The Everlasting Yeah "Staying Cool Staying Free" Album Launch & Listening Party by Buddy Ascott

The Everlasting Yeah - photo by Buddy Ascott

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the special launch and listening party for the new album "Staying Cool Staying Free" by The Everlasting Yeah on Saturday, so instead I dispatched Retro Man Blog's roving reporter for the day, Buddy Ascott to do the honours. Buddy was the perfect choice, as the former drummer in The Chords, he supported The Undertones at quite a few gigs in various cities around the country back in the day and became a big fan of That Petrol Emotion and The Everlasting Yeah. So let's hand over to Buddy to see how the launch party went...

Damian & Brendan at the launch party - photo by Buddy Ascott

I had no great expectations, having never before been to an album listening party, either online or in the flesh. But as a huge fan of The Undertones, That Petrol Emotion and yeah, The Everlasting Yeah, it was a tempting prospect. But what really piqued my interest was the video released that very morning, featuring the lead track on the new album, "Staying Cool, Staying Free". Titled "Girl from Miki City", it sounded remarkably similar to a song, "Making Certain" that I'd recorded back in 1997 with a group of ex-pats living in Japan, called Red Away Tops. In fact it was the very same song! OK, full disclosure - we're busted! Damian O'Neill had sent Billy Hassett (ex-Chords singer) a cassette of new songs back in those carefree days. Mightily impressed, Billy asked Damian if he could "borrow" a couple of the songs for our "Satellite TV" album. Being the gracious chap he is, Damian agreed, but forgot to tell us that the songs were in fact bandmate Raymond Gorman's. And so our little recording project in Japan contained two songs that should have been credited to Raymond. Glad I could get that off my chest, and apologies Raymond! 

The launch party crowd photographed by Raymond

The London Irish Centre is set in a quiet, leafy square in London's Camden - not your typical rock'n'roll venue, but then The Everlasting Yeah are not your typical group, and they have a loyal band of followers to prove it. Arriving too early, I was ushered back out into the bar area, and was soon joined by my good friend Tim, who'd travelled all the way from Yorkshire - with a busted leg - just to attend the listening party. With around eighty devotees in attendance, we sat near the front in an impressively wide and beautiful wood-paneled room. The four Yeahsters (as nobody calls them) took to the stage, but instead of strapping on guitars and sitting behind drums, sat down in comfy-looking armchairs, the serene scene completed by a solitary standard lamp. It felt a little surreal, but also exciting. At first the group looked a little self-conscious, up there without instruments, but relaxed as the afternoon progressed. Please note - this review is of the first listen only, and I reserve the right to change my mind upon hearing the album at home! Playback of Side 1 began with the aforementioned "Miki City" track - it made our version sound like a demo! With chunky guitars and soaring vocals, it's a fine album opener and a potential single. The sound system onstage was remarkable: exceptionally clear yet powerful. 

The Everlasting Yeah at The Lexington London in 2016 - photo by Paul Slattery

Next up was a song - "Myself When I Am Real" - that showcased Brendan Kelly's sublime bass skills, rolling along like an approaching freight train. On first listen I was convinced it was an instrumental, but the lyrics finally arrived, fully four minutes into the song. This felt very much in the vein of "Taking That Damn Train Again" from their first album - astonishingly, "Anima Rising" is now 10 years old! The song continued with Raymond chanting "It's just myself!" - and in a thrillingly upbeat coda - "Everything is gonna be alright! ALRIGHT!" All four of the band sat tapping their feet in sync, seemingly lost in thought, grinning away at favourite moments. Drummer - and often lead vocalist - Ciaran McLaughlin was particularly animated, as you'd expect from such a fine percussionist. The drums sounded much more natural - untreated - than on their debut album. The side continued with the acoustically led "You Can't Hold Water In A Closed Fist", reminiscent of one of TPE's quieter songs. Side 1 closed with "Hurricane Nation", growling bass and rimshots giving way to a taut and melodic pop song - the harmonies are a really positive feature on this album. There followed a short interval (a kindness to us men of a certain age), before playback recommenced. 

