack those definitive vocals to really push the song through. Long Day Blues is a completely different vide. Great guitars, nice funky bass riffs and another side of Philips vocals. TT isn’t a massive Blues fan so we won’t start going into specifics but it’s a pretty sweet number and would be a good live number..

Now we get to the track that got me hooked. Wait For Nothing (Live) is a monster of a song. Full on guitars, full on drums (cowbell and all), full on rifffffage up the arse. But, the vocals are the true highlight here. There’s a lot of power in that voice and if it’s harnessed and trained properly you’ll hear some belters coming from this band before long. Get Rick Rubin (or an alternative, cheaper version), get into a studio and get this song down!

Difficult You is another live recording (demo is there too but let’s try this version). Verse is much laid back, slow paced with chilled out drums, odd leads here before they start belting away into full attack mode. The harmonies during the chorus let the side down a little but you get the idea of where they’re going with it and again, once it’s done in the studio it’ll be a savage track. Anonymous Slander changes the bands style once again. It’s another demo so the quality isn’t the best , especially since the tone of the song has a lot more grandeur than a lot of the bands material. The verse is a mix of back n forth pop with Kurt Cobain styled vocals passing the time before the guitars and drums come roaring back to show their stuff. Another one for the recommendation list.

Must We is one of the oldest songs on the site. The style again is totally different as the bad fuse the blues style from Long Day Blues with a sort of fifties kind of pop. One and a half minutes in, the guitars lose control and go another direction. “I have an opinion, that means I’m cool” – “I have an opinion how would you like to bend over and I’ll force it into you”….fitting. The Rant brings the bands heavier demons screaming back with a vengeance. Toned down guitars set top Heavy, piercing vocals, few slow moments, and a final solo that would melt the face of ya. Some seriously savage stuff there. Once again, TT is rushing to finish the words and get to the listening.

Highly, Highly, Highly recommended. Definitely one you’ll be hearing more about on Tickets There and one to watch for the future. Check out their MySpace (by Clicking Here) to hear more demo’s and other recordings. Also, you’ll enjoy the chat’s inbetween the live recordings 🙂

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MySpace Review – NoLady

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , , , on October 29, 2009 by Tickets There

nolady

Rain, wind, miserable attitudes, negativity, Karma and broken machines. Not such a good week! Tickets There has been pretty quiet on the article front, sorry about that folks. Sweet fuck all happening in the world of music from what I what I see. I suppose the Elton John fanatics don’t spend much time here so won’t be covering that story. Anyways, amidst all this crap, Tickets There has decided it’s time for another MySpace Review.

Now, on the surface, us reviewing a band that describes themselves as 80’s Influenced Dance Rock could be a bad thing but I happen to like The first track, Little Diva. So, in the interest of being eclectic (Tickets There has no such interest – Ed.) we’re going through with it. The band is from Donegal (Up the North West!) and have a few well known music heads on the line-up, including Aine O’ Doherty (Onya) and Billy Fitzgerald (Dead Flags) on guitar. Now, there’s intense, detailed, factual and serious hard core research for ye 😉

As usual I’ve never seen them live or heard their EP/Album.

I like Little Diva. It’s well produced, it’s full of life and the band sound great and most importantly, it’s a perfectly written little slice of pop rock. The actual song wouldn’t be on Pink Floyd levels of originality and we’ve all heard several other songs that sound very similar to this one but it’s a good effort. Anyone out there looking for some good time, dance floor styled beats this weekend (or a similar act top Lady Ga Ga), Little Diva is for you!

Spotlight is even better. Starts off a little slowly and the style doesn’t change a whole pile until about a minute in and the guitars pick themselves up a notch. Hard, heavy, solid pounding beats that really do hit the spot. Electronic pop a go go!. Much more interesting than Little Diva and get’s better each time you listen.

Typical, you find a shite band and you can’t say enough,. It’s like God comes down and works with you to think up the most hideous, degrading and gruesome insults man has ever conceived….then the fucking Ed bitch deletes them and bob’s your uncle, 8,000 words on Irelands leading crap bags. But you find a decent act and all you can write is good beats. Ah well.

Green Eye’s is just a tad stale and is too similar to most pop songs in the world. It’s nice in the fact that Aine has a really good voice, especially for this kind of track. It’s grand for what it is but not as full on as the other two. It’s short though so that stands in its favor. If you had to sit through it for eight minutes you might go a little spare.

