It might seem strange that a person who wrote his own music
column for 15 years might need to be reminded of the power of music, but two
gigs over consecutive nights did wonders to lift my spirits this week.
My life, post-redundancy, has not exactly gone to plan. I’m
still seeing the Public Health Nurse every second day after undergoing surgery
on my shoulder six weeks ago. Dreams of travelling the world or finding the
perfect new job have had to be put on hold. It’s not easy to be virtually
laid-up, unable to swim in the pool or go to the gym, in Galway at this time of year.
The cancellation of my former work-mates’ Christmas party
allowed me to join a couple of old friends at a wonderful gig at the Roisin
Dubh, before I hopped on a bus to Dublin for a show which brought me way back
in time to my teenage years.
Ah yes, mods and rockers. In my teenage years, the two tribes
did not get on. But, as you get older, you realise that good music is good
music no matter what the genre. It pains me to recall that I didn’t appreciate
The Who, The Specials, or The Jam when I was a kid, just because I was a ‘rocker’
and they were ‘mods’.
Back then, before I discovered the joy of punk at about 16,
I used to go around in a denim jacket, with badges and long hair. Bands like
Thin Lizzy, Metallica, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden provided the soundtrack to
my life.
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| Sleaford Mods at the Roisin Dubh |
When you are in your 40s, you don’t
care about labels any more. And I have to admit I got a great thrill out of
seeing a ‘mod’ band I knew very little about at the Roisin Dubh.
On a wintry Thursday night in
December, it was great to see Sleaford Mods attract such an eclectic crowd. The
audience reminded me of what a vibrant place Galway is for a city of just
75,000 souls, even in the depths of winter.
My friends, Hugo and Brian, were
already enthusiastic fans of the two piece from Nottingham. And so were many
others, by the look of things, judging by how warmly the audience greeted the
duo from the moment they took to the stage. Many seemed to recognise each and
every catchy, minimalist track, and some even sang along with the words.
After six years of austerity, it
was refreshing to see a band rant about dole queues, corruption, and all the trials and
tribulations of modern life. Singer Jason Williamson had the spleen of a Johnny
Rotten or Mark E Smith, while his partner in crime, Andrew Fearn, conjured up
some pretty hypnotic, if minimalist, beats.
Williamson’s lyrics address issues
which few artists seem to touch these days. At a time when there is so much
anger about the place, it was startling to see a lead singer with the courage
to take on political issues on tracks such as ‘Jobseeker’ and ‘Black Monday’.
Sleaford Mods have seen their
career take off over the past year and yet they remain a small, cottage
industry. After the show, the band members sold their CDs and merchandise themselves. They mix punk,
mod, and hip-hop influences, and travel light. I met them in Dublin with just two small cases on Saturday.
They got me thinking that Ireland
needs a lot more artists who are willing to take on controversial, topical
issues, at a time when people are up in arms over water charges, bailouts,
property taxes, and bankers.
On the following day, given the
all-clear by the nurse, I boarded a bus to Dublin for a nostalgic trip to see a
band I worshipped at the age of 14. People can laugh all they want, but veteran
metal act Saxon put on a phenomenal live show.
Sleaford Mods were in Dublin the
same night but, given that they slag off rockers in one of their songs, they
would not have been welcomed at this particular show.
Saxon will always have a place in
my heart, because I used to headbang to their music with my two little sisters
in the 1980s. Their music signified rebellion and freedom in the midst of a
strict, Irish Catholic childhood.
When my sister Cliona died at 16,
one of the songs took on a significance which has stayed with me for a quarter
of a century. I still treasure how we used to rock out to ‘Strong Arm of the
Law’, playing the track at full blast when my parents were out of the house.
I saw Saxon live in Dublin a year
and a half ago, just before a trip to Spain, and was blown away by the power
and melodies in their show.
On Friday night, they didn’t
disappoint. They rocked the Academy with songs like ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’, ‘Wheels
of Steel’, ‘Frozen Rainbow’ and ‘Motorcycle Man’.
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| Saxon live at the Academy, Dublin |
Looking up at the stage, it was
amazing to see the joy the band members themselves were getting from the gig. Rarely
have I ever seen anyone who loves their jobs as much as the members of Saxon,
still rocking after all these years. If only everyone could get such fulfilment from their careers.
Seeing the smiles on their faces,
while a jubilant 60-year old metal head bounced up and down beside me, reminded
me of the importance of just having fun.
Afterwards I met a couple from
Milan who travelled to Dublin especially for the gig. There was a joyous
atmosphere in the hall and the powerful, loud music seemed to banish my
anxieties about the future.
Sometimes just shaking your head
to loud music is the perfect tonic when too many of us are overcome by
financial concerns or worries about what lies ahead.
(Just don’t tell the cynical Sleaford
Mods that I went to see a bunch of old metal dinosaurs!)
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