TMFTML’s Definitive Guide to Irish Christmas Songs!

pranks xmasAre you sick to death of the same old Christmas songs from Mariah Carey and The Pogues? Looking for something new to share with friends and family this festive season? Well TMFTML has you covered!

Dublin grunge duo Pranks dropped into Today FM to see Fergal D’Arcy recently and recorded a riffed up version of Mitch Miller’s 1960 classic ‘Must Be Santa’, apparently pulling it off in one take!

Cork/Kerry two piece Electro Funk band White Boys have released a really unique version of ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ featuring beat-boxing and a Talkbox.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’ has become synonymous with Christmas since being used in the John Lewis advert in 2012. Cronin have released a new cover of the song featuring Matt McManamon from the Dead 60’s.

Croupier may have broken up, but we’ll always have their delightful Math Rock version of ‘Carol of the Bells’ to get us through the winter months, this is one of my absolute favourites!

Thumper, the noisy brainchild of Oisín Furlong, have recorded a distorted cover of Darlene Love’s ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’.

The first original on the list comes from Dublin indie band Blades Club with their track ‘What You Get Me (For Christmas)’

Next up, another original! This one comes from Dublin singer-songwriter Sinead McConville. It’s a classic sounding pop song with some clever little arrangements including bells and glockenspiel .

Some of the tracks in this list along with a whole sleigh load more feature on a compilation that the good people over at The Co-Present have compiled just for Christmas!

After you’ve gotten through all of the tracks above and it’s time to properly get your Christmas crunk on,  click here to download Stevie G from Cork’s RedFM’s Black Christmas Podcast. Over 3 hours of Hip-Hop, Reggae, Soul, Blues and Disco Christmas  goodness!  It’s Brilliant!

Thanks to all of our readers for your support in 2015, have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2016 =]

Adam

Live Review: Overhead, The Albatross, Race The Flux & Participant at The Workmans Club

Overhead, The Albatross @ The Workmans Club

Overhead the Albatross took over the Workman’s Club in Dublin last Saturday for what promised to be a night to remember. Participant started things off, playing some of the songs off his new EP ‘Content’. These songs are really great, but the live iterations were less fully formed than I was expecting. While everything was there, the energy seemed to dip in parts that were heavy on the backing tracks. Participant could definitely benefit from more involved live arrangements or possibly a live band. Either way I’m very interested to see what he does next.

The crowd started to swell for Galway Electro-Rockers Race The Flux. The band made their presence felt immediately, bursting in to ‘Olympus Mons’ from their Olympians EP.  These guys really set the tone for the evening, coaxing the crowd into coming closer and rewarding them for their bravery with song after song of chest thumping RAWK! Upcoming single ‘Matty Rusko’ is a welcome addition and the instantly recognisable ‘Can I’ threatens to bring the house down. If you get the chance to see these guys don’t hesitate, their recent Electric Arena set at Electric Picnic suggest that they won’t be gracing such small stages for long.

At last the main event! Overhead, The Albatross made their way to the stage to greet a now completely sold out crowd. The guys really outdid themselves in terms of lighting and stage production and it really adds to the already electric atmosphere. ‘Flubirds’ is first up, starting slow to ease the crowd in to things before building to a triumphant climax. Every person in the room now knows what they’re in for. ‘Telekinetic Forest Guard‘ comes sweeping in next followed by some new tracks  ‘Bara’ and ‘Daeku’. Could these be from the fabled first album? Let’s hope so, because they’re both fantastic! Just when things were starting to get sweaty, disaster struck. 2 minutes into the bands most recent release Big River Man, the power in the entire venue(and half of Temple Bar) just went. It was a strange moment, it happened really suddenly so the crowd we’re still jumping and Ben was still playing the drums along side some really tinny sounding unamplified electric guitars. Than everyone was just standing around confused for a second before they realised what had happened. Someone actually captured the moment here:

Frontman Joe, never one to let a good crowd go unsurfed launched himself off the stage and got carried all the way to the back of the room.
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Lot’s of chants of ‘LADDER, LADDER, LADDER’ ensued and then it just kind of….ended. Well, although a little disappointing it was definitely memorable and for me that’s enough. Here’s the full version of ‘Big River Man’ for anyone who’s jonesing for it after the show! Make sure to check out the photos below.

 

Video: New Secret Weapon – Epic of Gilgamesh

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New Secret Weapon have released a new live video for their track ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ filmed at a recent show in Dublin’s Button Factory. Titled after the ancient Mesopotamian poem (basically the prequel to the Bible) and clocking in at 7 minutes and 30 seconds it certainly is an epic by today’s standards.

The band have just gotten back from Chicago where they were recording the follow up to their 2014 self titled début with legendary producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, The Pixies, Mogwai and too many more to name) in his famed Electrical Audio Studios. The album will be released some time next year.

To tide us over, New Secret Weapon will be announcing a special Christmas show in a secret Dublin City Center location. Stay tuned for details!

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INTRODUCING: Vernon Jane

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Vernon Jane will be no strangers to anyone who have been keeping a close eye on the Dublin music scene and Ireland’s festival circuit. The band burst on to the scene 2 years ago and have been steadily building a live following through sheer hard graft, while also expanding their lineup to include full brass and backing vocal sections. We’re talking Arcade Fire levels of people on stage.

As they haven’t released any material yet, their considerable standing is built on word of mouth from the lucky ones who’ve caught them ripping it up on stage. That’s all about to change, with recorded material set to be released next year. As a sneaky peek, they’ve also released a live video of an original track called ‘Hunt Me’ filmed at a recent performance at BIMM Dublin’s Live and Lyrical Showcase.

Vernon Jane are truly a force to be reckoned with, a cataclysmic cacophony. Every piece plays it’s part in the big picture of each song, masterfully knitting together to form a whole which is greater than the sum of it’s parts. You’ll no doubt see them on a stage near you very soon.

Keep up to date with Vernon Jane on:
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