Over all, Tickets There would recommend. It’s good clean fun pop rock and sometimes you just need that.

Check out their MySpace by Clicking Here.

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MySpace Review – Zealots

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , , , , on October 28, 2009 by Tickets There

zealots

God what a week. Fucking computer crashed last Thursday and two feature articles Tickets There was hoping to complete soon are gone, totally gone so fans of the Illegal Downloading argument and the Future Kings of Spain will have to wait. Check yourself bitches!! Ya see, what we got here is failure to build computers so they don’t continually fuck up every five fucking seconds. Tickets There doesn’t like it anymore than you (any Cool Hand Luke fans out there? That one’s for you, Buy me a pint!)

Anyway, enough totally unrelated B.S., let’s move on. I’m still going through the bands from the HWCH and there’s so many I just can’t sit though. The Dying Seconds, We Cut Corners, Subplots, O Emperor and so many others are just too hard to take today. The Zealots though, they ain’t too bad. They’re from Dublin, their first EP just come out and to top it all off, the illustrious Tickets There, semi-part time champions of the Irish Underground are about the bestow the grand honor of a MySpace Review to their repertoire…of reviews, not songs obviously.

As usual….you face…..and we’ve never seem em, never heard em.

Since this is one of the HWCH bands, I’m not using their MySpace so please don’t sue for the hideous false advertising. Instead I’m using their profile at Breaking Tune (link at the bottom). First track, Contrition gets things under way. I’m on my second go of this one and I definitely like it. Really atmospheric, the music is spot on. I have a hung over head and it’s not hurting it, always a good sign. I like the vocals, I like the building, I like the guitars, the drums and the changes. Towards the end it gets a little more obvious indie but it’s still a good un. Ten points (we don’t give points here at Tickets There, let’s be clear about that – Ed.).

Chalk Outlines is second and it’s a got a little more beat in its keister. The songs good a good, dark vibrant sound running through it. Haunting harmonies in the distance, vocals notched up on demand without anything really changing. Gets a little repetitive and ever so slightly begins to drag on but fuck it, Tickets There is in a good, l grand, over the moon mood today. Eighty points!! Exitbag, the third song has a very silly title. Not as entertaining as the others. Little heavier and less based around atmospheric periods of silence built around low volume guitar melodies and Joy Division-esque drums. Not bad but not our favorite. Forty points.

Final song, The Glitch sounds little more radio friendly. Has that Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand kind of choppy, indie riff dominating it. Way too dragged out, way too empty and just not a great effort. Bit more work and a few additions could see this become a great song but at present it ain’t.

Overall, not a bad lot. First two songs were poifect. Other two not so much. Worth checking out for any dark souled dance folks or fans of The Cardigans.

Check out their Breaking Tune Profile by Clicking Here

Check out there MySpace by Clicking Here (Bitches!!)

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Answer the Call

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, News with tags , , , on October 23, 2009 by Tickets There

The_Answer_photo

The Answer have confirmed two Irish dates taking place in December. Starting in Dublin, the band play The Academy on December 12th before heading up to Belfast for a show in the Ulster Hall on the 14th. After all that touring with AC/DC this year, I’m sure they’re going to be a couple of great shows.

Tickets for both shows are on sale Now. Dublin ones are priced €17. Belfast ones…I’m not sure. Join the Euro and you’ll find out J

Read More at my source for this and many other stories (but they Ain’t as funny or insulting) @ Hotpress.

Also, check out The Answers MySpace

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MySpace Review – Identity Parade

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , on October 22, 2009 by Tickets There

identityparade

Thursday baby!!! Know what that means?? It mean free chocolate, pay day tomorrow and a brand, spanking new MySpace Review for yis. Not sure if all the music heads in the country will be able to recover from the exciting news about Paul McCartney himself playing here in December but I’m sure we’ll all struggle on :p. I’ve restored back to the HWCH 09 Festival line up to find another act for the almighty MySpace Review series.

Today’s review will be unfortunately short as the band has only posted 2 minute previews of each track. Identity Parade are a five piece Dublin act. According to their press release they’ve played alongside acts such as Republic of Loose, Director and The Blizzards but please folks; let’s not hold that against them. I’m sure they had good cause. Anyways, let’s push on and see what they’re like.

