The Song Lives On, Part 5 - Turn, 'Beretta'

Turn, 'Beretta'

Info: One of Ireland's better known bands at the turn (yes) of the century, posters for Turn gigs seemed to be plastered everywhere, all of the time, and if you were in college at the time, and were interested in music, chances were you'd seen them live at least once. The band was made up of front man Ollie Cole and Ian Melady (drums), both from Co. Meath, who teamed up in Dublin with bass-player Gavin Fox (who would go on to join the excellent Edinburgh outfit, Idlewild in 2003). Their debut album, Antisocial (2001), was littered with crowd favourites, especially the first two songs, 'Too Much Make Up' (below) and the brilliant 'Beretta' (above). For some reason their record label, Infectious, didn't feel there was any value in releasing singles from the album and so the band moved on, self-releasing their 2003 follow-up, Forward, which appeared to signal the rise of the band beyond their loyal fanbase, reaching no.8 in the Irish charts. A few small line-up changes followed and Turn released their third and final self-titled album in 2005. 

My own abiding, and possibly least muddied memory of the gigs I've mentioned so far, was in the dark bowels of what was then called Danger Doyle's in Temple Bar, just off Dame Street in 2000/1, for some reason it was a particularly messy night and the band were in fine form. The rules surrounding drinking pints front of stage were non-existent back then and the floor was awash with spilt beer after only two songs in what was probably one of the less glamorous venues Turn performed at. I got in touch with bass-player Gavin Fox and he very kindly took time out to put together his thoughts on those halcyon days, massive thanks to Gavin for the following piece;

'My memories of the band starting are very dear. I was 17 and even though the boys were a bit older, they weren't in Dublin long so it felt like we were learning the ropes together. Our first rehearsal took place at The Factory in Ringsend. It was a special day and we instantly knew we were on to something. From then on everything happened very quickly. We were signed and published within the year and we became a very tight live band. I honestly can't remember one single bad thing about that first year. We were all very happy.

Nearly all of the shows we played were stand out for me. I was and still am a massive fan of Irish bands like Revelino, Sack, Whipping Boy, Future Kings of Spain, JJ72 etc., and we played and became friends with them all. I learned so much from watching these bands and felt blessed to be a part of that scene. If I had to pick one show I guess it would be the first time we sold out the Temple Bar Music Centre. We came back from dinner before the show and saw the queue outside. I think most bands have that same fond memory.

I remember being on tour supporting Idlewild in the U.K. and we did an afternoon show in the uni bar. Some guy at a table kept talking so Ollie got off stage and asked him outside for a fight. The guy wheeled his wheelchair from under the table and Ollie came back on stage. I still have a wee chuckle about that!

Turn, 'Too Much Make Up'

I loved being in Turn and I'm very proud of everything we did. Every gig we played, we played as if it were our last. Every rehearsal was creative and those lads were like brothers to me and still are. Of course we all felt something big should have happened but it just didn't. That's what happens with bands. Everybody else kept telling us we'd be huge but the chances of that happening are always slim. I can name a list of big bands that shouldn't be as big and a list of small bands that should. If a band can make even a slight impact on just a few people then it was worth while!


I think we did that.

- Gavin Fox, Turn (bassist)


Gavin currently plays for Little Matador, who released their first, self-titled album earlier this year, find out more and have a listen here http://www.littlematadorband.com/

Rory Gallagher, Top 10

Info: Undoubtedly, as far as I'm concerned, Ireland's most gifted guitarist, (and my own, hands down, favourite musician of all time, from anywhere!) born in Ballyshannon in 1948, Co.Donegal, the family moved to Derry where his younger brother, Dónal was born, before settling in Cork city. Both counties claim him as their own with annual festivals growing year on year in both locations. In perhaps an attempt to claim some supremacy over their rivals, Ballyshannon have even placed a statue of Rory in the centre of the town. He was also unique, insofar that he played in both sides of Belfast during the Troubles, with a complete disregard for the tensions of the 1970's in the North. Ask any Irish person from any demographic to name a Thin Lizzy, U2, Enya, Chris de Burgh song, and they should be able to give you an answer, the same can't be said about Gallagher, and that's fine of course, so here's 8 songs of his, plus 2 interviews. But before I post these tracks, I have to reiterate two tired stories about Rory, the first is when Rolling Stone magazine asked Jimi Hendrix how it felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world, to which Hendrix replied 'I don't know, you'll have to ask Rory Gallagher', and Brian May of Queen recalling a time he sat in silence and watched Gallagher play in front of him and later stated that he owed everything he knew about guitar playing to Rory. Enjoy.