The Everlasting Yeah at our Retro Man Blog Night, May 2016 - photo by Paul Slattery

First track on Side 2 was "Rise Up", perhaps an over familiar title, but it's an impassioned plea to "rise up in love" and continues the album's general good vibes - Raymond would later tell us that it was recorded in the face of adversity, and they seemed genuinely happy just to be making music again. "Dylan '65" was up next, as cool as its title - Buzzcocks meets Graham Coxon, guitars to the fore. It's also probably the most Petrols-based track on the album. I would have liked the drum fills a little louder in the mix, but I would say that, wouldn't I? The closing song, "Heartbeat Still", is another epic, clocking in at over 8 minutes. A frantic start gives way to a shaker and a Pink Floyd feel (No wait! Come back!! I mean that in a good way!) that again showcases Brendan's prowess as a bass player. The rhythm changes, the intensity is ramped up and the guitars take over again...only for an electric piano and that Floyd groove to bring this amazing song to a peaceful conclusion. Probably the best vocal performance on the album too, courtesy of Ciaran. There was unanimous, spontaneous applause in the room, much to the apparent relief of the band members. 

Buddy Ascott with Brendan

Jon Hunter from The June Brides then joined them onstage to quiz them about the making of the album, and what inspired the songs. There was some good natured joshing between the band, as Raymond and Brendan did the lion's share of the talking. The travails that have delayed the album - mainly health issues - were mentioned only briefly, and the vibe remained positive and optimistic, at least until they were asked how they were going to promote this album. They all shrugged, justifiably feeling their work is now done, and it's up to "the industry" to do with it what they will. They make music primarily for themselves, and they are patently artists, not businessmen. One other revelation was how close they came to being named The Hoodlum Angels at the outset, but happily that only remained as a song title on the debut album. The merch table did brisk business and fans and followers slowly drifted away into the sunshine. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, with a cracking album that builds on the promise of "Anima Rising", and then some. Live shows soon, please.

- Buddy Ascott, August 2024 

The Everlasting Yeah with Jon Hunter - photo by Buddy Ascott

With thanks to Buddy for the great report, for more information on how to order the new album, please check out The Everlasting Yeah facebook page here. Don't forget our Retrosonic Podcast with Damian, Raymond and Ciaran discussing the history of That Petrol Emotion and The Everlasting Yeah is still available, along with other interview specials with Damian, Raymond and Buddy, by subscribing for free at Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts/iTunes or our SoundCloud main page.

Retrosonic Podcast · The Everlasting Yeah/That Petrol Emotion

The Everlasting Yeah "Staying Cool Staying Free" New Album Launch Party

The Everlasting Yeah, formed from the ashes of That Petrol Emotion, released one of the best debut albums of all time "Anima Rising" in 2014 and now they are finally going to release one of the most long-awaited, hightly anticipated follow ups of all time too. Yes, the great news is that the band have overcome various trials and tribulations and are now able to unleash their second album "Staying Cool, Staying Free With The Everlasting Yeah". It seems like such a long time ago that they played at one of our Retro Man Blog Nights at the Half Moon in Putney and debuted a couple of new songs, well it was a long time ago, 2016 in fact. One of the songs that I captured on video that splendid evening was called "Dylan '65", I loved it at the time and I'm pleased to see it features on the new album, although I'm not sure if it will be very different from this...

Here's a few words taken from my review of our Retro Man Blog Half Moon Putney show (you can read the full feature here.)

"The chemistry between all four members is apparent when they play live, they look like they enjoy each others company and it certainly pays off in their music. Brendan Kelly's bass throbs with a thunderous intent and his understanding with drummer Ciaran McLaughlin is impressive as they lock into a mighty groove. The Everlasting Yeah have added a dash of Krautrock's motorik beats into the mix too which enables the songs to develop nicely at their own natural pace. In fact there are more ideas crammed into one Everlasting Yeah song than most bands manage in a whole album! Raymond Gorman and Damian O'Neill seem to have some sort of psychic thing going on as their guitars weave in and out of each other like Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine at their best. I've always thought that Damian and Raymond were totally underrated as guitarists, they spin out razor sharp shards of spiky and inventive riffs that complement each other perfectly. Like Joey Santiago from the Pixies they take what at first might be familiar melodic lines and twist them to breaking point. You think you know when the pay off is going to come but they surprise you with another unexpected and thought provoking detour. Although Raymond handles most of the lead vocals - ably backed by Ciaran, who takes the spotlight on "Everything Is Beautiful" - there's no front-man as such, TPE's singer Steve Mack having relocated to his hometown Seattle - The Everlasting Yeah are however, a tight-knit gang who present a united front and share some stunning four-part vocals harmonies."

