The Smiths, Soft Cell, Morrissey, Nick Cave, Roxy Music, Marc Bolan, Blondie, The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Cure, Talking Heads, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, Yelevision, The Stone Roses, The Buzzcocks, Pixies, The Church, The Specials, Madness, Ian Dury, Brain Eno, Al Green, Johnny Cash, Marvin Gaye, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, The Go- Betweens...
Andy Warhol, Oscar Wilde, Allen Ginsberg, Tim Burton, Baz Lurhman, James Joyce, Brendan Behan, Mike Leigh, Francis Bacon.
Sounds Like
We can only sound like ourselves, these are a couple of our videos. One from our new album "Post Romantic"- "I Still Feel The Same"- this as you will see has been done on a very tight budget and is meant to look as cheap as it does....Our new album "Post Romantic" is available now in all good recrod stores....
and "Knees" from our second album "Family Business"
Mark Cullen is older and wiser. He's been through the wars and survived with bittersweet insights. Most people haven't come across him in his incarnation as Pony Club in a while. Indeed 'Family Business', their last offering was released in 2004 but now they're back with the release of 'Post Romantic'.
To the unaccustomed, the (Pony Club) Mark Cullen story is far from unique but still worth noting in that few Irish acts in the last 20 years can rival. Signed to A&M in 1995. Lived for 5 years in London. Made and spent lots of money. Got picked up by Mercury. Spent a fortune on an album that never received the light of day. Returned as Pony Club and released two albums on Setanta. Earned fans such as Morrissey and plaudits from the UK mainstream press. And then it drifted.
And so it's back to basics for Mark and Pony Club. However, some constants remain such as Mark's poetic lyricism, barbed wit, wry observations and ability to cast his astute gaze on domestic life.
"My wife had a lot of health problems and we've got two kids to look after so that put music into perspective. It had to take a backseat for a while," explains Mark.
Pony Club comprise of Mark's brothers Darren and Jason, along with Dave Morrissey and Martin Healy, both formerly in A-House and while much of the material on Post Romantic was recorded in 2006, Mark didn't really have the time or headspace to support getting it out there.
Indeed, its release now is even more timely since the country itself seems to be in post romantic notion of itself. Mark reflects on the fine balancing act of ideals and realism.
"Post Romantic is written from a grown up point of view. It's not about boy meets girl, girl dumps boy and boy goes on the batter with mates. This is more about being a 30 something and hoping that she'll break up with you. It's more about the daily drain of domestic life, when the love is gone or when you move more from Teenage Kicks to Barry White."
And so they've shed the baggage of hype. It's getting the music out there once again with experience tempering expectations.
"You start out thinking you want to make music that defines you and you lose sight of why you enjoyed it in the first place. When we started we would be gutted walking into a label meeting when a single didn't chart with airplay. Now it's funny if it gets played anywhere.
"Priorities change. Music really isn't that important when you see someone you love dying in front of you or when kids come along," he says.
Mark knows some people dig Pony Club and some don't. He knows some people have forgotten they still exist. He has to remind himself every now and again. Post Romantic is their return calling card. One that proves the razor-sharp lyrics, riffs and melodies that first sparked the flame remains intact.
Discograpahy: 2008 – Post Romantic, 2004 – Family Business, 2002 – Home Truths
PONY CLUB (Live)
with Guest Performances (tba)
Friday May 1st 2009
Whelans (Main Room), Wexford Street, Dublin
Tickets €12 (subject to booking commissions) on-sale now from WaV Ticket-Office & Usual Outlets.
www.ponyclub.tv
www.myspace.com/humrecordings
www.whelanslive.com
• Over 700 copies of Post Romantic sold to date
• Diplomat featured on RTE promo for Grey's Anatomy
• New video for "What Are You Angry For?" online
• Girls Aloud get a Pony Club make-over
• Summer ep on the way
In the wake of considerable critical acclaim for their latest album ‘Post Romantic', Pony Club recently made a welcome return to the live music scene for their first shows in over two years. During their two week February residency in Whelans, the band's new six-piece performed current album tracks alongside classics such as ‘Dorset Street', their newest penning ‘Invincible' and a cover of Girls Aloud ‘The Promise' which has since graced our screens on Podge and Rodge.
Having sold almost 700 copies of Post Romantic (no mean feat in these days) since it was released in November on hum recordings and garnering some of the most rapturous reviews for any album released in 2008 (see below), Pony Club are back and taking their return to the spotlight in their own good stride.
A gorgeous new video for the song "What Are You Angry For?",a video portrait piece by young Irish photographer Ciaran Og Arnold can be viewed now on the hum Recordings Myspace page and You Tube.
