To Here Knows When - Great Irish Albums Revisited
By Paul McDermott
To Here Knows When - Great Irish Albums RevisitedAug 26, 2023
EP40 - Hiding From the Landlord by Nun Attax / Five Go Down to the Sea? / Beethoven
On this episode I’m joined by Liam Heffernan and Ricky Dineen from Big Boy Foolish, a post-punk duo from the northside of Cork City who have just released their debut album – Stall the Ball. Ricky was the guitarist in the legendary bands Nun Attax, Five Go Down to the Sea? and Beethoven and Liam Heffernan played guitar with another Cork band Mean Features, and is well known for his acting roles on both stage and screen. Ricky and Liam revisit "Get That Monster Off the Stage" my old radio documentary about their late friend Finbarr Donnelly. We chat about Ciarán Ó Tuama's recent film version of the documentary and the lads talk about about making music in their 60s, the origins of Big Boy Foolish, the writing, recording and release of Stall the Ball and much more. Episode notes are here.
EP40 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 40 – Hiding From the Landlord by Nun Attax, Five Go Down to the Sea? and Beethoven.
EP40 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 40 – Hiding From the Landlord by Nun Attax, Five Go Down to the Sea? and Beethoven.
EP39 - Butterfly Effect by Sack
On this episode I’m joined by Martin McCann and John Brereton of Dublin band Sack for a deep dive into the making of the band's second album Butterfly Effect. It's a long conversation talking in their first band, Lord John White, moving to London, signing to Lemon Records, touring in the UK, the release of their acclaimed first singles and their debut album, You Are What You Eat, returning to Ireland, Dirt Records, recording with Paul Tipler and Jacknife Lee, touring Europe and the US with Morrissey, staying together, and writing and recording new music. Episode notes are here.
EP39 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 39 – Butterfly Effect by Sack
EP38 - Cousteau
On this episode I’m joined by Liam McKahey and Davey Ray Moor for a deep dive into Cousteau’s self-titled debut album from 1999. Cousteau were formed in London in the late 90s when singer McKahey, from Cork, hooked up with songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ray Moor, from Canberra. Cousteau’s self-titled debut album was released in 1999 by the small UK indie label, Global Warming. After an appearance on Later With Jools Holland the band were signed by Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures. The band’s debut single ‘The Last Good Day of the Year’ became an international hit and the band’s album was re-released. Cousteau toured the world eventually selling a few hundred thousand albums. Episode notes are here.
EP38 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of EP38 - Cousteau by Cousteau
EP38 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 38 – Cousteau by Cousteau
EP37 - Hawaii by The High Llamas
This episode is a deep dive with Sean O'Hagan on Hawaii by The High Llamas. A long chat, bookended by stories about Arthur Lee and Love, Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. In between we touch on everything from Cillian Murphy, The Coral, Mercury Rev, Sean’s 2019 album - Radum Calls, Radum Calls, signing to V2 Records, Gideon Gaye, A&M’s Jerry Moss and Herb Albert’s Almo Sounds, Tim Gane and Stereolab, Cold and Bouncy, Cathal Coughlan, Microdisney and loads more. We also chat about the new High Llamas album - Hey Panda. Episode notes are here.
EP37 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of EP37 - Hawaii by The High Llamas
EP37 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 37 – Hawaii by The High Llamas
Bonus EP - An Draíocht - the music of Sliabh Luachra
This is a special bonus episode of the podcast. An Draíocht is a radio documentary I produced in 2023. With the assistance of Eoin ‘Stan’ O’Sullivan, Sliabh Luachra musician in residence, I immerse myself in the music of Sliabh Luachra by going on a quest to track down six Irish traditional vinyl records released in 1977. It was first broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM on Sunday 12 March 2023. Episode notes are here.
EP36 - Dublin Gone, Everybody Dead by The Jimmy Cake
For this episode I’m joined by Dara Higgins, and brothers Diarmuid MacDiarmada and John Dermody to discuss the Jimmy Cake's second album, Dublin Gone, Everybody Dead. We chat about their first band together, Das Madman, the formation of The Jimmy Cake, the recording of their debut album Brains and how nine (and then ten members) of a band handle the composition of songs. Dublin’s music scene in the early 00s. Our conversation takes in a discussion about the realities of trying to break a band, with ten members, outside of Ireland and support for the Arts in Ireland. Epsiode notes are here.