Rory Gallagher statue, Ballyshannon, with Stratocaster

(Photo: Remy Connolly)

1) 'Walking On Hot Coals' - Irish Tour, 1974

2) 'Going To My Hometown' - German TV studio, 1972

3) 'Crest of a Wave' - German Beat Club, 1974 (2 mins on....)

4) Slash from Guns N' Roses talks about Rory Gallagher

5) 'As The Crow Flies' - Irish Tour, 1974

6) 'Cradle Rock' - Montreux, 1975

7) 'Wheels Within Wheels' - posthumous track

8) Interview - Rory Gallagher in Cologne, Germany, 1976

9) 'I Could've Had Religion' - The song Bob Dylan told Rory he wished he'd written, Dylan also visited Rory Gallagher on his deathbed in hospital, and was refused back stage at one of Rory's gigs in Germany, because his brother Dónal didn't recognise him...

10) 'Out On The Western Plain' - Live in Cork. Shortly before Rory died in 1994. 

At this stage he'd succumbed to an addiction to pain-killers which led to liver failure. Allegedly, he suffered from anxiety and took prescription drugs to stave off tiredness, depression, and any discomfort that afflicted him, which led to considerable weight gain. In the only (excellent) Rory Gallagher biography I've read by the Belgian Jean Noel-Coghe, who spent considerable time on tour with Rory, he wrote that Rory struggled to cope with incessant touring, which eventually got the better of him . Either way, here's my last Gallagher track

Debut Album - Circus of Seven, Sunday School Show

Circus of Seven, 'Angry Birds'

Info: When I had this album sent to me yesterday I was not prepared for what I heard. There are a lot of different types of music floating about at the moment from electronica to synth-based, indie to alt-rock, remixes of this and that etc. but when I listened to Circus of Seven it felt like a breath of fresh air. While musically they are self-admittedly influenced by Alice in Chains, Biffy Clyro and Queens of the Stone Age, and I acknowledged to myself that they reminded me a lot of late 80's / early 90's hard rock. The thing is, no one, especially in Ireland, is explicitly making music like this at the moment, or for as long as I can remember, come to think of it, I don't think I've ever heard an Irish band who embraced this style so wholeheartedly before in the way Circus of Seven do. Another thing that immediately struck me is how professional and well-produced this is for a debut album, evidence perhaps of the trio cutting their teeth in a variety of other bands over the years.

On the music side of things the (slightly!) quieter tracks remind me of Pearl Jam around Vitalogy and even a bit of Danzig's self-titled 1988 album, and on the delightfully heavier tracks Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger. Front man Eamonn O'Neill's vocals, on 'Howl', for example, have me sitting in front of Nirvana's MTV Unplugged set, and then on other tracks such as 'Black Dolphin' the theatricality of Alice Cooper comes through in his personality. Another stand-out track for me is 'Neighbour' below, which captures the sound Molloy, Croke and O'Neill have spread throughout the album, hard-hitting rock and metal. It's been a long time since I've been to either a dingy pub or a large venue and seen a crowd lose it properly, I can imagine that might all be about to change, although, at present, Circus of Seven have no live dates planned, when announced, it'll be something I'll be eager to see. I even caught myself doing the sign of the horns with my hands and I'm only listening to it in my living room. There's not a single bad or filler track on Sunday School Show, with 'Modern Warfare' and 'Sharks' securing the album's quality, I don't know who needs who more, Irish music venues or Circus of Seven.

Circus of Seven, 'Neighbour'

Circus of Seven are Sean Molloy (drums), Conor Croke (guitar) and Eamonn O'Neill (vocals), the Wexford men's first album, Sunday School Show, is due for release on the 31st of October. 


Look / Like / Listen / Follow:

Webpage: http://www.reverbnation.com/circusofseven

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