As usual I’ve never seen them live or heard their record.

Ok, first song, Ooh Ooh caught my attention immediately. Well priced, sounds like they know what they’re doing and pretty full on. A couple more listens and the track is still pretty solid. Very down/up beat kind of pop rock. Foo Fighters meets The Killers if you want a description. Pretty ok song, just a pity they cut the end of it off.

Next up is Colette Collar. Same kind of style but a little more upbeat and more like one of those American punk band s(you know, the ones that look like total retards) during the chorus. Not a bad song except they get into a ghey (politically correct way of writing the derogatory slang term. TT doesn’t want to upset our readers. We do hate politically correctness though, imagine, we as a species have reached a point where we need guidelines on how to act as humans towards each other. Anyone reads this who worries about offending others and being politically correct – you’re a total sap!!  Act like a fucking decent person and you’ll find we don’t need guidelines) little melody bit towards the end of the preview. Just as the song sounds like it’s about to improve…they cut it off. That doesn’t entice Tickets There to go listening, it gets us pissed off! Yer not Zeppelin lads so let people hear your music.

Kicking Stones brings the more singer / songwriter effort from the band. This one’s just a tad Swiss and not one of Tickets There’s favorites. Very basic Foo Fighters except a little more obvious and cheesy. As this sound goes, it’s an American thing so Irish bands trying to emulate it doesn’t really work because it doesn’t represent us as a people, no matter how hard most of the bands try to make it ours. Not bad songs, just a little mediocre as this style goes.

Check them out at Breaking Tunes and see for yourself.

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MySpace Review – Talulah Does The Hula

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , on October 21, 2009 by Tickets There

talulahdoestheh

There’s been a lot of hype about Talulah Does The Hula since the HWCH festival. They even managed to top the list of ‘most downloaded’ artists out of the 100 bands playing the festival. Now, with a name like TDTH, Tickets There is pretty sure they’ll fall into the Chongo Pop genre we detest, but, in the interest of actually wanting people to visit this site, we decided…after many days deliberation to fire ahead, review them and get the whole thing out of the way before we focus on the band as another easy target.

As usual, I’ve never seen the band live or heard their record.

Ok, the bands big single, Bad Boyfriend is first up (the songs video has also been nominated for Best Video By A New Comer in this year’s IMTV awards). Hmmm, not chongo pop anyway so TT’s relived. Only Fumes and Corpses was enough shit music for today. The singer has a nice voice…very nice actually and the style is more like R n’B or soul than today’s pop standards. The chorus is real smooth, clean cut and catchy. Not a bad effort by any means and closer to real pop than most music out there. Yep, the fear has definitely left the building.

Those Girls is next and it’s a little darker at the start. Not Cradle of Filth dark, but very Weezer-ish. Remember old Weezer? Yeah, that one. Chorus is more upbeat but not as catchy as Bad Boyfriend. After listening for awhile, the song does grow on you a little. It’s slow and could possibly do with a little shaving here and there, make it a little shorter. Not bad though. Brick for A Brain has a little Pixies rip off, a band Talulah seem to be a little influenced by. Kim Deal kind of vocals, full of little electronic nudges from one of those happy sounding key boards. Light guitar and drums and a very background sort of bass. I like the verse, nice and uneasy (good uneasy). Song itself is a tad dull. It lacks any sort of kick and no kick = no joy.

Order is next and also the last of the studio tracks. The last three are all live recordings from Crawdaddy. Bridge is good, just waiting for the chorus because the verse didn’t hold much. Hmm, chorus is alright. Very slow again and nowhere near the quality of Bad Boyfriend. Ah, not Tickets There’s thing but I’d say there’s a big audience out there for it. Think we’ll leave it at that.

Tickets There would recommend them if you want some dancy, poppy music for the evening. They have the potential to be a great pop act but it’s early days as far as song writing goes.

Check out their MySpace by Clicking Here.

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D.I.Y. MySpace Review – Only Fumes and Corpses

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , on October 21, 2009 by Tickets There

onlyfumesand

Some funny intro. Some witty remarks. Some general references to what I’m up to. A closing remark that brings us to the point. Pointless, un-researched general info (generally nothing more than the bands location) and the band’s name (Only Fumes and Corpses).