The Everlasting Yeah are having a listening party for the album on August 17th from 2-6pm at The London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB. Admission is free and there will be a Q&A session with the band hosted by Jon Hunter from The June Brides. Afterwards you will be able to buy signed vinyl, CDs and T-shirts and chat to the band. For more information on the Event please check out the details here.  

You can check out our features on The Everlasting Yeah gigs at The Half Moon Putney and The Lexington with exclusive Paul Slattery photos. You can check out the Retrosonic Podcast archive for special episodes with Damian and Raymond and lots of related features on the band. Don't forget our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast with Raymond, Damian and Ciaran where they discussed their time in That Petrol Emotion, the formation of The Everlasting Yeah and their debut album "Anima Rising".

Retrosonic Podcast · The Everlasting Yeah/That Petrol Emotion

The Undertones - Photos & Videos from The Electric Ballroom Camden, October 5th (plus links to our Retrosonic Podcasts with Mickey Bradley & Damian O'Neill

Well, I think I've run out of superlatives when it comes to writing about the joys of seeing The Undertones play live, so this time I'm just going to limit myself to sharing some photos and videos of yet another fantastic life-affirming night in the company of Derry's finest hit-makers. A packed-out Electric Ballroom was treated to a 32 song set-list crammed full of their perfect Punk pop nuggets that encompassed rarities such as "Emergency Cases" to great songs from the current Paul McLoone line-up including "Thrill Me" and "Dig Yourself Deep" and of course, all those timeless classics like "My Perfect Cousin", "Wednesday Week", "Here Comes The Summer" and "Teenage Kicks"...so, here we go, I hope you enjoy this little taster of a quite wonderful show...

Don't forget our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast episodes with Damian O'Neill and Mickey Bradley are still available to listen/stream/download from Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts or direct from our Soundcloud site.

Retrosonic Podcast · Michael Bradley of The Undertones

...and here's one of three great shows we've recorded with Damian...

Retrosonic Podcast · Damian O'Neill: From The Undertones to The Monotones

For more news and information on The Undertones, please check out their official web-site here, and don't forget the excellent Undertones Rocking Humdingers Club fan-site and resource on Facebook here. You can find more Retrosonic Podcasts with Damian discussing his solo music and side-projects The Everlasting Yeah and 5 Billion In Diamonds at our Soundcloud archive here.

All photos, videos and Podcasts are copyright Retro Man Blog.

Retrosonic Podcast with Mickey Bradley of The Undertones

In the latest episode of Retrosonic Podcast we welcome Mickey Bradley, bassist of The Undertones prior to their "Celebrating 45 Years of Teenage Kicks Tour" (or a 'series of weekends away' according to Mickey). We discuss his excellent book "Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone" (Omnibus Press) and he picks some of his favourite songs and music that had an impact on the early days of The Undertones. Sadly, we recorded the episode the day that Seymour Stein passed away, so Mickey pays tribute to his former Sire Records label boss and picks his favourite Sire Records release. Throughout the show, we discover his influences as a bassist, some of his favourite music related books and authors, how he missed Paul Simonon smashing his bass while touring with The Clash, the influence of Lenny Kaye's "Nuggets" compilation and he picks some pivotal early Undertones tracks. We also cover last year's excellent compilation of the best of the current Paul McLoone fronted line-up "Dig What You Need". As you would expect, Mickey is entertaining company so please check out the show by subscribing to Retrosonic Podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iTunes or at our Retro Man Blog You Tube channel. Otherwise, check out the direct link to our SoundCloud site below. The episode is soundtracked by loads of Mickey's superb musical choices...

Retrosonic Podcast · Michael Bradley of The Undertones

Tracklisting 

The Undertones "Listening In"

Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"

Rolling Stones "Jumping Jack Flash (live)"

Dr. Feelgood "Back In The Night"

Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen"

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Pump It Up"

The Undertones "Trill Me"

The Undertones "Male Model"

The Jam "David Watts"

The Clash "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais"

Ramones "Oh Oh I Love Her So"

David Bowie "Friday On My Mind"

The Undertones "True Confessions"

The Undertones "You've Got My Number"

The Undertones "Enough"

The Undertones "Tomorrow's Tears"

13th Floor Elevators "You're Gonna Miss Me"

The Undertones "Teenage Kicks"

With many thanks to Michael Bradley, more details on his regular radio show can be found here. "Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone" is available from Omnibus Press and all good bookshops. For news on The Undertones upcoming live dates, please check out their official website here. The Undertones "Rocking Humdingers" Facebook Fan's Group can be found here. Finally, check out the Retrosonic Podcast archives for our episodes with Damian O'Neill, at SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts and iTunes. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS Licence. 

