» Listings for 2023

1. 2023 Albums Thing 108 - Damien Dempsey “Soulsun”

   Posted on 10:00am Monday 5th Jun 2023

   Everyone’s allowed an off day right ? C’mon I even managed to forgive Bowie for Tin Machine !

   Here I was in my last post gushing about how important Damo and his music are to me and now I have to admit I don’t think I’ve played this album more than five times since it was released in 2017. Since “Seize The Day” Damo had released a breathtaking run of albums in “Shots”, “To Hell Or Barbados” and “Almighty Love”. Between those there was “Live At The Olympia”, “The Rocky Road” a run through some of his favourite traditional Irish songs and “No Force On Earth” a collection of original songs and traditional arrangements to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.

   “Soulsun” starts well, the title track is quintessential Damo and a great song. It all goes downhill from there. Track 2 is a cover version of a pretty poor song, then there’s a duet with Imelda May on “Big Big Love”, a song which suits Imelda but not Damo, even if he did write it, just give it to her and collect the royalties. There’s yet another (the third) re-recording of “Beside The Sea”, this one a duet with Dido (!), great song but did it really need recording again ? “Sam Jenkins” sounds like a leftover/outtake from “No Force On Earth” and then some other pretty lacklustre new songs. It all feels a bit half hearted.

   I’m aware that I am in the minority in this opinion as, on release, some reviews claimed this to be one of Damo's  best records to date (not even close) but we all listen with different ears, right ? Listening to it again now after probably a couple of years I wouldn’t say I’m warming to it but I’m certainly less icy. Damo made a wonderful series of records leading up to this one and keeping up that level of quality would be tough for anyone. The album that followed this was a collection of duets on some of Damo’s older songs (see Dido earlier) and he hasn’t made a record of new material since “Soulsun” which was released 6 years ago now. If we’ve had the best of Damo it was a helluva ride brother, but I hope not.

   Soulsun - https://youtu.be/4dUXnf_uumI

2. 2023 Albums Thing 107 - Damien Dempsey “Seize The Day”

   Posted on 7:50am Saturday 3rd Jun 2023

   Every now and then you come across an artist who totally rattles your cage, someone who makes music that you know is going to be with you for a lifetime, someone making music not just of great beauty but of great importance too. Damien Dempsey is that guy.

   It’s another debt I owe to my brother who gave me a copy of this album on CD and urged me to listen. I did, while I was doing the washing up or some other such mundane task. It was OK I thought. When I told my brother this he was incredulous, “No, LISTEN to it, preferably with headphones on and lyric book in hand!” he practically ordered me. So I did and…holy shit it slammed as hard as a hammer.

   Damien Dempsey is from in Donaghmede on the north side of Dublin. He’s the youngest of 3 brothers, all the brothers at one time have boxed. He grew up in a household where his parents would come home from the pub with a group of friends and a session would break out at their house which gave him a grounding in traditional Irish music, Sean-nós (old syle) singing and particularly the Dubliners and Luke Kelly. He was also taken with the music of Bob Marley, John Lennon and Hip Hop and you can hear every one of these influences in Damien’s (or Damo’s, as he’s known to his fans) music.

   “Seize the Day” was his second album (the first “They Don’t Teach This Shit In School” was recorded while he was still at college) and came about after he was approached by Sinead O’Connor’s drummer/producer John Reynolds. O’Connor supplied some vocals and invited Damo to tour with her saying of him "I don't think there's ever been anyone like him. I think he represents the sort of voice in Ireland that is not allowed to be heard”.

   Damo’s songs are rooted in his Dublin home and upbringing and tell of the problems kids like him suffered in deprived areas where drugs, alcohol, sectarian attitudes and violence were everyday things for them. The astonishing solo performance of “Factories” distills it into one song with it’s poetic telling of youthful violence “Some boys want to get me because I hit one back, I still can hear the crack of his head on the concrete” tempered with memories of getting away from it all “Howth Junction could take you away, And in the hayfields we'd squander the day”

   For all the songs telling of the the difficulties and problems it is the songs of pure positivity that shine brightest “Negative Vibes” (“I'm never going to let your negative vibes and comments, Get through to my psyche and cripple me”), “It’s All Good” (“Love yourself today, OK ?”) and ”Seize The Day” (“Seize the day, hey, Sure you don't want no regrets when you look back, Seize the day, hey, Sure at least you'll know, you gave this life a crack”) are a trio that refuse to see Damo ground down by circumstances not of his making, if he has one message for us all it’s love yourself.

   In 2003 we travelled to Dublin to see Damo play a New Year show at Vicar Street. Live his songs take on another persona as the seething crowd sing every word back at him, sometimes louder than he is onstage. The nearest thing I could liken it to was being on the terraces at a football match or the atmosphere at certain gigs by The Jam I saw, absolutely electric and life affirming.

   “Seize The Day” was finally issued on lovely gold vinyl earlier this year to celebrate its 20th birthday which is how it manages to appear here (I know you were all thinking about that CD comment earlier). I’m also now lucky to count Damo as a friend and this music that he makes really will stay with me for a lifetime.

   It’s All Good - https://youtu.be/uy6NQrIsyxU

3. 2023 Albums Thing 106 - Delays “Faded Seaside Glamour”

   Posted on 10:45am Friday 2nd Jun 2023

   Early 2000’s “Indie” music was, I thought, on the whole, dreadful. We got what came to be known as “Landfill Indie”, the likes of The Ordinary Boys (was a band ever more appropriately named), Razorlight, Pigeon Detectives (really ? you thought that was a good idea ?), Scouting For Girls, Glasvegas, Bloc Party, anything involving Pete Doherty…I could go on and on and on and on (and they did!). It was an awful period for new UK bands (I thought).

   One of the ways in which you could sift through the dross and hopefully find a nugget was that the monthly magazines, like Vox, Select, Q etc., regularly featured cover mounted CD’s which compiled tracks from selected new releases the record companies wanted you to hear, so you could try before you buy, or didn’t in most cases. This is definitely how I discovered Super Furry Animals and is almost certainly how I came across the Delays.

   “Faded Seaside Glamour” hit with me immediately. Soundwise it was very different from the prevailing BritPop influenced Dadrock sound of the time. It had a foot in 80’s synth-pop, another in dance music (an influence that would grow on later albums). All this was led by singer Greg Gilbert’s remarkable voice. The songs are fantastic, the arrangements and programming mess with your sense of what is about to happen, you think you’ve locked into the groove and then another instrument appears and completely turns it on its head. It’s very clever but never at the expense of the song.

   I got to see Delays live in 2004 at the Fleadh in Finsbury Park while I was working with Damien Dempsey (see below) and they were fantastic, everything I wanted them to be. In 2016 Greg Gilbert was diagnosed with cancer which sadly caught up with him in 2021 and he passed away at the age of just 44. One thing Greg had always wanted was a vinyl release of “Faded Seaside Glamour” as back in 2004 it had only been available on CD. It was finally released on vinyl in January 2023, a beautiful orange vinyl pressing in a luxurious gatefold sleeve with a die-cut wraparound and a print of a piece of Greg’s artwork included. It’s a truly wonderful record, a shining beacon among the landfill at the time and if you’re not familiar with it then you should rectify that.

   Wanderlust - https://youtu.be/12iKTYOe6hA