Usual spiel about never hearing them or seeing them.

Open with a general statement about the group normally based entirely on their first song. EG –  I think hardcore punk is a scene that needs to be laid to rest. I’ve been sitting here for 20 minutes listening to this band (Only Fumes and Corpses) and not only have they sucked my life away, they’ve destroyed any credibility I would have given this genre. It’s nothing more than the bastard son of punk and metal. Then move onto discussing each song. This proves to people you’ve at least visited the bands MySpace. Five Days starts off pretty well. Nice Slayer kind of aggression on the drums and in the riffs and that’s kept going for some time, building the sound and adding layers of anger. Then the vocals and the main riff’s plummet in. Not bad because it’s over pretty quickly. In all fairness, this isn’t a bad track. What suddenly dawns on Tickets There is this song has been running for at least 15 minutes. Going back to the MySpace I (yes it’s an I day, Anto’s away) discover that I’m on the third track. They all sound so similar I couldn’t even tell when one finished and one started. Not only do they sound similar but the quality just hops onto a spiraling descent into awfulness. Flogging a Dead Horse doesn’t even sound like it has a chorus while Drawing Lines is sooooo fucking long, boring and repetitive I’ll deserve a medal for actually sitting this one out.

Move onto the next song and try to look for some of the band positives. If this fails, tear into their fucking souls like Satan himself. If you feel you don’t have the right because you haven’t followed your dreams and you don’t think it’s right to criticize people for doing just that…then you have no business writing a MySpace Review. This isn’t Hotpress folks, it’s brutal reality of life (you’re so full of shit TT – Ed). What’s DRI? I couldn’t be bothered checking Google to find out. Anyway, the fourth song is I Don’t Need Society is by far the best, possibly only because it’s a DRI cover. Fast, well played and (finally thank god!!) a different-ish riff than the other three. Not bad. Wouldn’t listen again but not bad. Rage Against the Machine is just screaming in their graves.

Fifth song, It’s Imminent is obviously an original because they’ve just gone back, taken the music for the first three tracks and changed the odd lyric. Boring, repetitive and pointless. Sixth song (When you don’t like a bands sound, try to keep moving along because readers don’t like to see ten thousand words of negativity) is called The Elite and it’s more like I Don’t Need Society than the ‘Hard Core Template’ they’ve used on the other four ‘originals’. Not good, too stoppy starty with nothing to define it. Singer just screams and the band go mental. He stops screaming and the band calm down and then, then he starts screaming again. Not music.

Second last, September. Again a different type of style from the other numbers. Funky bass, possibly the best thing about any of the songs so far. Ah boring, so is final song, The Last Tide. What an unbelievably boring review.

If you like the band, try to include as much follow up material as possible, e.g. official sites, MySpace, gig dates…etc. If you didn’t like the band, finish on a remark trying to highlight their strong point of simply state that you didn’t think much of them. Tickets There would recommend…….you stay the hell away from Only Fumes and Corpses. (closing remark edited as part of TT’s ongoing commitment to be nicer to Irish bands but…it kind of involved a remark about the quality of music a pile of rotting flesh could produce in relation to these six long, drawn out, waste of time efforts. But we won’t say it)

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IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year 2009!

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, News with tags , , , on October 20, 2009 by Tickets There

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(taking out the word ‘Launched’ from Hotpress. There’s only so many ways to write these things)

Hey folks,

Just a quick word before you’re sent off to a real website for all the juicy details. The IMRO (Irish Music Rights organization) have launched their Live Music Venue of the year award. Each year the organization asks its members to vote for Irelands leading live music venue and according to the facts, there’s over 400 venues that qualify for this prestigious title.

Ireland has a long history of fantastic live music and many of our venues are just incredible. Vicar Street managed to pick it up last year but since they don’t seem to have a lot of bands there any more, TT is hoping The Olympia or The Button Factory grab it this year. Only members can vote so if you can, be sure that you do (sounds like Yoda).

Now, Click here to visit Hotpress and see the actual story.

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First Ever Irish Music Television Awards (I-MTV) Announced.

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, News with tags , , , , , , , , on October 20, 2009 by Tickets There

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That’s right, Ireland has its own MTV baby and it’s called…I-MTV (Irish Music Television). Like MTV, they’ve decided to start up an annual awards show, giving prizes for the best Irish music videos of the year…I think. This year’s (the first ever) award ceremony will take place at the Sugar Club, Leeson Street (I can think of better things to do there aswell) on November 27th.