R.I.P. Seymour Stein. 

The Undertones, Belfast 1978 - Photo by Paul Slattery

Damian O'Neill "Más o Menos" Remix E.P. featuring Remixes by The Limiñanas and Kevin Sharkey

"Más o Menos", the superb opening track to Undertones guitarist Damian O'Neill's critically acclaimed new instrumental album "An Crann, has been given the remix treatment in a new E.P.  out now on Dimple Discs Records. First of all, the fuzzed-up French band The Limiñanas' remix concentrates mainly on "Más o Menos" immediately memorable bass riff, which I always thought was reminiscent of Dave Richmond's iconic bass sound on Serge Gainsbourg's classic concept album "Histoire de Melody Nelson". Indeed, Lionel Limiñana has added new Serge and Jane Birkin style male-female spoken word verses in French that are really evocative of "Melody Nelson". He has then married this influence to the hypnotic Krautrock beats so favoured by The Limiñanas to create an atmospheric and highly evocative version. I'm extremely honoured to have been involved in some small way in getting Damian hooked up with The Limiñanas and to hear the end result of two of my favourite Artists working together, almost bought a tear to the eye! I knew Damian was, like me, a big fan of The Limiñanas and by coincidence, last year they were including a cover version of "Teenage Kicks" in their set-list. I must admit my first bit of meddling was to try and get Damian on stage with the band at the Scala in London's Kings Cross to join in with The Undertones classic but he politely declined. However, I did introduce them after the gig and then came Damian's idea of a possible remix, so he later asked to be put in touch as he could feel The Limiñanas might be able to draw something special out of "Más o Menos" and indeed they have. There's a feature on The Limiñanas' Scala Kings Cross show at the Retro Man Blog archive here.

Damian with Marie and Lionel Limiñana - Photo Retro Man Blog

Here's the video to The Limiñanas remix of "Más o Menos" which suits the theme of Lionel's narrative concerning a girl searching for the grave of Andrew Weatherall...enjoy!

Next  up, the excellent Kevin Sharkey remix draws out the Spaghetti Western influence throughout "Más o Menos", with its haunting whistling, tolling bells and thunderous timpani shot through with a stinging fuzz guitar chord. Sharkey has then married this cinematic sound to more traditional remix elements such as scratching, spiralling synth motifs and rhythmic bongo drums and the original backing vocals are much more prominent. Its like taking Ennio Moriconne's "Man With a Harmonica" to the dance floor. Both versions are superb examples of how a song can be twisted into two very different, but equally imaginative and effective takes on the original, which is also included on the E.P. for good measure. At present unfortunately, there are no physical formats available but you can buy the download from the Dimple Disc Records Bandcamp page here. For more information on all of Damian's solo projects and collaborations please check out his official web-site here.

Damian & Dimple Discs boss Brian O'Neill - photo by Retro Man Blog

For our Retrosonic Podcast special episode recorded at the "An Crann" album launch party and Q&A with Damian and journalist Ann Scanlon, please subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iTunes or you can listen/download direct from our SoundCloud site below. You'll also find our other thoroughly entertaining episodes with Damian along with the That Petrol Emotion/Everlasting Yeah special available in the archive.

