Reader’s Wives Debut EP Secrecy & Sex November 6, 2009

Readers Wives debut EP Secrecy & Sex is due for international release on November 8th on UK label 260 Degree Music. The EP is by far the grittiest collection of songs I’ve heard in a long time. It’s a dark and alluring mix of edgy lyrics with bassy melodies.

Lyrically it pulls no punches, which in fairness is quite obvious even from the names of the tracks. “Sexually Attracted To Myself” is a strange and enlightening mix of peculiar lyrics and sweet melody, which at times feels really reminiscent of The Smiths.

“Advertising Heroin” is a little more frantic. Like all their other tracks is really quite dark “too thin to even bare a child just like her dead sister”. Talking about a modern day victim of the heroin chic trend.

Secrecy & Sex is a really rare commodity. It’s a first offering from a band which really doesn’t try to play it safe. The tracks are all good in their own right and each one is different lending it an experimental but incredibly self-assured vibe.

The music industry, let’ face it, has seen better days, and the Disney flavours of the month aren’t the ones who are going to pull it out of the gutter. On their MySpace the band proclaim “No longer need you surf the internet looking at crappy stage managed bands full of girls with fake tits, guys with fake moans and truly awful, thoroughly manufactured scenester haircuts who’d do anything to have their shockwave haircuts & painted nails pictured in NME. We’re not trendy. We’re not 17. There’s only one reason this band are here. We love music. It’s like medicine to us”. They’re one of the only bands of late I’ve heard that lives up to this promise. Readers Wives is one of those rare bands that make music, rather than attain the glory of playing in a band for attention or to get famous.

They have a few gigs upcoming, definitely worth checking out

12h November @ 18:30 – Peter Parker’s Rock N Roll Club, London, U.K.

14 Nov 2009 @ 20:00 – Future London Underground,London, U.K.

21 Nov 2009 @ 20:00 – Live at Odessa, Dublin, Ireland

4 Dec 2009 @ 22:00 – Art Freckles @ The Back Loft, Dublin, Ireland

30 Jan 2010 @ 20:00 – The Square, London, UK

Listen online at http://www.myspace.com/readerswives

Jack through a wide angle lens August 9, 2009

Things my dog tries to dry himself on…

The couch

The stairs

The bathmat

The side of the toilet

My clothes

The other dog

 

Things my dog makes little to no effort to dry himself on 

The towel I put down for him

I accepted the challenge… August 9, 2009

I accepted the challenge put to me on Facebook to list all the gigs I’ve been to, or as many as I can remember. 

I think one or two may have slipped through the net but here’s as many as I can think of. I guess if I can’t remember them they mustn’t have been that good. Even though there are some I’d like to forget, not naming names but I’m looking at you Red Hot Chilli Peppers. 

 

1. Guns’n'Roses

2. POD 

3. Metallica

4. Alice in Chains

5. Bullet For My Valentine

6. Funeral For A Friend

7. Kila

9. REM*

10. Oranger

11. Journey

12. Def Lepard

13. Whitesnake

14. Tesla

15. Il Nino

16. Skindred

17. Lamb of God

18. Children of Bodom

19. Slayer

20. In Flames

21. Idlewild

22. Steps

23. B*Witched

24. Westlife

25. Power Rangers Live Show

26. Joshua Radin 

27. Jimm Eat World

28. Styrofoam

29. Opeth

30. Aerosmith

31. Chris Cornell

32. The Feeling

33. Foo Fighters

34. Nine Inch Nails

35. Silversun Pickups

36. Avenged Sevenfold

37. Russel Watson

38. Michael Buble 

39. Red Hot Chilli Peppers

40. Basemen Jaxx 

41. The Thrills 

42. The Pixies

43. Maria Taylor 

44. Starsailor

45. The Zutons

46. Jonathon Rice

47. Cleopatra 

48. Samantha Mumba 

49. Sinead Lohan 

50. Scisor Sisters

51. Gem

52. Franz Ferdinand

53. Maroon 5 

Bye Bye Bertie April 2, 2008

Say what you will about Bertie Ahern, his finances have been a little questionable, during his time as Minister for Finance he didn’t have a bank account and he’s quite partial to a brown envelope or two. But today Ireland started to prepare to say goodbye to a man who was, believe it or not, one of its most successful and astute politicians in the history of the state.

I know I didn’t vote for him, I voted Green because apparently I’m a “Mac using, journalistic, left wing liberal with no strong opinions about anyting” (thanks Paul), but I was actually quite fond of Mister Ahern. And I certainly respected his success.

In his time in office he single handedly constructed the Celtic Tiger helping the country out of one of the worst recessions in its history. He played a key role in the peace process in Northern Ireland. On the 30th of April (I believe) he is to become the 6th person ever to have addressed both the UK houses of Parliament and the US joint houses of congress after he travels to Washington to deliver his speech.

No other leader allowed the press or the public into his personal life to the extent that Bertie Ahern has meaning he is either a hugely open person or a very clever strategist. He knew how to handle the media albeit in a rather frustrating way for journalists trying to get a straight answer from him.

I could talk about his finances, his penchant for keeping money in suitcases and his at times turbulent social life but I think we should send him out on a high note.

Mini Marathon April 2, 2008

I finished my first shift at the DSPCA last Saturday and despite coming home tired, filthy and smelling vaguely like a wet dog it was a fantastic experience. I’ve always been very affected by TV adverts looking for sponsorship for animals and rescue centres and despite my parents worrying I was going to come home with a load of animals it feels really great and rewarding to know that you get to do something about it.

I’m doing the Dublin Mini-Marathon in a couple of months so if anyone wants to sponsor me you know where to find me. I have to raise €350 but if I make it past the €400 mark I’ll do it dressed as an animal!! Watch this space!!

My Woodies Adventure February 1, 2008

The “I am not a Smug Twat” bag is an imitation of

the wildly popular “I am not a plastic bag”

tote bag that became a huge fashion trend in 2007

There’s nothing like a Sunday afternoon walking around Woodies looking for furniture. I didn’t find what I was looking for in there in case you were wondering but I did find something else. An alarming sub culture perpetuating the downfall of Irish society. We’ve all heard of yuppies (young urban professionals), but what I saw in Woodies that day was so horrifying and so nauseating I can barely bring myself to share it with you. Super Yuppies (since I like inventing words so much I’m going to call them Suppies)!

That’s right folks, yuppies just got yuppier. It takes a special kind of person to get out of bed on a rainy Sunday afternoon, put on a suit and black shoes or in the female suppie’s case a pair of office trousers and pointy stiletos and walk around Woodies looking for light switches.

Who did they think they were going to run into up there? Or did they think they were going to get called into work at any minute to do some emergency filing?

Why can people not relax anymore? I want to see some jeans, I demand tracksuits (within reason) and no more uncomfortable shoes because you’re not impressing anyone!

poem January 30, 2008

The whispers on an empty night

A touch that lingers on in pain

Eyes down and moving quickly

There is nothing left for either of us here

To try to hurt me now

Is like breaking an empty glass