Seriously though, Tickets There isn’t about to shit on this crowd making the effort. It’s fantastic that bands will finally have a reason to make videos in this country because record labels and other stations don’t seem to want anything to do with em.

Visit the Official Site for more detials.

Here’s a list of this year’s categories and the nominees and Tickets There’s comments. (also, below is three of TT’s fav underground Irish music vids of all time).

1.BEST LIVE VIDEO
LISA HANNIGAN –  I DON’T KNOW
LISA HANNIGAN –  LILLE
LADYDOLL – BUTTON
THE BRILLIANT THINGS – RISE
AND SO I WATCHED YOU FROM AFAR – SET GUITARS TO KILL (TT’s Choice to Win)

2.BEST DANCE VIDEO
LE BIEN  –   HERE AND THERE
NOISE CONTROL – ADDICTION
DARK ROOM NOTES – LETS LIGHT FIRES
ARVEEN & MISK –  HELLS BELLS
LE GALAXIE – YOU FEEL THE FIRE (TT’s Choice to Win)

3.BEST STYLED VIDEO
DIRTY EPICS – COMING UP (TT’s Choice to Win)
JULIE FEENEY – IMPOSSIBLY BEAUTIFUL
LAURA IBIZOR  –  SHINE
THE CORONAS – LISTEN DEAR
THE BLIZZARDS  – POSTCARDS

4.BEST SOLO MALE
YNGVE WIELAND – LITTLE BOY
PADRAIG RUHSE – GONNA BE A CHANGE
JJ – PLAYING THE GAME
PEARSE MCGLOUGHLIN – WAYS TO KILLS A WEREWOLF
ENDA REILLY – MOL AN AIMSIRE

5.BEST SOLO FEMALE
LISA HANNIGAN – LILLE
JULIE FEENEY – LOVE IS A TRICKY THING
WALLIS BIRD  – HOME
MISS PAULA FLYNN – HOLIDAY IN SWEDEN
GEMMA HAYES  – HOME (TT’s Choice to Win)

6.MOST ORIGINAL CONCEPT FOR VIDEO
FIGHT LIKE APES – SOMETHING GLOBAL
THE CHAPTERS – VIDEOTAPES
HERM –  HEADS
GRAND POCKET ORCHESTRA – BALLET SHOES
SEAN NEEDHAM –  I’M NOT AFRAID

7. BEST PRODUCTION / SPECIAL EFFECTS
SICKBOY – SILENCE IN CONVERSATION (TT’s Choice to Win)
CAP PAS CAP – WE ARE MEN
JAPE – FLOATING (TT – Why is Jape here, isn’t this video years old? What about I Was A Man?)
HAM SANDWICH – BROKEN GLASS
202′S –  EASE MY MIND

8.BEST VIDEO BY A NEW COMER    (public Vote)
HOGAN – I WANT YOU
HOARSEBOX – ALL I NEED NOW
BATS – SHADOW FUCKING
BOWLEGGED – RED LIGHT
TALLULAH DOES THE HULA – BAD BOYFRIEND

9. DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
EOGHAN KIDNEY
LORCAN FINNEGAN
SIMON EUSTACE
LINDSEY BYRNES
WILL MCCONNELL

10. VIDEO OF THE YEAR 2009 (none!)
DUCKWORTH LEWIS METHOS  – MR MIRIAD
FIGHT LIKE APES – TIE ME UP IN JACKETS
THE CORONAS – LISTEN DEAR
THE BLIZZARDS – POSTCARDS
VALERIE FRANCIS – PUNCHES 

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MySpace Review – Ladydoll

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , on October 20, 2009 by Tickets There

ladydoll

The first ever Irish Music Television Awards have been announced and Tickets There…isn’t that interested. No mention of Humanzi’s Bass Balls video so could care less. Also, Jape is in there for some reason with Floating…despite the fact that video’s years old. Guess there just isn’t that many great Irish music videos out this year. If they are including old video’s, Directors’ Come With A Friend, Future Kings of Spain, Syndicate and …maybe Revelate should have been in there. Anyways, won’t get bogged down in that yet, I’ll do another blog later with all the details. Back to the Review. One of this year’s candidates for Best Live Video caught my eye. Ladydoll hail from Cork and I don’t know a damn thing about them…but they sound ok, so let’s give them a go.