EP36 - Preview 2
A second short preview of Episode 36 – Dublin Gone, Everybody Dead by The Jimmy Cake
EP36 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 36 – Dublin Gone, Everybody Dead by The Jimmy Cake
EP35 - This Is by The Tycho Brahe
Carol Keogh joins me to chat about The Tycho Brahe, the band herself, Donal O'Mahony and Diarmuid MacDiarmada formed in 2002. This Is, their debut album was released in 2002 and Love Life, its follow-up was released in 2003. Prior to The Tycho Brahe Carol and Donal were in The Plague Monkeys and before that again Carol, Donal and Diarmuid were in The Low Babies. We also chat about Carol's varied musical guises since The Tycho Brahe - she's written and performed with Autamata and The Natural History Museum as well as releasing music under her own name and collaborating with loads of other artists. We talk about her most recent work as The WICC and much, much more. Epsiode notes are here.
EP35 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of EP35 - This Is by The Tycho Brahe
EP35 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 35 – This Is by The Tycho Brahe
EP34 - Mute by Catchers
Dale Grundle and Alice Lemon from Catchers join me to chat about their band Catchers. Formed in Portstewart in the early 90s the band were signed to Setanta Records and moved to London. 'Cotton Dress' their debut single was awarded 'Single of the Week' in Melody Maker and the band recorded Mute, their debut album, with Mike Hedges in France. Mute was critically acclaimed in the music press and Catchers toured Europe with Pulp and Edwyn Collins becoming hugely popular in France. Dale and Alice chat about the Catchers career, the recording of both Mute and Stooping to Fit, their second album. Episode notes are here.
EP34 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 34 – Mute by Catchers
EP34 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 34 – Mute by Catchers
EP33 - Little Dark Mansion by The Harvest Ministers
Will Merriman joins me to discuss Little Dark Mansion by his band The Harvest Ministers. In a long conversation we discuss: the band’s history; self-releasing their debut single in 1991; its reissue by Sarah Records in 1992; the release of two more singles on Sarah; recording their debut album; signing to Setanta records; releasing two more albums before the end of the 90s; touring with Edwyn Collins in Europe; and recording and releasing three more albums since the millennium and much, much more. Little Dark Mansion has just been reissued on vinyl for the first time since its original 1993 release. Episode notes are here.
EP33 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 33 – Little Dark Mansion by The Harvest Ministers
EP33 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 33 – Little Dark Mansion by The Harvest Ministers
EP32 - Paradise in the Picturehouse by The Stunning
Steve Wall joins me to discuss The Stunning's debut album, the band’s history and how they self-financed their first four singles in the late 80s. We talk in detail about Paradise in the Picturehouse and how it eventually spent five weeks at No. 1 in the Irish Albums Chart. In a wide-ranging chat Steve also talks about: Irish radio programming; lack of airplay for most Irish artists; Blur supporting The Stunning in London in the early 90s; gigging and the economics of being a full time musician in Ireland; The Stunning's music being used in advertising and his acting career. Episode notes are here.
EP32 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 32 – Paradise in the Picturehouse by The Stunning
EP32 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 32 – Paradise in the Picturehouse by The Stunning
EP31 - Twist by The Fat Lady Sings
Nick Kelly joins me to talk about Twist, the debut album by his band The Fat Lady Sings, released on East West Records in 1991. The NME called Twist, “a trembling monster of a pop record” and declared The Fat Lady Sings, “Ireland’s Finest band.” Five singles were released from Twist (‘Dronning Maud Land’, ‘Man Scared’, ‘Arclight’, ‘Deborah’, and the title track Twist’) and all went Top 20 in Ireland. It's a long chat that takes in everything from witnessing The Fall and the Michael Clark Ballet Company's performance of I Am Curious Oranj to making a film about cycling to Glastonbury to raise awareness of more sustainable gigging models. Episode notes are here.
EP31 - Preview 2
A second short preview of Episode 31 – Twist by The Fat Lady Sings
EP31 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 31 – Twist by The Fat Lady Sings
EP31 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 31 – Twist by The Fat Lady Sings
S3 Teaser
A short teaser for the next few episodes.
