iTest, Jan 31st

iTest is my radio show on i102-104fm, we cover the west of Ireland, and the world I suppose on i102104.ie

Sundays from 6 til 9

Here's what I played this evening ....

Gorillaz - Stylo
Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Please Don't ft. Santigold
Yeasayer - Madder Red Alt
Dinosaur Feathers - Vendela Vida
Feed The Bears - Compete And Wrestle
Mumford And Sons - The Cave
Groove Armada - Shameless ft. Bryan Ferry
Love Is All - Kungen
New Amusement - Planner
Owen Pallett - Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
Delphic - Halcyon
Vampire Weekend - White Sky
Free Energy - Something In Common
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devils Tattoo
Lost Chord - Ronald And Nancy
Goldfrapp - Believer
Two Door Cinema Club - Costume Party
Not Squares - Asylum Alt
Magnetic Fields - You Must Be Out Of Your Mind
Titus Andronicus - Richard II Alt
Hot Chip - I Feel Better
MEN - Simultaneously
The Sunshine Underground - One By One
Beach House - Norway
Surfer Blood - Swim
Damian Marley & Nas - As We Enter
Happy Birthday - Girls FM
Frightened Rabbit - Nothin Like You
Wakey! Wakey! - 22
Drive By Truckers - This Fucking Job
Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La
Four Tet - She Just Likes To Fight Alt
Fionn Regan - Genocide Matinee
Yeasayer - O.N.E
She & Him - In The Sun
Dinosaur Feathers - Teenage Whore
Gill Scott Heron - The Devil And Me Alt
jj - Let Go
Love Is All - Repitition
We Cut Corners - Toll Free

3 Songs

So Cow was a few years ahead of me in school in Tuam Co. Galway. It's a great little town with a bit of a reputation about the country. I went home yesterday to visit the folks and had a read of the local paper. Heroin has popped up apparently, and the zombies are out in force stealing pennies from kids, in other news a guy I went to school with is in court for taking a golf club to a guy. I can't imagine it was anything like the Tiger Wood's wife style noble golf club battering situation, more an "I'd rather you weren't conscious anymore" style confrontation.

So Cow has been writing and reahearsing and recording tirelessly for the past few months ahead of his U.S tour which kicks off in New Jersey on February 11th, moving through the country and rolling on down to SXSW in March. He's playing on St. Patricks Day in Austin Texas, if you're there I would highly recommend you go!

At the moment the band are playing each of their home towns before they leave, the drummer (for the life of me can't remember his name) in Dublin on Thursday, Galway, for Jonny the bassist tonight before Gigantic in Kellys (5 bucks in, and I'll be playing in the bar so come say hi after!) and Tuam last night for Brian.

It was a whopper of a gig in the Woolstore, which is effectively a shed behind a bar. Because the electrics were so dodgy the heater had to be turned off so everyone was frozen! Bahfiddle opened, they're a grindcore two piece. Rural Savage up next, a messy, fun punk band from Donegal for whom it was their second gig, and amoung one of the better live shows I've seen in ages. Thirdly, The Ralphs came on, they are from Tuam, 2 brothers, a cousin and their best friend Brian. Jamie, the singer wanders on stage with a bandaged hand, he and Leigh the drummer had gotten into a bit of brotherly argy bargy the night before. In fairness to Jamie, despite the bust hand he horsed through the set and got a great reaction. Finally, So Cow hopped on stage and blew everyone away. It was a pop show of epic proportion!

So Cow - To Do List Alt

Another band that are hitting the SXSW trail in March are Dinosaur Feathers, listening to the myspace now and I really like them. Not much to say really, just well worth checking out!

Dinosaur Feathers - Vendela Vida Alt

And I love She & Him's new tune! It's rather similar to their first album's sound, but hey, if it ain't broke ...it's funny with that band, I wonder would I be half as endeared to them if Zooey Deschanel wasn't in it? I hope I would cos as far as I know I really like them, but jaysus, she's great isn't she! So is M. Ward but I mean, come on! Volumn II is out March 23rd

She & Him - In The Sun Alt

And sure, dyou know what? How about another So Cow tune, remember Galway folks, Kelly's tonight, Doors 9p.m, €5, it's the last time to see Mr. Cow for a while. And for you lot in the U.S of A, check out his myspace for details on where he'll be playing near you!

So Cow - Runaway (Del Shannon Cover) Alt

Lost Chord E.P Launch tonight!

I've just been given devastating news. I have to cover the breakfast show on the radio station I work in, because the usual presenter has taken the day off because she's gonna party it up tonight after the same gig I was planning to go to. As it is I'll be DJing until 3a.m, then in work again at 5:30a.m, but I was planning to go partying tonight, gutted, big style, but that's work for you.