As usual, I’ve never seen the band…you get the gist.

So, first up is Hunnybunny. Pretty Heavy intro. I always like loud guitars to kick things off, gets the blood going. Sounds like something very familiar. I’m not a big fan of this whiney kind of Emo voice but the music is pretty sweet. Really good production on the bass and guitars giving the song a real tight feeling. I see other writers have compared them to the Smashing Pumpkins but I wouldn’t get that from this track, it’s more upbeat than the Pumpkins. Not a bad number. I’d happily listen to it again.

Second track’s called Genetics and it’s got a totally different vide. Guitars, vocals and style completely change. There a nice piano melody over some pretty sweet start / stop indie. Singers voice is also alot strong when he’s not trying to whinge into the mike. Just slightly all over the place but interesting and hooky. Call me kooky, call me whacky but I like it. There’s an enormous feel to their sound and Tickets There likes grandeur. I think this would work well as a geek anthem. With a chorus comprised of the following line “It’s all about Genetics“, what else could it be?

Ah, final song’s called Charm Alarm and its style is similar to Genetics. The singer’s voice reverts to the style of Honeybunny which is unfortunate. Ireland has enough emo / American wannabe’s, but this lot aren’t the worst of them. Still a catchy song but not one TT would be rushing back to hear.

Well, not the worst. Not the best. You can do better, that’s all I’ll say.

Check out Ladydolls MySpace and see for yourself

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MySpace – Cheap Freaks

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2009 by Tickets There

cheapfreaks

God, after trawling through a whole heap of this years HWCH Festival players, I’ve finally found one that doesn’t sound like The Killers, Radiohead or just pure nonsense (Chongo Pop!). Cheap Freaks are another act I’ve never heard off and they play rock n roll! Not nice pretty rock either, no. They play downright dirty, gritty, raw rock n roll and everybody loves dirty rock. You don’t need jewellery to enjoy it, you don’t have to act like a prick or wear a stupid looking hat. You just have to get drunk, have a laugh and rock out!!

As usual I’ve never seen them live or heard their album / EP.

I like the name, Cheap Freaks! It’s pretty good and suits the music. Any fans of The Things or Humanzi out there? You’ll like this. First song, Nowhere To Go is like an early Rolling Stones number. Very, very dirty recording but that’s a trait that sees to be on all their songs. It’s short, to the point and pretty damn good. Not over complicated with member trying to hard. Good heavy, LOUD guitars and good punk rock styled vocals. TT likes. Naked in the Rain is similar in style and influence. More choppy and punky than the first track. Tom Waits or Lou Reed could have come out with something like this forty years ago, but tough shit for them, they didn’t. Great track, would love to see it live. Very heavy guitars and much grittier vocals. Nice!

Richman Blues pops’ on next and it’s very dangerously close to Bob Dylan’s Rainy Day Woman. It’s full on sixties blues rock and it’s damn good. Harmonica, guitars and drunken, slurred vocals. TT loves rock!! We get so excited the last thing we want to do is write about it. We want to fucking party to it!! Hell with good bands, we’re much more prolific when we hate the group. Cruel World is next and it’s a bit preachy, whinny for Tickets There tastes. Good overall music but the vocals are just tooo….ya know. Because we’re doing our very best to focus on the positives of all Irish acts, we’re gonna skip this number and move quickly along.

1984 brings us sadly to our second last track. This one is more like The Misfits. So dirty even a bleach scrubbing couldn’t clean it. Poppy, heavy, loud as fuck and good. Thankfully. The ballads have left the building!!.  Last but no least, Caesar the Deceiver (good title ;)) is another ramshackle, sixties belter with starts, stops and enough guitar leads to make you weep. If I wasn’t so tired, we’d make this review go on for another thousand words but C’est la vie. This band are fucking brilliant, need we say more?

Another one Tickets There highly, highly recommends.

