Reviews
Abstract Analogue - June 13 2014
"One group that has always stood out as unique for me are The Idiots. They were a Dublin band which began sometime in the mid to late 80’s, originally with a more typical indie sound of the day so I have been told. By the time I first encountered them live in June 1993 they had completely transformed themselves however, having developed their own dark, brooding and repetitive rock sound. This change of style may have happened by the late 80’s as there are tracks available online from an unreleased session from 1991 which already has their signature sound. Not long after this session they self-recorded six tracks on an 8-track recorder for a self-titled cassette release of 100 copies to be sold at gigs and the like. In 1995 these same recordings plus one new song, ‘I Should Go’, became their self-entitled debut and sole album (CD only). This album remains a firm favourite of mine and so far has stood the test of time very well."
Irish Hardcore Punk Archive - April 27 2010
The Idiots - Self Titled Tape
Dublin, Late 90's, DIY, Tape
I believe this band were around during the time of the Attic, couldn't find much info online about them. The first couple of songs are dark, brooding tunes with ethereal sounding vocal, the tempo picks up on the second half of the tape and the songs become more discordant and noisy but still holding the same floaty/dreamlike vibe! Thanks to Anto Loserdom for passing this on.
ReviewCentre.com - The Idiots
The Idiots, Idiots Mini Album - In March of '94, Dublin-based drone guitar rockers 'The Idiots' released their debut, self-titled mini album on CD and cassette. The seven-track sludge fest was released on Dirt Records and has of yet not been followed up.
From the start of the CD you are dragged into the slow-paced guitar drone of the track "Slow." Lasting for 4mins 20sec, the bass-heavy track slowly unfolds itself with a very peaceful and relaxed atmosphere to it. The group sound very similar to that of 'Sonic Youth' and 'Big Black' even though the group deny ever really listening to the band's themselves.
As for the rest of the album, the tracks seem to hold the same droning quality that somehow locks you into the subtle suspension brought about by the songs' structures. The drums are often very monotonous as are the lyrics, but this only adds to the aura of the tracks. After an initial listen though, you're probably going to be a little bored of the group's music. I can't help but think of a slowed-down 'Sonic Youth' without the beautiful complexities that the band managed to produce.
The mini-album is well-produced and includes some nice artwork.
Hot Press - FIVE GO OUT ON THE THE NET
There was a significant Irish presence at the recent Intel festival in New York an event which was broadcast worldwide via the Internet.
THE FINAL frontier, it s been called, that great madhouse of attempted world domination, environmental destruction and end-of-the-world excess. I refer, of course, to the United States a hard nut to crack for any working band on the ground in Ireland. However, a quintet of Dublin bands (The 9 Wassies From Bainne, Revelino, The Idiots, Junkster and Blink), decided to boldly go for it, kicking up some dust at Shane Doyle s new venue, Arlene s Grocery as part of the New York Intel Festival.
Down the years, New York has played host to a number of ground-breaking music conferences, from the old New Music Seminar to the current, technology-savvy Intel New York Music Festival. Significantly, such events have provided Irish bands with a forum to play to American audiences as well as various industry and media types.
To make it in Ireland, you basically need the support of a few key media people, publications and bodies, suggests Matthew Covey, co-organiser of the Irish presence this year. The American market is so huge, it can be staggering for a breaking Irish band even the consideration, for example, that you must budget for about 800 initial sample copies of your CD for press distribution alone.
The recent Intel festival very much emphasised the need for getting the music around as much as possible, not only in terms of the standard national media, but also on the Internet. Featured on thegig.com, it allowed for live performances in the New York clubs to be broadcast on the net, and offered link-ups with venues in Dublin, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Chicago. So in addition to New York punters bopping in real time, you could catch it at home on your PC.
The Irish have always put up a strong representation, and this year was no exception. Irish-owned venues which hosted the festival in New York included Arlene s Grocery, Brownie s, The Lion's Den and Tramps. It was at Arlene's, however, that the Irish presence was showcased, with five Irish bands performing in a marathon that lasted from about 8pm to 2am.
The evening came about as a result of the efforts of Matthew Covey and Heather Mount, who were looking to stage an Irish music event in New York that would allow several Irish bands to play the city, and hopefully use the experience as a kick-off point from which to make valuable contacts. The duo, who spent time in Dublin with their own band, Skulpey, saw a gap between what was happening in clubs and venues in Ireland and what was available in the US, and wanted to bridge it.