Retrosonic Podcast · Damian O'Neill Live Q&A from The Social with Ann Scanlon

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 51 "2022 You're Wondering Now" with Buddy Ascott

Welcome to Episode 51 of Retrosonic Podcast where we welcome former drummer with The Chords Buddy Ascott into the 'studio' on New Year's Eve to look back on 2022. Buddy, now playing with The Fallen Leaves, is currently writing his memoirs and he treats us to a reading from a chapter about an unfortunate incident in Guildford Civic Hall in 1979 involving The Undertones, Jimmy Pursey and some ex-Sex Pistols. He also talks about more recent gig experiences which include drumming with The 79ers as specials guests at The Vapors' weekend event at the iconic Portmeirion village, location of the cult TV show The Prisoner. Then we cover The Fallen Leaves shows at the Dublin Castle and the Don Craine tribute at the Half Moon Putney, plus we get a sneak preview of a song from the Leaves' next album. We also take a look at some of Retro Man Blog's favourite LPs, Singles, Compilations and Gigs of the year and play a selection of great tracks from The Clash with Ranking Roger, Rhoda Dakar, The Limiñanas, The Prisoners and Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band. We also announce our Band of The Year - The Undertones - for some superb gigs, their compilation "Dig What You Need", Damian O'Neill and Billy Doherty joining Baby Shakes on stage for "Teenage Kicks" and related releases such as That Petrol Emotion's stunning box-set compilation and Damian's solo album "An Crann". Then there's a more sombre look at just some of the influential musicians who sadly passed away in 2022 including Chris Bailey, Wilko Johnson, Jet Black and Terry Hall but we celebrate their legacy with music from The Saints, Dr. Feelgood, The Specials and The Stranglers. Happy New Year to you and here's looking forward to more great music in 2023, we hope you enjoy the show! Please click the highlighted links in the tracklisting below for more info on the featured Bands and Artists and how to buy their music.

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 51 "2022 You're Wondering Now" with Buddy Ascott

Tracklisting

The Undertones "Thrill Me"

That Petrol Emotion "Abandon" (Boys Own Re-Mix)

Damian O'Neill "Mas o Menos"

The Fallen Leaves "Rosalina"

The Prisoners "Better In Black"

Dr. Feelgood "Watch Your Step"

The Saints "Know Your Product"

The Stranglers "Hanging Around"

Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band "Kismet"

The Limiñanas "Funeral Baby"

The Clash & Ranking Roger "Rock The Casbah"

Rhoda Dakar "The Man Who Sold The World"

The Specials "You're Wondering Now"

This episode is dedicated to the memories and music of Terry Hall, Ronnie Spector, Jet Black, Wilko Johnson, Chris Bailey, Martin Duffy, Keith Levene, DH Peligro, Mark Lanegan, Taylor Hawkins and all those creative souls who sadly passed away in 2022. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts or Soundcloud. Retrosonic Theme by Adam Donovan. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS certificate.

For more information on the forthcoming book "A Taste of Ink: The Prisoners Sentenced By Their Fans" compiled and edited by Thomas Buch, Michael Langer, Elinor Crockford and Jeremy Stride, as discussed in this episode, please check out the Facebook page here or official web-site here.

Retro Man Blog & Retrosonic Podcast's Best Albums of 2022 (new releases)

Here's Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcast's top 22 new album releases of 2022, we hope you enjoy this selection and if you do, please follow, like, subscribe to the Blog and Podcast and please support all the featured bands and artists. Thanks for all the support throughout the year!

1. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band "Dear Scott'

2. Graham Day "Master of None"

3. Damian O'Neill "An Crann"

4. Ruts DC "Counterculture"

5. The Schizophonics " Hoof It"

6. The Guy Hamper Trio "All The Poisons In The Mud"

7. The Brian Jonestown Massacre "Fire Doesn't Grow On Trees"

8. Cat & The Underdogs "Punk Rock Overdrive"

9. The Bug Club "Green Dream In F#"

10. Thee Moot "Mood Swings And Roundabouts"

11. Viagra Boys "Cave World"

12. Suzi Moon "Dumb And In Luv"

13. AlterModerns "Side Effects of Reality"

14. Paper Lips "The Sound of Sound"

15. The Senior Service "A Little More Time With..."

16. Sounds Incarcerated "Unswitchable Hits Vol. 2"

17. Robyn Hitchcock "Shufflemania!"

18. Martin Hederos "Hederos c/o Satie"

19. Gaye Su Akyol "Anadolu Ejderi"

20. The Len Price 3 "Ip Dip Do"

21. Luke Haines & Peter Buck "All The Kids Are Super Bummed Out"

22. Autoramas "Autointitulado"

Thanks to all contributors, bands, Podcast special guests and co-presenters, record labels and people who have shared and supported what we have done over the past year. Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcast are an extension of the spirit of my old 1980's D.I.Y. cut 'n' paste fanzine Out of Step and are strictly non-profit without advertising or sponsorship, set up purely to promote music that we like. We hope you have discovered some exciting new music along the way, your support is very much appreciated. 

