THE SECRET GOLDFISH: DEMO, MID-1980S
Feb 16th, 2010 by Conor McCabe
According to Irish Rock discography, the Secret Goldfish were possibly an ‘Atrix related band from the mid-80s?´
I’m afraid there is absolutely no information with the demo, which was recorded on a computer cassette tape (one to explain to the kids, that).
Brand New Cadillac [2:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup Twelve Inch [3:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup too Late: Play Now | Play in Popup Maybe Baby [3:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup
I’ve just got my hand on The Atrix’s first demo tape. I’m meeting up with the bassist for an interview in the next few days, I’ll ask him about ‘The Secret Goldfish’.
Great posts.
Don’t know about The Attrix connection myself, although my memory is fairly scetchy about them, even though I was in college with one of them. South Dublin band that didn’t gig that much.
Conor - as well as ‘Computer Cassettes’ - you’ll also have to be explaining Letraset to them curious kids if they’ve been looking over this post
This is going to sound like ‘Seven Degrees of Separation’ shit - but we have a tenuous link with the Atrix.
I learn from a couple of articles on them on the web that founding member John Borrowman moved to Copenhagen in the mid 80s.
I believe he came back to Dublin round about ‘89 / ‘90 with alliteration-crazy Danish band… Stalin Stacatto…
The rest is history - or may not have a chance to become history if you send me a couple of boxes of Monster Munch to that address you have - in exchange for my silence.
Go easy on John Borrowman though - he died in Copenhagen in the 90s.
Stalin Staccato. My God! The Wrycatchers’ first gig as support.
Talking of monster munch and addresses - did you get that DVD of Bottom I sent you?
I think this demo and the Bonecatchers’ one are ones I like the most out of the bunch we’ve put up (with the exception of the song ‘maybe baby’).
Sorry, boneshakers. Slip of the Wry there.
A bit unclear from my comment - he wasn’t in Stalin Stacatto - he just brought them over on a mini Irish Tour, as far as I remember.
Yeah - thanks Conor - was almost 95% sure it was you that sent it and not my probation officer. Will make the kids watch all 5 episodes for the educational benefit to be drawn from it
And watch out ‘catchin’ keep up the ’shakin’…
Jesus - if Shakin’ Stevens were called Catchin’ Stevens instead - he would’ve never gotten beyond Newport, Gwent….
Phew! That grand, ‘cos I think after having played with them we renamed the band Stalin Shithead.
Oh - I thought that was just early indication of the general Trotskyist inclination of the band
Let’s not even imagine what they called us (probably untranslatable from Danish)
> According to Irish Rock discography, the Secret Goldfish were
> possibly an ‘Atrix related band from the mid-80s?´
Full disclosure: I used to record stuff off Fannings show and one such tape had “Brand New Cadillac” on it, and in Fanning’s intro he said something about The Atrix … that’s it, thats all I can remember, and thats the ‘link’. Apparently I was wrong. I lost these tapes years ago.
PS. Good to see an Agfa computer tape make an appearance in this series.
After the demise of The Atrix, John Borrowman spent some time in Greece where he met his Danish wife Helle and later moved to Copenhagen. Here he formed a band, Afgan Trucks, with JB on guitar vocals, Sorcha Hayde (from Cork) lead Guitar, Suzanne ? Bass, and a Drummer whos name I can’t remember. They lasted for about half a dozen gigs before Sorcha and the drummer left to form a Goth/Metal band. Their gigs could be quit bizarre, lots of rocked/punked up songs as Gailge, which left Danish audiences mystified. But they were rather good. John then teamed up with Mikel Mek, owner of Teentown studios in Copenhagen while getting involved with managing Stalin Staccato.
John founded TIR Records some of whos output was released on Scoff in Ireland such as Civilised Guy by Stalin which coincided with their Irish Tour in 1988. He also produced some amazing tracks with Stano and Gerry Leonard (Hinterland/David Bowie) which have never been releaed, including a wonderful Poguesish track called Inside the Pale, written during a pubcrawl with Shane McGowan and Spider Stacey, and the recording features various Pogues, a wall of 30 guitarists, Stano, and anyone sober enough to make it back to Teentown. It’s a real anthem of a song and at one time ZTT were interested in releasing it. It was one of many great tracks which still deserve to see the light of day.
That’s great Hugo, cheers for the info.