My second The Write Stuff, and this one was every bit as enjoyable as my first! Tonight’s subject is the Godfather of Irish Punk, the one and only Pete Holidai. You might remember Pete from a little-known Irish band called the Radiators from Space...
Who am I kidding? If you know anything about Irish music, you’ll have heard of them!
Introduced, as normal, by Steve from The Write Stuff, Pete brought us down memory lane with stories from the early days of Irish punk, recording sessions with Tony Visconti (who worked with two minor artists you may have heard of, Marc Bolan and David Bowie), and one rather memorable night when everyone else had left the studio and he sat listening to a rough demo of Marc Bolan singing, giving him the sensation of actually being in the room with Bolan... It would send shivers down your spine.
Signed to Chiswick Records, probably the most influential punk label at the time, they were in great company, with the likes of The Damned, Dr. Feelgood, Johnny & the Self Abusers, Motörhead, The Nipple Erectors, and Riff Raff (featuring Billy Bragg) also signed to Chiswick.
When The Radiators from Space were on their first go-round around the sun, I might have been just a tad too young to catch them live, but I knew I’d seen them somewhere before — I just couldn’t place it. Then it came to me: June 24th, 2005, Croke Park, Dublin. U2 were headlining and also on the bill were Snow Patrol and, yes, you guessed it, The Radiators from Space. Unfortunately, while I do have photos from that day, they don’t include any shots of the bands. I have no excuses for that error!
Backing up Pete tonight were the fantastic Queen Bees. Firm festival favourites, the Queen Bees can often be found playing with the likes of Mundy, touring with Imelda May, or onstage at Electric Picnic. Tonight, in Chapters Bookshop, they ably assisted Pete with their beautiful harmonies and doo-wops.
These nights always include poetry, and tonight was no different, with Steve reciting some of his own work, including one piece dedicated to those on the latest Gaza solidarity flotilla. Powerful and poignant.
The second spoken-word performer of the night was the amazing Vagabond Queen. Her work is electric — vicious, straight to the point, taking no prisoners. She is powerful to watch. She sucks you right in; you can’t take your eyes off her as she, angrily at times, prowls the stage like a wild animal looking for a kill... “Superb” is a word that comes to mind, but it still doesn’t do her justice.
And that, bar all the shouting, clapping, and selfies, was it for my second The Write Stuff, and I’m already looking forward to the next one, featuring the great Freddie White!
Now for the photos!
