YES You are playing Hard Working Clas Heroes!

saw a band called zealots a few months ago, they were excellent but i haven't been able to see any of their gigs recently also heard the spikes were pretty good.. anyone know?

Flux wrote: I'm not an expert on Irish music at all, having ignored it for years due to the putrid stench off most of what I did hear (Bell X1, Paddy Casey, The Frames, Mundy et al), but there are definitely a few gems around, most of them on micro-labels well below the radar of the average consumer in this country. I think the phrase "putrid stench" is pretty harsh.You may not like their music however all the acts you mentioned have been very helpful to other Irish artists with supports,advice etc. They deserve a bit more respect than that.

bell x1 are a very talented band, as are the frames. it is a shame these acts have a lot of people who hate them, as is their right, but it sometimes feels people don't like them because they're irish as opposed to their musical output.

heh all, i have to say that all the above strikes me as some what sad. ye all go on about irish bands being good enough to go international. since when has that stopped any irish band before. im in a band myself and to be perfectly honest its more about luck and image than it is songs. international my balls. snow patrol for f**k sake. i could pick ten of my mates who could write that album in their bed in 2o min. if they were only coming out thru the irish scene now people would do the same thing on this forum and say they are s**te and they will never make it internationally. personally, im ok with someone saying a band is s**te etc... it just shows the intelligence levels of the writer. if ye are jounalists i would choose another career cause you aint making it in your prefered option and thats not an opinion thats a fact. i could see it now. you first big review in some national paper. your big break and your review "its a s**t album". The editor would be thrilled. listen i dont want to get into an argument about how good or bad an album is by an irish band. How about getting into one about your ability to use the beautiful english language to promote bands you do like. I purchased the Director album the other day and to be honest i was amazed by the guys ability to write top class tunes. I dont know them but hats off. Its a feckin great album. The immediate album = top class. Republic of loose =top class. See that was not that hard. No mention of s**t bands anywhere. Basically what im trying to say is that you should'nt take out your childhood or maybe adulthood frustrations out on some poor band trying to earn their crust. Maybe concentrate harder on becoming more affluent with the english language so one day you may be able to write something productive and intersting that may be of benefit to society and indeed forums such as these. I understand you may have been bullied as a kid or even as an adult but you can get help for that. You should try smiling, i find that helps . im not defending the irish music scene. i dont care what you say about these bands i think they all feckin rock and as a previous writer said, how about ye form a band and use your expert knowledge to make it internationally. Or try go into music production. the world is crying out for people like ye. actaully, how about ye save the irish music scene or maybe just f**k off and live your miserable lives somewhere else. those of ye nice people who feel the same as me. kisses

If an album is s**te sometimes you just need to say that it's s**te.

agreed, whats the name of your band madra? you never know you could be sh*te too...only kiddin

madra is ardam backwards. we all need to sit back and reflect on this

its also an anagram for drama........jaysus

madra, people on this forum are just as entitled to their opinion as you are yours.

Whenever a band feels its has been hard done by on these boards new accounts appear defending the said band. It begins to get stupid. no-one is making fun of anyone or slagging them off, i merely asked the question of whether it is reasonable to expect bands to succeed from ireland. i went to see director last night as it happened, and while obviously talented songwriters and musicians they didn't excite me, and i didn't feel they could have. this is my opinion at the moment, and i wish them all the best, and i will be the first to say if and when my opinion changes, but i have every right to say it without being attacked for it.

hear hear. i would say that them being on the cover of nme would be far more justified than humanzi tho... that has set the tone of nme ireland for me i have to say. b4 humanzi lovers lynch me...i just dont think they are the hottest band in the country right now..the band currently at number 2 in the charts (direcor) are..and i dont even like THEM either....

making fun, slagging....c'mon if you wanna make a living standin on a stage singing songs then slaggin is the worst of yer worries... try being a comedian...get a grip...the point of a forum is for people to express opinion about things...sometimes people will slag and take the p*ss...as long as there is no maliciousness in it and nobody's family gets chased outta town whats the harm? some records are s**te...some bands look like fookin idiots and sound like em too..this isnt the fookin oprah board for giving the musicians of ireland an emotional lift....

- WHEN DID THIS LITTLE MOFO ARRIVE?

dunno just saw it there and clicked on it....

it came in the last shipment