The Harlesden Shuffle

at

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….

Abstract Analogue

Thanks Stephen Rennick

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39 thoughts on “The Harlesden Shuffle

  1. Specific Gravity

    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.

    1. Fergalito

      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.

          1. Fergalito

            Thanks for the clarifications – the auld memory banks fraying around the edges.

            I was almost there ….. :-)

  2. Bertie Theodore Alphege Blenkinsop

    I used to like Blue in Heaven (Blue Angels) when I was a kid, afraid to Google them in case they were brootal.

    1. AKA Frilly Keane

      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

          1. Tarfton Clax

            Twas the eighties, No one could afford anything better. We couldn’t even afford sleeves on our tee-shirts!

  3. Formerly known as @ireland.com

    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.

  4. AKA Frilly Keane

    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

  5. Brother Barnabas

    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

    1. Otis Blue

      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.

  6. Andy Pipkin

    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!!!!!

      1. Andy Pipkin

        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??

        1. AKA Frilly Keane

          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

          1. Bertie Theodore Alphege Blenkinsop

            Best left back in the last century?
            I’d probably go with Maldini….

    1. Tarfton Clax

      Coltranes? Were they the Revelino lads? The two Brens and Shane Rafferty? And maybe Fintan Jones?

  7. James M.Chimney

    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!

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