New Retrosonic Podcast Live Q&A with Damian O'Neill and Music Journalist Ann Scanlon to Promote Damian's New Solo LP "An Crann"

We captured a great evening's entertainment at the Heavenly Social in London on November 6th with Undertones guitarist Damian O'Neill promoting his excellent new LP "An Crann" in a Q&A session hosted by Brian O'Neill of Dimple Discs Records and music journalist Ann Scanlon. As well as the story behind the record and its various influences, Damian also discussed various anecdotes from his time with The Undertones, That Petrol Emotion and The Everlasting Yeah. As well as tales of The Undertones on Top of The Pops, touring with The Clash and news of the forthcoming That Petrol Emotion box-set, we also find out how Damian nearly joined Dexys Midnight Runners and how he should have been a famous footballer! The episode is soundtracked by Damian's personal selection of songs from the new album. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts or direct from our SoundCloud site below.

Retrosonic Podcast · Damian O'Neill Live Q&A from The Social with Ann Scanlon

You can order "An Crann" from the Dimple Discs Records Bandcamp site here. For more information please check out Damian's official web-site here. Photos from the night copyright Retro Man Blog. Thanks to Damian and Viv, Ann Scanlon, Brian O'Neill and Neil Waite from The Undertones Rocking Humdingers Club page. 

Top Photo, Damian with Dimple Discs boss Brian O'Neill. Third Photo, Damian with That Petrol Emotion, The Everlasting Yeah bassist Brendan Kelly. Fourth photo Damian with Ann Scanlon.

The Undertones - Videos from their De La Warr Pavilion show & news of Damian O'Neill Q&A to promote his new solo LP "An Crann"

The Undertones played a blinder at the beautiful Art Deco De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea on Saturday, a thirty three song set-list packed full of their melodic Pop nuggets. There was certainly no let up in the intensity as the songs whizzed by and the always amusing Mickey Bradley even commented on the rapid-fire delivery, "You can hold your breath right through to the end of most of our songs" and "we're playing even faster so that Billy can get back to watch Match of The Day". The band are on top form and the wonderful backing vocal harmonies from Damian and Mickey really shine through, although the crowd give them a run for their money as they join in whole-heartedly. Paul's voice and confidence has come on leaps and bounds (in fact he does quite a lot of leaping and bounding on stage) since I first saw one of the early shows after the band got back together. The 'Paul-era' songs so brilliantly collected in the recent Dimple Discs compilation "Dig What You Need" are well represented and in particular "Oh Please", "Thrill Me" and "Dig Yourself Deep" are as good as any of the classics from their impressive back catalogue.

 

Mickey and James Brown with respective books - photo Retro Man Blog

But yes there's no escaping those classics and of course we get them all, "Here Comes The Summer", "Get Over You", a sublime "Wednesday Week", "Jimmy Jimmy" dedicated to Loaded editor James Brown and "Teenage Kicks" dedicated to the ever-youthful U.K. Subs frontman Charlie Harper, both present at the show. John and Damian's inter-twining guitars are as vibrant as ever and those timeless riffs on "You've Got My Number" and "I Know A Girl" really hit home. It's great that they play some of the less celebrated gems such as my favourite, the heart-tugging "Tearproof" and tracks such as "When Saturday Comes" and "Crisis of Mine". I recently wrote - at some length I know - on the importance and impact of The Undertones (and their various off-shoots) on my life in a feature on their stunning show at the Camden Electric Ballroom back in April so I won't repeat myself here, but needless to say The Undertones treated us to another life-affirming evening's entertainment. Anyway, please do check out my feature here if you would like to know just why they mean so much to me and there are lots of lovely photos if you do get bored with my heartfelt ramblings! 

 

You can check out more videos from the show at our Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here.