Check out their MySpace by clicking this massive, unnecessarily long link which will bring you all the way to www.mypace./deadly fucking punk / rock / pop / fucking / savage deadly rock n roll baby a hoi hoi!!!.com

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MySpace Review – Liz Is Evil

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , on October 18, 2009 by Tickets There

lizisevil

The search continues. I’m still rummaging through the hundred or so acts that are playing this years Hard Working Class Heroes Festival and trying my best to pick to and review the best. So far we’ve seen Sounds of System Breakdown, Sweet Jane, C!ties and The Star Department. Not a bad lot (except T.S.D.) so let’s move on and see how many more we can come across.

Tonight’s first MySpace Review will look at Dublin locals, Liz Is Evil. I’m afraid they were playing tonight so it’s too late to catch the show…but who cares eh? You’ll see them again.

As usual, I’ve never seen them live or heard their album.

The first song on their MySpace is their latest single, Beached. It’s kind of rocky punk with more USA punk rock lyrics. Music is good, steady and heavy-ish. The lyrics wont inspire any great movement but it’s not a bad song. More than good enough to relive me of my ever present fear that I’ll have to sit through six songs of crap. Second song, Mount Molehill is more of an Irish / Celtic kind of punk number. Not as poppy as Beached and alot more interesting for any fans of the Clash or The Dropkick Murphy’s. Just had a second listen and yes, Tickets There likes. Good to hear there’s yet another decent Irish band out in the world.

Third song, Some Dogs is like a punk, hillbilly ho-down. I wouldn’t be as mad into this one. It’s a little more upbeat than Mount Molehill but it’s kind of ‘devoid of content’ in some places. The phrase ‘album track’ is sticking out like a sore thumb. Wax Model on the other hand goes more for the full on guitars to start with. Some good pounding drums (that could be a little more prominent). Actually, fuck that comment. Once you listen for a bit the style grows on you so lads, if this is a demo, the low drums works well, keep it. Flesh Doll is fourth and it’s more of an aggressive punk track. The poppy / radio friendly styles of Beached seem to be well forgotten on this number and the band gets down to the real stuff. Its heavy, repetitive, grungy, punky, everything really. Good track (kind of reminds you of Alice in Chains in places).

Plasma Dialogue (forgive the dry tone of my writing. Pretty tired after last night and all day today on this blog :(, don’t take this as my mood towards the band, TT is thoroughly enjoying them) is second last. Semi-Instrumental and very rocky in comparison to the previous numbers. Hard to believe that the same band that wrote Flesh Doll did this one aswell. Good, fast, very heavy and the ending is mental. Killer track!! Final song Drag goes back to a more punk based style and …I think that’s enough.

Tickets There highly recommends this lot, Check Out Their MySpace.

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MySpace Review – C!ties

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , , , on October 17, 2009 by Tickets There

cities

On the ball today. Loads of great music, loads of people visiting Tickets There (which always makes us smile) and lots of sunshine for the soaking. Time for another look at some of Ireland’s finest bands. One of Tickets There’s earliest readers mentioned this band in a message to us and it didn’t take too many of their songs to convince us they deserve a praising review. So let’s get to it, shall we?

As usual, I’ve never seen the band live or heard their album (I do go to gigs and buy records, just seem to miss all these guys).

After listening to them for a while, I’m reminded of A.S.I.W.Y.F.A. and I’ll Eat Your Face…a little. Instrumental heavy rock / metal with some added keyboards for good measure. First song Satellites is a blast. Very fast in places, very heavy in others and several relaxed moments letting the listener unwind and enjoy the sights. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Ireland has some fantastic instrumental bands on the go at the moment and these guys are another example of that. Second track, 4plus1equals5 is very similar to Satellites but in a good way. I’m never really sure what to say about instrumental acts other than they’re deadly or they’re shit. This band are the former. The music is more than good enough on it’s own to keep you interested and there’s more than enough changes to keep the song’s ‘building’ feel.

Interlude is third and brings on a totally different buzz. One that would be closer to Le Galaxie than ASIWYFA. Despite me comparing, I don’t want ye getting confused. This group have their own style and I don’t want to overshadow that. Interlude is a nice, sublime sort of peaceful effort. Dive, Dive, Dive on the other hand, is a blistering slice of pure grunge styled rock. Heavy guitars, ball busting drums and all the works. Wee stompy breaks and more pounding on everything they can play or find. Savage!!

