GREAT IRISH BANDS,PART III: THE STARS OF HEAVEN
May 24th, 2007 by Conor McCabe
The Stars of Heaven were another band who graduated from the Underground on Dame Street. I find it amazing how that little venue has been written out of Irish music history, and I can only conclude that it’s because Jeff Brennan, who ran the place, simply pissed off too many journos, DJs, and Hot Press Hangers-On. He was one sarky fuck alright.
Anyways, here be the video for “28″. That park with the statues on Dame street is now gone - recently “improved” with a concrete block and fake Georgian facades. more Dublin planning fuckers.
Ben, ye’ve changed it from ‘Forgotten’ to ‘Great’ Irish songs… I thought that with the former you were going to be running with the ball for a while.
Ta for the Stars - they hardly look arsed in the video, bless ‘em - but they were a great band… ochón !
The memory of that square lives on with the latest project of that Fitzpatrick fella (Great Western Squares etc.) :
http://www.myspace.com/sickandindigentsongclub
I had the fleeting impression I was depressed at the mo (Back to 77 with the Sodgers of Destiny/shit weather etc.), but that fleeting glimpse of late 80s Dublin makes me realise I’m exuberantly happy - compared with f%%%ing that…..
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2 dodgy things about the Underground were:
Sound engineer and mixing desk in the back/storage room (there wasn’t room for either in the main room). Made it sound worse. Some journos and other industry movers/shakers weren’t able to stay there for too long because the sound was too bad for their (already damaged) hearing. That could be why it didn’t get as well written up as (say) The Maggoty Bin.
Walking right past the stage to get to the toilets. Getting hit in the head by a guitar or bass was something I always looked out for after I heard about it happening to some girl at a Something Happens gig there.
I’m sure there were other dodgy things about the place, but those are the 2 I remember the most.
It shut down just before the Rock Garden opened, and someone else ran it as a dodgy late night drinking spot (with a restaurant license, but I never saw any food being served there), then it was the city’s first ever cyber cafe (with dialup access on 2 Apple Macs).
What everything but the girl is The Stars of Heaven track the Light of Tetuon its from their Speak Slowly? . Heard it first on a Tom Dunne compilation . We want to play the cover on a podcast :Lawlessandrelentless.com
Thanks
Yours sincerely
Mark