RECENT MEDIA
Post Romantic reviews
"a gorgeously layered electro-indie collection kept honest by frontman and lyricist Mark Cullen's unhoneyed angst, is their strongest yet....We're talking 12 clear wins here for the game of music and not a dud in sight" Irish Times – 4 stars
"..quite possibly, his strongest set of songs to date....This gifted songwriter has been waiting for more than a decade for the world to sit up and take notice. Now would be a good time to start" - Sunday Business Post – 4 stars
"Music-lovers and beat-diggers will doubtless hunt down this collection of seedy, bright, shiny, dark, glam, glum pop as an overlooked classic" Star – 4 stars
"endlessly charming and utterly seductive...a world class pop misanthrope" Metro - 4 stars
"Cullen makes short, exceedingly sweet pop songs with plentiful electropop touches, and a dark, cyncial lyrical underbelly" - Hot Press
“Cullen is at the top of his game undoubtedly Pony Club's finest hour to date” – Entertainment.ie
"One of the great Irish songwriters of the past decade…..Cullen's melodic gifts are intact, as are his incisive lyrics" Irish Independent (Top Ten Irish Albums of 2008)
"this record reconfirms Cullen as one of the best lyricists of his generation, Irish or otherwise" Sunday Tribune – 4 stars
"a firmly likeable record and undoubtedly Pony Club's finest hour to date" entertainment.ie
"Cullen makes short, exceedingly sweet pop songs with plentiful electropop touches, and a dark, cyncial lyrical underbelly" - Hot Press
"Four years have passed since we last heard from mainman Mark Cullen and co, but domesticity has inspired some of his richest lyrics to date - hum along and then shudder as you see you or yours in a verse." - rte.ie
"…some of the most outstanding songs ever to have emanated from an Irish artist….if there was ever someone who deserved to sell millions it's Pony Club" Irish Mirror
POST ROMANTIC IS NOW OFFICALLY RELEASED AND AVAILABLE TO BUY FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE IN ALL MAJOR RECORD STORES....ENJOY!!!
Buy these songs and make out with one of us for free! (Coupon required, offer excludes those 55 +, offer expires 12.15.09). iTunes link: http://miniurl.com/21328
23.00 – 00.30 Uhr - Mike Litt 00.30 – 02.30 Uhr - Santos 02.30 – 04.30 Uhr – Andre' Hommen 04.30 – Open End - Platinchoc
Jeweils am 2. Samstag im Monat findet die Neue House Party im Alten Wartesaal statt! Mike Litt der bekannte Journalist und DJ bei dem Kölner Radiosender 1Live gestaltet das musikalische Musikkonzept für das Publikum.
How's it going? There is a free track available for you at the moment on our myspace page. Just click the FREE DOWNLOAD box at the top of the page and enter a valid email to download the tune. How cool is that!
Have a great week and thank you very much for being electronically connected to us as friends and fans.
Michael Brunnock will be performing with his Irish Band "Little Palace" November 5th 8pm Whelans, Dublin November 7th 9pm Headfort Arms, Kells, Co. Meath November 12th 8pm The Backroom, Navan, Co. Meath Little Palace will be releasing their New Single "Beekeeper" from their latest album Invitation Time. We all hope to see you there. Keep Music Alive go hear a show.
Our first single, Drunk Tonight EP, and our first DVD Drunk Rock Videos DVD is now available for pre-order from the store section of our website. Click the above images for info.
Wer Interesse hat an der Gästeliste einfach ne e-mail mit euren Namen an scc@pro106.de ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sa. 10.10.2009 Star Club Cologne präsentiert 2 Jahre DISKOSTOFF @ Alter Wartesaal & Kunstbar mit OLIVER HUNTEMANN
Line Up:
Oliver Huntemann( Ideal/Planatge 13/ cocoon/ Hamburg) Xenia Beliayeva (mfm booking/Data Punk/ Hamburg)-Live- Mike Litt(1Live) Massimo(Definition of Techno) Sia Mac(Hablando rec./ Butan) Jagger(rheinTime rec./ Elektroküche) Andre Hommen(objektivity/8 Bit) Michael Lehmkuhl(Diskostoff)
Start: 22:00 Uhr Eintritt: 10 €
Locations: Alter Wartesaal Johannis Str. 11 50668 Köln (Direkt am HBF)
Kunstbar Chargesheimerplatz 1 50667 Köln (gegenüber vom Wartesaal)
This Sunday September the 13th The Speigeltent The Fringe fsetival Georges Dock, I.F.S.C, D1. Doors 7.30pm - 1am. Live Music. Games. Roast Potatoes. Sack The Amazing Few Red Kid Nell Bryden Gran Casino Bocs Social Brian Brody Larry Beau N.C Lawlor Tieggro Bellydancers Julyo (The Photosonic Orchestra)
The award-winning Sunday Roast returns to the glittering Spiegeltent for another feast of our famous spuds and our even more fabulous musical mayhem! This year we're serving up the eagerly anticipated return of Dublin legends Sack, the fizzing snap, crackle and pop of Red Kid, Gran Casino and Bocs Social, the solo stylings of Brian Brody and Larry Beau, wizards of psychoPOP The Amazing Few, spunky comic Sharon Hayden plus our usual cornucopia of games, antics and special surprise guest... www.fringefest.com for more info. Thank you for letting us post this and have a great day! The Amazing Few
Thanks! for the 'add.' The website should be launching Mid-Sept. I'm a HUGE proponent of LOCAL talent. This has been a TERRIFIC 'hobby' for me! Will keep you posted! ;) Also: Check out the newsarticle about us at http://theanimatetripe.blogspot.com/2009/07/check-out-pay-for-bandcom.html for more information. Great Page! ;)
Online Now!
