GREAT IRISH BANDS, PART 31: THE SUBTERRANEANS
Nov 9th, 2008 by Conor McCabe
Below are the three songs from the Subterraneans´1987 release on Mother Records, SLUM, which I picked up on Amazon last week. The brief biog of the band comes from the wonderful Irish Punk and New Wave Discography.
Enjoy.
Formed circa1982. Carling/Hot Press Band of 1986 which should have led to a single on WEA but the label dragged its heals and the band’s debut came out on Mother instead. They did some successful tours as support act in the UK and Mother re-released “Slum” with a remixed “Maxi-Joy” on the A-side, but they then seemed to fizzle out.A second single produced by Pete Holiday appeared four years later in 1991. The band also recorded a Fanning session but then broke up before it was broadcast. There are undoubtedly many unreleased recordings. Unreleased demo track titles include: Suzi Side / Fahrenheit Days / Oh Mister / The Wasteland.
Denis Begley did the band’s live sound. Derek Barter and Paddy Brady went on to play in The Knocking Shop.
Slum: Play Now | Play in Popup Maxi Joy: Play Now | Play in Popup Heading For The Light: Play Now | Play in Popup
Thank you, thank you, thank you Conor. I haven’t heard those songs in so long. Subterraneans will always have several special places in my heart, not least for one chaotic night in Whelans as a Kevin Street rag week crowd went wild with maxi joy and half of the chairs and tables in the room ended up as matchsticks. Ah, bliss.
Cheers Damian. When I saw the 12″ on Amazon (second hand of course) I had to go and order it alright. The songs are over twenty years old and I think they stand up pretty well. I was surprised to read that they never made an album. I was sure that they did, but no mention of it in the Irish rock and new wave discography.
yeah, for a band that loomed so large in my memory and my life there’s a disappointingly small legacy. I wonder is there a recording of their sophisticated bitch anywhere?
I remember that - Kevin Street getting banned en masse for dancing broken glass into table tops in Whelan’s, then the hot, new venue in town. I remember seeing them play in Charlie’s Bar on Aungier Street as well. Amazed that there’s only the one single. That was the deal with Mother Records though, wasn’t it? A one-shot leg-up and then you were on your own. The church in the background is in Kilternan, by the way.
Jim.
RE The church - spoiled the effect again Jim ! - I thought Mother had jetted them out to somewhere in New England for a photoshoot… and then I learn, through MySpace, that there’s a Knocking Shop in Portarlington - what’s de world coming to…
Hi lads, just came across your chat about the Subs. Always thought they were destined for huge things and lost count times I saw them. They also had later single called Game Show I think which was superb. Still hoping someone will use one of their songs with an advert and they will be discovered at last.
I have some old demos, but I’d say Derek BArter would hunt me down and kill me if I posted them! jaysus they were brilliant though… I missed many a last bus to hear the encores.
what a band! especially my uncle paddy! legend!
fair play slum maxijoy what an absolute pleasure
Hello from France. I used to live in Dublin in 1988/89 and I was a Subterraneans fan right away. Never missed one gig. We became friends and they, like, tutored my band (which was temporarily called Paula Yates) They were very friendly with fans whom they didn’t consider as such, but as friends. Apart from a couple of times, I only came back to Dublin last summer and Temple bar isn’t the same thing at all, nor is the Baggot Inn. I miss them. I know that Derek has turned into a doctor honoris causa, but I remember when he was on the dole, spending entire days reading in bed and drinking water because he couldn’t afford food. I was so fond of them, you know, we were like a tribe around them. The last thing Derek told me was: “Gekko, you are in love” I was just mentioning a person I had just met at the time, and with whom I’ve just spent the rest of me loife, loike. So, Derek, ifever you’re reading this, please know you were fooking roite. Love yeez!
O. That, and does anybody remember their Public Enemy cover? Fantastique!
[…] The Subterraneans Next up we have a demo from a Dublin band that appeared at number 41 in the 1986 Fab Fifty. It is of course Carling/Hot Press Band winners The Subterraneans. They also recorded a Fanning session in that year but I only have the demo recording. I also have a recording of Slum but will post that later. Maxi Joy was eventually released as a single on Mother Records in 1987. Have a listen here. […]
‘Slum’ is surely a contender for THE lost Irish classic. First heard it in the late 80’s as my sister had recorded it on one of her ‘Various Artists’ cassettes of stuff you’d tape from the radio. Last time I heard this was in Summer 2003 on Donal Dinnen. Great to hear it again, thanks for putting it up.
Definitely one of Ireland best bands.. Gameshow should have been no.1 for at least a year.
Pity theres no stuff up on youtube.
Moe Tavern is absolutely right, Slum is utterly brilliant…I don’t know what it means but the culmination to the song is classic…
“…there’s a girl on west side she just keeps me alive,
Too late she’s gone,
I don’t know what side my bread’s buttered on .
And if I meet her I’m going to act real suprised,
You’re right I’m wrong,
I don’t know what side my bread’s buttered on.”
Pure genius!
A promo video was made for ‘Gameshow’ right enough; I 100% definitely remember seeing it on that Radio 2/Network 2 (as they were back in the day) simulcast that used to be on on Sundays, earlyish morn to lunchtime. Nothing doing on youtube unfortunately, but someone somewhere must have it on VHS? Please upload it!
classic stuff.
i search high & low for the maxijoy 12″ after it got stolen.
made my night to find it here.
timeless sound.
