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.