Exciting times for anyone about Galway tonight. Lost Chord E.P launch is tonight, so after months of gigging, recording and getting up to all sorts of shenanigans, the lads have a lovely little 6 track E.P in their hands that they can send to some big label, get signed, water down their sound and go hang out with Stereophonics and Travis or something! ...well that's not going to happen but it will be fun to see what happens these promising young dudes, the only thing that we can be sure of is tonight, everyone will have fun, except me, who has to go to be for 2 hours before getting up for work again.

Support is from Funeral Suits who've gained much love in the west of Ireland through gigging with a few of the bands around and generally being solid dudes and a pretty good band, it'll be interesting to see what their new stuff is like. I'm not massively gone on their solo stuff, rather "indie" by numbers, but their live shows are brilliant and have led to support slots to the likes of Passion Pit so I'll certainly give them another chance.

myspace.com/funeralsuits

There Is No Lost Chord E.P

Cheats Alt
You Do Not Do Alt
Up North
Records Not Fear
Ronald And Nancy
Cheats (Crimes Against Remix)

myspace.com/lostchordband

It's all going on tonight in Roisin Dubh from 9, free in

Word tells me a few of the kids will be dipping off to Kellys for Substance after, they'd feckin' want to anyway or there'll be shlaps! Partying etc. after as ever and stuff

No work for me today

I wandered about the charity shops in Galway today, didn't see much, then popped up for Bell, Book and Candle, a second hand records, books, CD's, DVD's shop with a lovely owner named Paul. I go up once a week to say hi and see what bargains I can pick up. I picked up a load of CD's for sweet F.A today, here are my finds.


From Dirty (1992) by Sonic Youth, a band I addmittedly know too little about, so, eh here goes
Sonic Youth - 100% Alt

I love Funeral by Arcade Fire, it's been on my laptop and iPod since it came out but every time I go to buy it it's so expensive, due to it's fancy-ish (i.e not plastic case) packaging. Now I have it. Sweet!
Arcade Fire - Wake Up Alt

Another album I've known and lovely for a long time but never actually got a physical copy of. Now I have one. On the subject, Billy Corgan! If you're reading this you owe me a good show! That Dublin gig was atrocious! There was nothing you could do about the shit apathetic teenagers that were there but c'mon, who the fuck were those tossers playing with you?! Patch up with James and Darcy, please!!
Smashing Pumpkins - Tales Of A Scorched Earth Alt

Creepy, creepy E.P cover for Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy (1997), mad bastard, but sure they all are down in Limerick, at least he's making spooky music, as opposed to shooting people.
Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy (Pappy Mix) Alt

When I was a young teenager my rather religious parents became alarmed at the contents of the CD's I brought home, Slayer being the prime targets, what with God Hates Us All, Hell Awaits and all that, so I'd get mates to copy them and write something like Rory Gallagher on the CD, result! Finally got physical copies of Seasons In The Abyss and South Of Heaven (check out the video for Seasons ...late night Kerrang! TV gold!)
Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss Alt

And from South Of Heaven (1988)
Slayer - Live Undead Alt

And an album I stole by accident from a guy I was in a teenage band with but lost again, Harvest, by Neil Young
Neil Young - Old Man Alt

On top of that I got Slash's autobiography, ate scrambled eggs and feta cheese for breakfast while reading and had homemade soup for lunch made by my friend Yvonne while playing Mario Kart on SNES. Yvonne plays bass in a great Galway band called Disconnect 4, here's a tune from their debut E.P, Modern Love which came out this summer.

Disconnect 4 - Eighteen Alt

Vampire Weekend covering Ca Plane Pour Moi for French TV

...just after posting that last one I found this! I don't know if Ezra Koenig ever studied French or anything but for someone whose first language ain't French he's really nailed this!

It's a truly bizarre setting, everyone's rocking that Cliff Richard sway n' clap while sitting down. Cept it's Vampire Weekend covering Plastic Bertrand's Ca Plane Pour Moi (which, musically anyway, is a cover of Elton Motello's Jet Boy Jet Girl, which I'll post sometime soon)

Hot and sweaty student parties

Last night I DJ'd a student night in a tiny below ground club with low ceilings and no real limit on how many could be in there. With pitchers of beer at €5 the place was packed, and being students getting drunk cheaply they were sweaty, dancing lunatics.

The place was like a sauna, and I couldn't get to the bar between songs for a glass of water. It was great!

Here are a few of my favourite small pub dancefloor gems

Blur - There's No Other Way

MC5 - Kick Out The Jams

Jim Carroll - People Who Died

Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi

Martha And THe Muffins - Echo Beach

Short And Sweet

Fionn Regan is wonderful, I'm loving the new album, Shadow Of An Empire. A cracking listen after a swim in the Atlantic Ocean and an evening of pints!

The album is out February 8th

Fionn Regan - Genocide Matinee