Hi folks, this is Mitchel here from the Subterraneans. A friend only told me the other day about this site. And yeah, for what its worth, I also thought we,d get an album out…but alas no. There were actually 3 singles….Maxi joy, Game show and Happy under pressure. We actually recorded about 3 albums worth of stuff of which the band has all stashed away. Ian Wilson asked me a while ago if we’d be into remixing some tracks. Anyway we hav,nt got around to it yet. All the band are still in contact with each other still. Paddy lives in the US at the moment but hopes to return. I said to Paddy the last time we talked that when he returns that we should do some Subs gigs. He said, yeah, but only if we can do a brand new set. Thats Paddy for you. Anyway nice to read all the comments.
Thanks Mitchel
Mitchel. why keep those recordings locked away ?. publish them !!
seriously. slum&maxi-joy sound as fresh today as they did way back when.
I ran the Sub’s Gameshow tape through cubase and EQ’d it for modern (stereo’s) tin boxes.. They sound fookin great,,, mail me for a copy if ya want em. anthealy@gmail.com
Mitchel I heard you where at the Lamberttas last week,, brutal they are….
Hey Mitchel,
A friend of mine, the late Conor Kenny was working on video for you that he shot of you guys playing in the middle of a deserted RDS Main Hall sometime around ‘85. I can remember being astonished as to how good it was.
a) Did he ever finish it?
b) Do you have a copy?
c) If so, any chance of airing it in public?
Love that photo btw. Saw the other photos from the Blue Church session. Impressive. That was Eamon your manager who took them if I recall correctly.
What needs to happen to get that album out? Would they release it as a fundraiser?
Hi all,
I remember many a brilliant night watching the Subs in the Baggot Inn. Before they took to the stage they used to play the entire first Public Enemy Album (It takes a Nation……).
Great Days. What a great band. Haven’t heard Maxi Joy in years. I had 12” but God knows what happened to it over intervening 25 or so years.
Excellent - another song added - Nice one! Please keep ‘em coming.
BTW, I think that photo was actually snapped by Bridget Mulcahey, who was going out with their manager at the time. That church was at the terminus of the 63 to Glenamuck. I skipped lectures, one fine morning to check it out. Very peaceful up there, so it was.
Anyone know what happened to Colm and Brian? And their roadie - I think he was from Donneycarney?
some live stuff on utube . if you seach undre maxi joy and slum, think halloween is there too!
THE SUBTERRANEANS” one know where i can get the subterraneans dave fanning session “Fahrenheit Days” in particular?
I too would love to get my hands on that (and any other) Fanning sessions!
The church in the picture is known as ‘The Blue Church’, it’s in Kilternan.
Great Band.
Saw the Subs in Limelight in Belfast one hot summer Sunday night circa 1990. I think only about 10 people there, but the the band put their all into it for an unforgettable show - one of the greats who got away
Heard them first on one of the comet EP’s and then went out and bought the Slum 12″ and parked it in my collection. Guess what, I just found it - mint and unplayed in the freebird plastic bag.
Hi folks, its nice to hear that there is still an interest in the Subterraneans. Im hoping to set up a Subs My Space page soon. Gonna have a chat with the rest of the lads and see if we can release an album and hopefully release a live DVD with it. I found a 45 minute video of us playing live in the New Inn and its not half bad, so i’ll keep you posted.
Thanks Mitchel
oh how cool is that.. i really fancied the player..
I have a live subs album and the majority of there other songs! probably all of them! There just not great quality! Let me no if ya’s want a copy! I put them on CD’s!
Keep good music flowin!
Saw them in the old SU shack in Maynooth in October 1986. Gents they were who didn’t mind a bit of audience participation, like me borrowing the main mike for a sec, for instance. They were good too, of course. A TV crew from Dallas were down the back, making a documentary on Irish rawk. I and about fifteen others got a lift home in the TV crew’s van.
Loved the Subs all those years ago…had a tape of a Fanning session, tape long since gone…But a great band!
Ciaran (post 34) Any chance of a copy of that Live CD?!?!?!!?
tracked down that session.. http://fanningsessions.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/the-subterraneans-19031991-session/
We loved this band.We were called ‘the Anthill Mob’,and were from Artane & went to see them a couple of times.I think they were the only other band from our own time that we went to hear and were blown away.Our drummer Tommy Byrne had the demo and I loved a song that started with “got home late again,made a mess but I made amends”,then a peachy bass guitar riff & brilliant lyrics.I had a drink with Paddy before he was s’posed to go to the States & told him I was amazed they never made it really big.I dunno what it was about Mother records,they seemed to strangle bands.I’ll never forget these songs,brilliant.
I wouldn’t mind getting me mitts on their demo if anyone out there still has it.
HI Ciaran I wouldn’t mind getting to hear the live stuff. Jesus I am on a high since discovering this Subterraneans material here. What an amazingly unique band……
I can remember seeing them in Sir Henry’s in Cork pity it was only a couple of releases that came out would love to have heard a full album, I always thought themselves and Candy Apple Red should have gone places. Anyway I am a bit late with the live cd request nearly two years. Hopefully you will see this.
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Hi Ciaran.
I just saw your comment from the 9th February 2011about The Subterranean s
My brother is a huge fan of The Subterranean s . We were only talking about them a few months ago. I have been on the lookout for a way to get their album or download their songs but have had no luck. If there was any way to get a copy of their album from you that would be amazing. Anyway i know Im a couple of years late so doubtful you will even see this. But if you do…..
Happy Christmas
The promo for Gameshow was lethal.. Why is it not on youtube,, surely somebody has it? Even on VHS, I will do the rest?