Damian O'Neill has been busy outside of The Undertones too - the brilliant second album by 5 Billion In Diamonds to which he contributes, has finally been released on vinyl and then Dimple Discs will be putting out his new instrumental solo LP "An Crann" on coloured vinyl and CD. The vinyl pressing of this sounds particularly impressive and there have been advance copies for sale at recent Undertones shows. Before Saturday's show Damian told me he was a bit concerned what die-hard Undertones fans might think of the album seeing as it is all very atmospheric and instrumental, but I think anyone who did invest in a copy at the merchandise stands would be extremely impressed. As we discovered in our thoroughly entertaining career retrospective Retrosonic Podcast with Damian "From The Undertones to The Monotones" - he is no stranger to ambient and instrumental music and "An Crann" is a damn near perfect and satisfying listen. From the absolutely stunning opening track "Mas o Menos", which draws heavily on the Gitanes soaked Gallic atmosphere of Serge Gainsbourg's "Histoire de Melody Nelson" and The Liminanas, we are taken on an evocative journey through eleven beautifully constructed pieces of music. 

"An Crann" is not Folk music and it's not an album of 'ambient soundscapes', or is it? It's very difficult to categorise. It could almost be the soundtrack to an imaginary movie or incidental music from a prime Nordic Noir drama and yet then sometimes I get hints of Anton Karas's "The Third Man" or John Barry's "The Persuaders" theme. Then there are very organic, pastoral pieces that take you right out of your living room and place you deep into the middle of some mysterious fog-bound forest. The album's sound and feel is captured perfectly in Damian's daughter Rosa's stunning cover photography, in fact as the album was mainly recorded at home during lockdown, "An Crann" is something of a family affair. Damian plays most of the instruments throughout and wife Viv, along with Rosa, both add suitably atmospheric and effective vocal harmonies to the proceedings. To promote the album, Dimple Discs have arranged a Q&A session with Damian in conversation with Ann Scanlon at The Social at 5 Little Portland Street in London on Sunday November 6th, doors open at 7pm and tickets can be bought here. Copies of "An Crann" will be available on the night but if you can't make it, you can order from Bandcamp here. Don't forget to check out our Retrosonic Podcasts with Damian, two on his own music and a special on That Petrol Emotion where Damian is joined by Raymond and Ciaran from the band - you can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts or direct from our SoundCloud site below:

Retrosonic Podcast · Damian O'Neill: From The Undertones to The Monotones

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London Kings Cross, May 26th 2022

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

At the end of my review of The Limiñanas at the 100 Club back in February 2019 I wrote “I have a feeling that the band will be selling out a much larger venue next time they come to play in London”. So, here we are at the Scala in Kings Cross, the band are finally back again and yes, it is much larger than the 100 Club but it’s still completely packed to the rafters. I also wrote “the most exciting thing of all is that musically The Limiñanas have not set themselves any boundaries, they can evolve in any way they choose. So as a fan, it will be fascinating to continue following them on the journey that lies ahead”. Well, it’s been some journey, that’s for sure. At that 100 Club show they included two new numbers in the set “Dreams” and “The Last Picture Show” and these pointed the way to a busy, creative time for the band. Those two songs ended up as part of a superb new project called L'Épée which included Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the French actress Emmanuelle Seigner. I was lucky enough to see them play in London at the end of 2019, it was another mind-blowing performance and the year belonged to The Limiñanas and L'Épée.

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Then of course came the unexpected two-year horror of the COVID pandemic but it certainly didn’t stop the creative output of Lionel and Marie as they immersed themselves in movie and TV music culminating in the brilliant score for “The World We Knew" along with “The Devil Inside Me” and “The Ballad of Linda L.” collaborations with David Menke. Then with their latest album “De Pelicula”, they have collaborated with the DJ and Producer Laurent Garnier to produce a hypnotic Electro-Techno-Fuzzed-up monster of a record. Moving away from the 60’s Garage Rock and Ye-Ye influences somewhat, this is a thoroughly modern sounding masterpiece that perfectly melds together Dance and Rock cultures. Live, the new songs work extremely well as is immediately apparent with the brilliant opening two song salvo of the single “Saul” and “Je Rentrais Par Le Bois”. To help capture this new direction, the band have recruited Edi Pistolas, the Chilean musician from the Dark Wave/Post-Punk bands Panico and Nova Materia to add his electronic sounds, percussion and half-sung half-rap vocals to the mix. He’s also a compelling and charismatic performer and he ups the visual impact to the max when he takes centre stage. 

