TNH – The Northern Hemisphere

Article featured in the latest issue of “Reds Independent 71” November 2020:

“For What Died the Sons of Roisin – Was it Greed?”

A quote from the song in spoken word by the Dublin folk singer and founder member of The Dubliners Luke Kelly who started his path as a singer in the Irish pubs in Leeds. This quote was the stage back drop for the Fontaines DC spellbinding and blistering set at Glastonbury Festival 2019, the highlight being Carlos O’Connell climbing up the stage rigging to play his guitar almost suspended in mid-air.

 As we currently sit in a strange somewhat parallel universe at the moment where 2020 is at an almost stop/start standstill looking back at such performances has a magical rose-tinted view to it in these uncertain times.

Like many others I was blown away by their first album Dogrel, its originality and raw energy capturing the true essence of what a young punk band should be without sacrificing their Irish roots and love of Dublin, with nods to the great writers such as James Joyce.

I say young “punk” band with dubious hesitation as these boys are so much more than just a punk band, not to disrespect the punk pioneers of the Mohican, safety pin days of old. Without Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood, John Lydon, Shane MacGowan (to name but a few) the musical landscape we now navigate would be a totally different place.

When I first heard the track “A Hero’s Death” I wasn’t sure what I made of it, maybe I was trying to compare it to the sound of Dogrel, or was I just preoccupied with lockdown and everything that was happening around that time and the mixed messages we were getting from the government.

The album hadn’t been released yet so I shelved that initial first listen away in the “to be revisited” section for a later date when I was in a better frame of mind to give it the full attention it inevitably deserved.

During Lockdown Jools Holland started a different version of his critically acclaimed long running live music show “Later” called “Live at home for later with Jools Holland” adhering to current Covid-19 guidelines outlined by the government at that time.

The format of the programme was to bring the feeling of the live “Later” shows to the new concept of seeing a band play together when not actually being together in the same room. The technology was there just probably not used in this way before or if it had not on such a public stage. The video conference under various branding would test the programme makers and the viewers alike.

On this particular edition of the new “Later” Fontaines DC are performing live from various locations. This seemed to me the perfect opportunity to revisit the “listen” I had shelved previously.

At that point I hadn’t seen any of these shows so didn’t know what to expect….

The leader singer Grian Chatten is stood on a beach which looks suspiciously like Galway Bay with the sun slowly setting behind him in the background, perfect social distancing, I am saying it’s there but it may not have been, sensible answers accepted on a postcard! He holds up a sheet of A4 paper with “A Hero’s Death, Take 2” written on it. The drumbeat introduces the song perfectly, then the crackle of a short but perfect guitar riff over the top of the rhythm. The camera pans back to Grian on the beach with a silver microphone on a stand in front of him, hands on his hips he takes aim and delivers “Life Ain’t Always Empty” a simple lyric sung but almost spoken in his distinguished Irish accent destined to tell a thousand tales and sing a thousand more words, who could follow “Don’t get stuck in the past, say your favourite things at mass” with “Tell your Mother that you love her” (*Mum).

From watching that amazing and such different live performance I was hooked and eagerly awaited the release of the new album. The release date was set for 31^st July 2020 less than a year and a half after their debut album came out. Some Might Say a bit soon as they were still enjoying the success of Dogrel, but in the same vein as Oasis before them, Definitely Maybe was released in August 1994 with the follow up What’s the Story Morning Glory coming out on 2^nd October 1995. The argument would be if you have the songs and the writing is flowing there is no need to stockpile and hold back material, the difficult 3^rd album is always an interesting one though!

I had managed to survive avoiding my fellow man and had stockpiled enough tins of Tesco own brand baked beans to see me through until Armageddon, or in this case 31^st July.

I mainly listen to vinyl these days and the recent revival of this medium has rekindled my love of record buying. Still, I am not some old dinosaur (no sniggering at the back please) who won’t embrace modern technology – I have Apple Music, which is great for its ease of accessibility to an endless source of musical content.

It was via Apple Music on Friday 31^st July I first heard A Hero’s Death in its entirety all 47 minutes, from memory it was a sunny day. I have been working from home permanently since March so I took the luxury of logging of early as I could not wait to press the play button.

A Friday afternoon sat in the back garden in the sun seemed like as good a place as any to get this album underway. I should have mentioned earlier on that it takes me about ten listens to an album to get its full potential or pitfalls, if any. But you’re here now so you may as well stick with me!

Well this is a first for me three listens in of the album in full and I am ready to give you something back.

I have decided not to do this in track order so if your sat there with the CD cover or record cover turned over ready and waiting, I am sorry to disappoint you but this isn’t one of “Tim’s Listening Party’s”, but I am grateful if you’re still reading this!

I have started to make mental notes of the stand out tracks, again in no particular order “I was Not Born” I was slightly biased with this one as I had heard that Mike Joyce had been paying compliments to the drummer, and those drums do make some impact. They are some serious drums over powering the initial guitar riff which is unusual. Normality is soon resumed when Grian’s vocal kicks in. At this point I have to confess I find myself doing my Ian Curtis dance, something that I have cultivated in the privacy of my own home during Lockdown and will never be seen outside of the Zoo.

After the three listens the following has come out as my favourite track so far, the drum and guitar that follows is amazing, “Televised Minds” amazing vocal, pure punk, raw, dirty and unforgiving! I was watching an old Submission performance recently, The Pogues, The Dubliners and guest appearance by  Joe Strummer, I don’t think Strummer’s voice fits at all with The Pogues songs, you can’t beat Shane’s voice but saying that MacGowan dueted with Strummer on a couple of Clash songs and he looked uncomfortable and out of place so it evened itself out in that performance. On the other hand Philip Chevron on guitar blew me away his checked suit and ginger hair, danced like a mad man and played some gorgeous guitar, much like Carlos on Televised Minds. I will try my best now not to name drop its so last year!! Don’t we wish everything was so last year and we could start 2020 again.

It’s time to calm things down a little after we cavorted to Televised Minds, but only very briefly, breathe and relax.

Everyone sitting comfortably, cuppa in hand? Let’s press on then. Gone for a slower track just to take the tempo down gather thoughts and reflect. “Oh Such a Thing” opens with a slow haunting guitar before the vocal begins, this song could almost be a poem. I did read somewhere that some of the songs on Dogrel did actually start out as poems before becoming fully formed songs. The most poignant lyric in this song being “I watched all the folk go to work just to die”.

We skip forward now to track 8 “Living in America” crank things up again on this one! This starts with a low drilling guitar riff then Tom Colls brilliant drums come in louder followed by Grian’s vocal, short punchy verses and finally spitting out the chorus in a punk snarl “Turning Your Tricks Like a New Born Gangster”.

I seem to have lost my track running now so its probably a good time to draw this review to some sort of close. What a great album, but don’t take my word for it go out to your local record shop and pick up a copy and truly indulge yourself. While your there if your budget can stretch to it pick up Dogrel as well. Play them back to back with the volume up loud. Just make sure the neighbours are out!

Did I mention I once submitted an album review too the NME when I was 15 back in 1986 for The Pogues- Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, I still haven’t heard anything back from them so I can safely say my career with the NME isn’t happening anytime soon.

By Michael Conboy