The Ryanair Rock Week 1990 in North West London’s The Mean Fiddler
Abstract Analogue writes:
I thought it was worth archiving this advert I found for the ‘Ryanair Irish Rock Week’ at London’s Mean Fiddler – run by Irish man Vince Power – from 1990.
It was quite a line-up with some great bands and some even I’ve never heard of (nice to see the obscure Screech Owls listed too).
This was a fitting sponsorship when you think of all the bands and fans travelling to gigs, not to mention music business trips. A good percentage of any band’s advance must have gone on travel….
Thanks Stephen Rennick
Sponsored Link
Nice. The A House album On Our Big Fat Merry-go-round is an overlooked gem.
There was an outpost of the Mean Fiddler on Wexford St for a while in the 90s. Good venue, and managed to get notable acts.
Good Lord! Hinterland! I worked with the girlfriend of one of them, back in the day.
Desert Boots and Duffel Coats, standin drinkin cans of Coke! …. great tune!
Correct me if i’m wrong but i think the guitarist with Hinterland went on to be David Bowie’s main axe-wielder for a good decade, Gerry Sheridan i think his name is.
Gerry Leonard.
and an occasional drummer wayne sheahan (also from cactus world news) who played with Ronnie Wood for a long time
“desert boots and duffle coats; we hid our beer in cans of coke” i think it was
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giXSmDiCjVg
Thanks for the clarifications – the auld memory banks fraying around the edges.
I was almost there ….. :-)
Wayne Sheehy
ah yeah!
I used to like Blue in Heaven (Blue Angels) when I was a kid, afraid to Google them in case they were brootal.
They were cool as… Shane, all blond hair and ear rings, in love with the stooges. .. moody guitarist… Dec Jones was it?
“Wanna be your man…. yes I can…. ”
“Take off your red dress”.. and the one taking the p**S out of Barry Egan too. Reached their apotheosis ast live aid.. or possibly when David Bowie supported them in the baggot once.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOyVkoxI10s&list=RDXOyVkoxI10s&start_radio=1
Remember when a particular picture of Shane on the cover of Hot Press caused a bit of a stir?
https://images.app.goo.gl/t7dmsBJy51nGgZUNA
Were they not “Stars in Heaven” Bert?
Btw after the Fish
And when A-House started taking themselves too seriously
The Syndicate (3 piece ) were one of the better Dublin bands out there at that time
‘Remember their manager used to own / run The Wildebeest there off Grafton Street
Their drummer was the drummer in the Commitments
Feic
Tis all.coming back to haunt me kinda way
Thank Christ there was no camera phones or SM slut shaming
Plenty walks of shame mind
Stars of Heaven were a different band Frillz.
I used to love these lads
https://youtu.be/3glIvWIOS6E
On fairness they all looked the same
Bad highlights
Flimsy half hearted mullets
Scratched and scuffed leather pants
And boots that needed new heels & soles
Twas the eighties, No one could afford anything better. We couldn’t even afford sleeves on our tee-shirts!
Away ou’ that
The Stunning were always well turned out
T’was just the Dubs
Crap dancers too
stars OF heaven
one of my favourite ever songs:
https://youtu.be/KbHh7ynKPgU
used to be on the jukebox in the mars bar ny
Great song
I used to go to the Mean Fiddler, before I moved down under. I have an album by Thee Amazing Collossal Men. I would have seen a few other Irish bands there.
I was at the first one
’88 I think
Cypress Mine groupie
We were up in Cork Airport ORK
Giving it loads
Like we were heading to the Oscars
And I got paged to pick up one of green phones
It was fierce cool – I was going on like I was Madonna
Until I found out it was my mother leaving a parcel from Murphy’s Evergreen for me to bring over to the Aunties
Golden Horde were great- remember getting an EP, (friends in time?) in Freebird on Eden Quay. it was brilliant. Would have been years after their time, but then turned out that Simon Carmody was my then-girlfriend’s landlord. he’d show up every friday afternoon for the rent – dressed like a rock star
Word was the late journalist George Byrne used to always publicly refer to Simon Carmody as “Rock and Roll Landlord”. This was the cause of much mirth but not to Carmody as it ran counter to the image he sought to carefully create for himself.
that’s funny
Christ On A Bike!
I did rodie or lights for most of these bands!
The Coletranes were brilliant, Golden Horde were amazing!!!
Really good times!!!!!
would that have been around mcgonagles, andy?
It would have been Bro B!!
So many amazing gigs, and so many venues!
Taking of the Blue Angels,I think I have some of the only photos of Bowie inside The Baggot Inn if I can find a way too post them??
Wow! Would love to see those.
Likewise, please post them Andy, would love to see them.
would really love to see them, andy – please do
@bodger, could BS host that?
Very happy to, Brother.
Please don’t be from Artane Andy (;ŏ﹏ŏ)
Are Artane Boys banned, Frilly?
BA-DUM-TISH!!!
well a particular roadie from Artane that was working out of the Factory in the late 80s early 90s is
probably a bus driver now
but anyway
best left back in the last century
Best left back in the last century?
I’d probably go with Maldini….
ha!
i had to read that twice
Whisper it, I’ve a huge fondness for Ashley Cole too.
Coltranes? Were they the Revelino lads? The two Brens and Shane Rafferty? And maybe Fintan Jones?
Oh God, this put the fear into me, flash backs of a trip to see A House in the fiddler. having a very drunken conversation with poor Edwyn Collins all about Jools Holland as the poor man looked at me in wonder how this poor teenager can still stand after the amount of crap I drank in the fiddler that night. My Red Stripe addled head had made a mistake / lateral gawd knows what between their band names. Edwyn being in Orange Juice and Jools being in Squeeze ( A mistake only an Irish person could possibly make). I had the good sense to hit the deck and be bundled into a taxi by a popular female guitar act also in attendance. Morto!