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

We then get treated to a superb set encompassing the new album, old favourites such as “Down Underground” and classic singles like “Dimanche”, “Istanbul Is Sleepy” and “The Gift”. There’s the superb cover of Can’s “Mother Sky” which they have kind of adopted as their own and they even cover Lionel’s old band Beach Bitches “Crank”, a surefire Garage Punk classic that almost blows the roof off the Scala. Talking of which, the sound at the Scala is pretty good from down at the front but the lighting less so. There seems to be a shadow from a monitor or speaker obscuring Marie’s face for most of the set and there’s an extremely low stage for such a size of venue. This means that you’ve got to work hard for good views of all the action, and of course, it’s The Limiñanas so there is certainly plenty of action. I haven’t seen such a compelling and visually exciting live band since The Soundtrack of Our Lives split up in 2012 – well, possibly Oh!Gunquit would qualify – but in terms of sheer overwhelming, jaw-dropping spectacle then The Limiñanas are right up there. 

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Just like The Soundtrack of Our Lives, each member is integral not only to the band’s sound, but also their look and each member brings their own character and personality to the party. Whether, its Lionel hunched over, wringing mind-blowing fuzzed up riffs from his guitar, all wild hair and impressive beard or Marie’s joyful and original drumming – hammering her snare and floor-tom, red hair flailing and glowing in the lights. There’s no cymbals, no high-hat, just a tribal hypnotic and relentless beat. Bassist Mikey Malaga has a unique style with his low-slung black Fender Precision, it's every bit the iconic bass look – he swings and sways with his bass, totally hypnotic. Renaud Picard sings most of the lead vocal parts and adds layers of haunting backing vocals and acoustic guitar. Then, I suppose most great visual bands have to have a quiet member, it’s usually the bassist - The Who’s John Entwistle, the Stones’ Bill Wyman and TSOOL's Kalle Gustafsson spring to mind – just to keep everything balanced and in check. I guess this role falls to Alban Barate who although half-hidden at the back, adds some superb guitar work and keyboards and certainly shouldn’t be overlooked in his contribution to the sound. 

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

To top it all, I think every great band needs to have an eccentric and enigmatic member and this position is filled by Ivan Telefunken who has become something of a cult hero with fans. He’s totally out there and unique, completely lost in the music, he throws his guitar around wildly before pushing it against his amp to illicit screams of feedback and white noise which he skillfully manipulates to add so much texture and atmosphere to The Limiñanas sound. He also adds keyboards, which are decorated in eye-catching, multi-coloured polka dots. Ivan is to The Limiñanas what Eno was to Roxy Music, Blixa was to the Bad Seeds and Johnny Greenwood was to Radiohead - he fills the role of musical alchemist absolutely perfectly. He also takes over lead vocals on a raucous version of The Undertones “Teenage Kicks” which closes the set and goes down a storm, especially with long-time Limiñanas fan Damian O’Neill, who is in the crowd tonight. 

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Damian O'Neill of The Undertones with Marie & Lionel Limiñana at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

To digress, it was a pleasure to introduce them after the show and be reminded that even your favourite musicians can still be big music fans after all and the mutual appreciation was heart-warming to see. The band return for an encore and this time it's Marie taking on lead vocals for a pulsing version of Suicide’s “Cheree” which morphs into a transcendental mash-up of “Je M’en Vais” and “The Train Creep A-Loopin’”, absolutely stunning! The outpouring of appreciation and affection at the end of the show was quite emotional, the band seemed genuinely as happy as us fans did as they stood there together accepting the acclaim. Well, I said it before but I’ll say it again, I think next time they visit they are going to need a much bigger venue!

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Limiñanas at The Scala, London - Photo by Retro Man Blog

For more information on The Limiñanas, please visit their official web-site here. You can check out our feature on the 100 Club show in the Retro Man Blog archive here and the L'Épée show at EartH in Hackney here. Don't forget the special Retrosonic Podcast Episode 37 entitled "Songs The Limiñanas Taught Us" in which I take a look at the band's history including some of their previous and related bands such as Beach Bitches, Les Bellas, Crank and Hair & The Iotas along with a pick of some of their many and varied cover versions. The episode is still available at our archive if you subscribe for free to Retrosonic Podcast at Soundcloud or Spotify, Amazon Music, iTunes and Apple Podcasts. You can also listen or download below. You will also find some of our original videos of The Limiñanas and L'Épée if you subscribe to our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here. 

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 37 "Songs The Limiñanas Taught Us"