15728 (actually the second last track, MySpace skipped it) finishes things off and it’s similar to Interlude except a radio kind of voice is repeating the numbers over the music. Very atmospheric. Like it was just plucked from a Resident Evil game. As the song progresses, it could be compared to a Prodigy number rather than a metal band. Great heavy dance beats, electronica up the wazoo and the whole shebang. Fuck writing about it, I’m going back to listen.

Highly recommended and they’re playing the HWCH Festival tonight, 20:55 in Twisted Pepper Click Here For More Details.

Also, check out the C!ties MySpace!

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Jape’s Up to Something!!

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, News with tags , , , on October 17, 2009 by Tickets There

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After winning the 2008 Choice Music Price last year for his third album, Ritual, it seems main man, Richie Egan is working on his eagerly anticipated 4th album. Fans of Jape will know that he already has a whole host of new tracks ready to go and according to the group’s official Twitter page, a new studio has been set up and seems to be in use.

When Tickets There knows more, you’ll hear it…probably before we post it but who cares. Rock on!!

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The Aftermath Start Recording Second Album

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, News with tags , , , on October 17, 2009 by Tickets There

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Tickets There’s favourite pop rock Irish combo, The Aftermath are heading into their brand new studio and starting work on the follow up to last years excellent, Friendlier Up Here album.

Both lead singer Johnny Cronin and drummer Michael Cronin confirmed the band are to start recording their second album this week in Mullingar. Hopefully we’ll hear more about the record in the coming weeks.

Tickets There would like to wish the band the best of luck!!

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MySpace Review – Sounds Of System Breakdown

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, MySpace Review with tags , , , on October 17, 2009 by Tickets There

soundofasystem
Hey Ho folks. It’s Saturday morning. Tickets There has been buzzn’ away to some hard core metal and some classic, blues bastard Rock. Motorhead baby!!!!. Now it’s time for some Irish in the blood. The HWCH 09 Festival is well under way and I’ve managed to find a pretty sweet, last minute inclusion for my list of recommendations. Dublin based Sounds of System Breakdown are completely new to me and they’re damn fine. Damn fine indeed.

As usual, I’ve never seen them live or heard their record.

I’m not actually looking at their MySpace for this one so pleas forgive the false advertising. Instead, I’m using the tracks from their profile on Breaking Tunes. First song, Devil’s Son is like New Order. I’m sure it’s like other techno stuff aswell but I don’t have enough respect for this sound as a serious genre to care. What ever else they sound like, they make it work. Devil’s Son is a great, bleak dark disco kind of number. Alt rock/indieish with the beats constantly thumping away in the background. I think this is my fourth go on this song and every time it gets better. I’m in a bit of a rock mood today so I took a wee break after that sentence and rocked out to some KISS, AC/DC and Judas Priest but I’m back. Always a sign of a good band. Let’s see what else they have. Electrolysis and Mood Enhancers has a semi-annoying keyboard thing in the background but it grows on you. Style of the song is similar to the first one…in a good way. Beats aren’t as strong all the way through but they keep the buzz going. Good bleak disco again (can I TM that phrase? Bleak Disco..oh yes. Tickets loves bleak disco and hates Congo Pop!!). Short, sweet and a good song. Happy out today!

The Secrets Out. Should I write some obvious pun reference or just shut up and mention the song?? Ok, song it is. The Secrets Out is a totally different buzz. The intro relies on guitars rather than the electro styles of the others. You can hear the beats just waiting for their chance and they do come in but in more of a Happy Mondays style than New Order. The Guitar playing is a little more Madchester-ish and it’s damn good. Give this song to Joy Division and it would be classic. Give it to the Mondays and it would have been a classic. Leave it with Sounds of System Breakdown and Ireland has its own club beat / indie styled classic. Jape and Neosupervital, watch out. there’s more of them coming. Good song, alot of changes and bleak indie bits with a nice, heavy back ground (what do you call a keyboard noise that replaces a riff??). Vocals aren’t as strong at the end of the song but it’s still deadly.

Final song, Fragile is my least favourite so far. Not bad, just not half as good as the others so I’m not writing too much about it. Sound of System Breakdown are sweet. Three out of four ain’t bad and it’s a hell of alot better than most bands I listen too. They’re playing tonight at the hard Working Class Heroes Festival and they’ve been added to the list of Tickets There recommendations. Please Click Here for more details.

Also, while you’re at it. Check out Their MySpace

Breaking Tunes – Sound of System Breakdown Profile

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