Bonus EP - Keeping Track #22 - Dave Hackett in conversation with Paul McDermott
Dave Hackett presents Keeping Track on UCC98.3FM. He describes the show as: “an alternative music and interview show.” Dave presents a really great show and has had some really interesting guests on recently. Dave asked me all about how I got into producing radio documentaries, the ethos of community radio broadcasting, how To Here Knows When came about and a whole lot more. Normal service resumes in a few weeks time. Episode notes are here.
Bonus EP - Green Sleeves, seven decades of LP covers in Ireland
This is a special bonus episode of the podcast. Back in 2017 Niall McCormack and Dr Ciarán Swan curated the Green Sleeves exhibition in the National Print Museum. “This exhibition examines the Irish-printed album cover. Included album covers were all designed or printed in Ireland. The work was completed for Irish groups, who worked at home or abroad, as well as albums from abroad referencing Ireland or Irishness. The collection dates from the late 1950s to the present day, and covers a wide range of musical and non-musical genres.” Niall and Ciarán joined me for Episode 675 of my radio show Songs To Learn And Sing for a wide-ranging chat about printing in Dublin, the evolution of design, the Showbands, Country & Irish, the Dutch graphic designers who came to Ireland in the post-war era, Irish Punk, Indie releases in the 80s, Celtic design, designers Diana O'Donnell, Steve Averill and Jim Fitzpatrick, contemporary design and much more. We discussed the design of loads of albums that were featured in their exhibition – albums by Clannad, Thin Lizzy, Horslips, The Stars of Heaven, Microdisney, Gavin Friday, Donnacha Costello and loads of others. This interview was originally broadcast on Dublin City FM on 23 August 2017. Episode notes are here.
EP30 - 1 & 2 by Simple Kid
Simple Kid - aka Kieran MacFeely - discusses his two albums from the early 00s – simply titled 1 and 2. Sometimes they’re referred to as SK1 and SK2. MacFeely first came to prominence in the late 1990s when The Young Offenders, the Cork glam-infused band he fronted released a couple of memorable singles, but their big break never materialised. Kieran took some time out after The Young Offenders and reemerged in 2002 as Simple Kid, he bought a microphone, a laptop and an 8-track tape machine and released two singles on Fierce Panda Records. Two acclaimed albums followed. He was compared to Badly Drawn Boy and Beck and memorably the NME called him “the post-modern Bob Dylan”. After supporting Kings of Leon on a US tour in 2007 he disappeared. Last year Simple Kid returned with his third album, SK3: Health & Safety. In April 2023 he played his first gig in 15 years. Episode notes are here.
EP30 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 30 – 1 & 2 by Simple Kid
EP30 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 30 – 1 & 2 by Simple Kid
EP29 - Soon It Will Come Time To Face The World Outside by Boa Morte
In this episode Paul Ruxton, Cormac Gahan and Bill Twomey from Boa Morte join me to discuss their 2002 debut album Soon It Will Come Time To Face The World Outside. The album was produced by Daniel Presley (famed for his arranging, mixing and engineering work on Spain's The Blue Moods of Spain) and released on Francis Macdonald's (Teenage Fanclub) Shoeshine Records to huge acclaim. Billboard attested that, "the band favors a similar approach to the kind of subtle, slow-burning intensity patented by the likes of Will Oldham and Smog," while Uncut magazine wrote, "occasionally a record comes along that's so intimate and immediate you want to disconnect the phone, get under the duvet and forget the outside world." We discuss Boa Morte's 25-year career, the band's latest album - The Total Space - and the sonic progression the band has made over the last few years, but our main focus is the band's gorgeous debut album. Episode notes are here.
EP29 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 29 – Soon It Will Come Time To Face The World Outside by Boa Morte
EP29 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 29 – Soon It Will Come Time To Face The World Outside by Boa Morte
EP28 - Lights of the City by Jubilee Allstars
In this episode Lee Casey and brothers Niall, Fergus and Barry McCormack from Jubilee Allstars join me to discuss Lights of the City their 2000 album released on Independent Records. Lights of the City was produced by Thom Monahan from The Pernice Brothers and recorded in a shed of in Windy Arbor. It’s a record about a pre-Celtic Tiger Dublin, a city that was just on the cusp of change. It’s an incredible artistic achievement. Everything about it is just perfect. Episode notes are here.
