When "Nirvana" were still alive and kicking, and you could actually watch the video clip of "Smells like teen spirit" every time you turned on MTV on a daily (not to mention hourly) basis, a band from Northern Ireland suddenly caught my attention. I can't remember the exact date, but it was somewhere back in my highschool days in 1993 that I first heard of the Irish rock band "Therapy?" because of their ShortSharpshock EP and the single "Screamager".
So, I watched this:
and then OFCOURSE I went out and bought their previous LP "Nurse" (being a silly avid fan of everything Irish even back then). Soon I had the single "trigger inside" in my hands, pressed in yellow vinyl, that still stands small but proud in our little home collection. I gave it out to my little brother as a birthday present, making fun of the fact that he was a fan of ARIS FC (yellow is one of their colours).
Now, more than 15 years later, the band is visiting our hometown, Thessaloniki, for a live gig at "Block 33" on Friday 22/1/2010. Having missed them playing live while I was living in Dublin (2001-2002) the first thing I did when I found out they are coming to perform live in our city, was to go get me and my little brother a ticket :) Yeah! So, I am eagerly waiting for this Friday's gig.
This year is a special year for "Therapy?". They celebrate 20 years of being a band together, even though the original line-up has changed quite a bit. For a while the band did not even have a drummer, when one of the founding members, drummer Fyfe Ewing decided in 1996 that he no longer wanted to be with the band, citing mental health reasons - or in plain english "if I stay I'll go crazy".
After many changes in the line-up (notably turned into a four-piece band with the permanent addition of guest cellist Martin McCarrick) and many many gigs around the globe, often as a supporting band for many rock headliners, including Ozzy Osbourne, Henry Rollins, Helmet, Jesus Lizard and the Nine Inch Nails ...
...co-founder Andy Cairns finally teamed up in 2004 with Michael McKeegan (bass) and Neil Cooper (drums) to form the trio as it exists today - being again a three-piece for the first time since 1995.
Their current album,which has received great reviews, is called "Crooked timber (2009)"
and the title is inspired by one of Immanuel Kant's quotes (notice, notice!):
"From the crooked timber of humanity, a straight board cannot be hewn".
Hot Press wrote: “… one of the most exhilarating records in their two decade career.”
For those of you who have never heard of Hot Press, it's the leading Irish music magazine for the past 30 years.
Thumbs up for Therapy? for knowing and acting accordingly:
"As well as doing your Manchesters and Londons and your Dublins and Glasgows, we’d also play these places that were slightly out of the way… and the kids are always really glad that someone’s made an effort to come to their town …"
THERAPY? UPDATE:
These are some of the songs we listened to and jumped with during the concert. They started with "isolation" and ended up with "nowhere". The guys were great, Andy kept thanking the audience in Greek and at some point he said that in the hotel they were staying, the auditions for "Greek IdoL" take place ... "what a croak of shit!" he remarked and the audience burst laughing when he pointed out "I'd rather be ugly than beautiful cause it lasts longer". Mike thanked the audience and said that the place had great organization and the people they met in Thessaloniki were some of the nicest and "this means a lot to us". The guys had a shot each of Jagermeister on stage before the encore, and they surely needed it as they were on stage for two hours total. When they finished, the place was filled with happy people, as you'd expect, this being the first time the band actually performed in town.
THERAPY? part of the setlist
isolation
stories
teethgrinder
rain hits concrete
crooked timber
potato junkie
die laughing
die like a motherfucker
screamager
nowhere
(sorry this setlist is not complete)
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