We felt that if we could set up a kind of yearly forum specifically with that in mind, it might help the process, says Heather Mount. Originally, we were hoping for something larger, involving two cities on the East Coast, but financial constraints are a powerful deterrent. We realised that our best bet would be to present an Irish gig under the umbrella of the Intel Festival, and Carol Kahil, the director of the festival, was vital in helping us to bring that about.
An additional bonus to having the showcase under the auspices of a festival like Intel was the fact that both funding and visas were easier to obtain that way. Revelino and The Idiots were lucky enough to get Arts Council flights, while Comhras Trachtala contributed to costs. Invaluable legal advice was provided by the New York-based emigration lawyer, Jim O Malley.
The other advantage is that since the festival provides the basic equipment, the bands just need to show up with their instruments, adds Covey.
The gig certainly had a big pre-event buzz about it. With almost 400 bands playing in 20 venues around the city over the festival s four days, it was quite a coup to draw the massive crowd that showed up on the night.
Kicking off the evening, The 9 Wassies From Bainne delivered a manic assault that has been described as bittersweet twists of Celtic rock , but which incorporates a hell of a lot more in its live incarnation. With their singularly cheeky front man spouting abuse to audience and press photographers alike, they set the crowd going for the night, as outside the worst thunderstorm of the year rattled the streets.
Revelino were next up, the Dublin quintet whose two albums, Revelino and Broadcaster on Dirt records, have established themselves as a solid guitar-based song band. Front man Brendan Tallon and guitarists Bren Berry and Alan Montgomery provided some laughs too: Hello New York! began Montgomery. That s not New York! quipped Tallon. That s half of Ireland out there!
Following at 10pm, The Idiots delivered a heavier, more sombre sound with a relentless bass and Brian Mooney's angry, dark, repetitive vocals. The trio were loud and imposing, performing some tracks from their eponymously titled debut album (also on Dirt records), as well as other, newer work.
Junkster, the only ones in the line-up signed to a major label (BMG), were startlingly better live than they sound on their Al Stone-produced debut album, also entitled Junkster, which will be in US stores nationwide this coming month. Fronted by the winning vocals and stage-presence of Deirdre O Neill, the band were a huge hit, their live presence both gutsy and accomplished.
For the finale, Blink, the popular quarter who are already regulars on the New York scene, blasted through to the end of the evening. Currently working on a new album, the band played five intriguing new tracks from this, but concentrated mostly on crowd-pleasers from their debut, A Map Of The Universe By Blink (EMI).
The next day, The New York Times printed a passionate review. Singling out Revelino, The 9 Wassies and The Idiots as favourites, reviewer Neil Strauss noted that in Ireland there are those who don t need to mine their national identity to create, applauding what he considered the bands non-Irish approach. Oddly enough, he went on to berate Junkster for being a band of the moment . It just goes to show you can t please everybody! And somebody should tell Neil that we re quite happy with our ethnic identity these days, thank you whether it happens to sound like Brian Mooney, Brendan Tallon or Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Overall, the bands were pleased with the effort, garnering several other gigs around town in addition to the showcase, and managing to get in a fair amount of Gotham sight-seeing upon rousing themselves each noon. The Idiots have secured a gig at the CMJ music seminar in the fall, and for those who sparked industry interest this time around, the next crossing should be an easier one after the outstanding success of the Friday gig.
For those who were not present in real time at the live performances, you might be able to catch a repeat by checking into the event on the Internet, where it is situated at www.thegig.com.
Helena Mulkearns, August 20 1997
thewirewool.blogspot.com - February 26 2006
Before Dublin was the heaving metropolis it is now, it wasn't a particularly bad place to be an indie kid. In the mid-90s, there seemed to be a whole bunch of indie bands worth caring about, the fanzine scene was pretty strong and gigs were cheap.
In 1995 I first heard of The Idiots on No Disco, Irish TV's alternative music show, and they sounded different to pretty much everything else that was going on - they sounded as close to metal as I've ever heard, but they weren't metal. 'Slow' was a syrupy trudge riff-driven piece of melancholia, which in no way prepared me for 'Rekcollector' - a song that made a massive impact on me in terms of what I look for in noise-rock - a sawing, abrasively industrial thrash-grind monster of a tune that I couldn't go a day without listening to. And then.....nothing.
They played live nearly once a year it seemed, and I never got to see them. They never released another album after the extended EP 'The Idiots' (which was apparently just intended as a demo). The last thing they ever produced was a 7" for Road Record's Road Relish series, 'Sample', which offered a teasing view of what they could've gone on to - a weird, sparse pop. Another great band, lost. I wish they were still around.