EP28 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 28 – Lights of the City by Jubilee Allstars
EP27 - The Prawn Lawn & Brang by The Shanks
In this episode Eoin Stan O'Sullivan joins me to discuss The Prawn Lawn and Brang by The Shanks. From Newmarket in North Cork, The Shanks arrived in Cork City in 1990 fully formed having spent a few years gigging around North Cork and Kerry. The Prawn Lawn was recorded in Connolly's of Leap in West Cork by Paddy McNicholl and released on his imprint Rescue Records. Brang, the band's second album, was released on Murgatroid Records in 1998. Memorably the NME wrote: "The Shanks are like Gastr Del Sol with a Chieftains fixation." The Shanks called time on their adventure late in 1999 with members going on to form two other great Cork bands: Stanley Super 800 and Rulers of the Planet. The Shanks were one of the great Irish bands of the 1990s. Episode notes are here.
EP27 - Preview 2
A second short preview of Episode 27 – The Prawn Lawn & Brang by The Shanks
EP27 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 27 – The Prawn Lawn & Brang by The Shanks
EP26 - Zero For Conduct by Jetplane Landing
In this episode Andrew Ferris (guitar/vocals)and Jamie Burchell (bass) join me to discuss how Jetplane Landing was formed after their previous band Cuckoo disbanded in the late-90s. Zero For Conduct, the band's debut album, was recorded in Jamie's homestudio in Bognor Regis and released on the band's own Smalltown America label in 2001. Jetplane Landing would release three more albums before calling it a day in 2014. Andrew and Jamie were joined in Jetplane by Jamie’s brother Raife on drums and later Cahir O’Doherty joined on second guitar. Maybe soured by their experience on a major label in Cuckoo and definitely taking inspiration from Fugazi and DC Hardcore, Andrew and Jamie went it alone, theirs was a DIY punk/post-hardcore work ethic that was absolutely inspirational – tours of the UK and Ireland were often over 60 dates long. I first saw them 2003 and they were just incredible live. Zero For Conduct is a truly fantastic album and remains one of my favourite albums from the 00s. Episode notes are here.
EP26 - Preview 1
A short preview of Episode 26 – Zero For Conduct by Jetplane Landing.
EP25 - Casual Sex in the Cineplex - by The Sultans of Ping
For this episode I present my documentary, Dancing in the Disco - the story of The Sultans of Ping. It tells the band’s story from humble beginnings in Cork to topping the Indie Chart in the UK, touring the world, releasing three albums including their incredible debut - Casual Sex in the Cineplex - and sharing stages with their heroes, the Ramones. The band’s debut single, ‘Where’s Me Jumper?’ is one of the most instantly recognisable songs of the last 30 years. It defies genres, ages, borders and scenes, and has seeped into the pop culture firmament. The song has been used to soundtrack film and TV and ultimately has become bigger than the band itself – it is a song of the people. The documentary includes contributions from band members, industry insiders, friends and critics. Episode notes are here.
EP25 - Video Preview 1
A short video preview of Episode 25 – Casual Sex in the Cineplex by The Sultans of Ping
EP24 - Kaught at the Kampus
In this episode Elvera Butler joins me to discuss Kaught at the Kampus the live EP featuring four young Cork bands - Nun Attax, Micro Disney, Mean Features and Urban Blitz - that was recorded at the Downtown Kampus at Cork's Arcadia Ballroom on 30 August 1980. The famed EP has just been expanded and reissued. Elvera talks about growing up in a musical family in Thurles, attending UCC, being elected Entertainments Officer for the Student's Union, promoting gigs in the Kampus Kitchen on campus, taking over the old Arcadia Ballroom on Lower Glanmire Road and promoting some of the biggest touring UK and Irish bands between 1977 and 1981 including: The Cure, The Specials, The Beat, The Only Ones, XTC, The Cimarons, The Damned, Virgin Prunes, U2, The Radiators, The Fall, UB40 and many, many others. It's a long-ranging conversation that also takes in Elvera's move to London after the demise of the Kampus gigs. Episode note are here.