30 – Secret Pilot (England)

29 – Reader’s Wives (Ireland)

28 – The Heartbreaks (England)

27 – Divorce (Scotland)

DIVORCE at Transmission 13.12.08 from Andrew Browntown on Vimeo.

26 – Itching Eye Ball… (The Left One) (Holland)

25 – The XX (England)

24 – The Rural Alberta Advantage (Canada)

23 – The Playmakers (England)

22 – The Damned (England)

21 – Josephine Oniyama (England)

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Reader's Wives - Rachel's Apartment

Opening with Lenny Fucking Bruce – a track with elements of The Velvet Underground and the megaphone of Clara V from Vaqueros Paganos. Sharp guitar scythes against the vocal as the band take a sideswipe. Reader’s Wives once again challenge with the calm sartorial attitude that sums up the essence of the songwriting. It would be interesting to get an autobiography from Niall, it would make an intriguing read.

Wasted Youth takes me back to Crass and Christ the Album – I might even try and avoid any more analogies from here. Generous swathes of bass are interspersed with rolling guitar as the lyric demands an exploratory mind. The composition works extremely well as the band express a supressed rage which works on all levels- superb, this now sits on my elongated and personally resonant ‘songs to which I’d like to die’ compilation (I guess it will be a lingering death while I enjoy the music).

Track three Light Up, finds the band in a more generous mood. Yet still the sardonicism shines through, as the lyric sweeps the listener to an enlightened space, whilst the musical accompaniment challenges the whole construct. Once again we find Niall in a diatribe, three tracks in and the album is working well.

You Must Have Been Crazy, perhaps I have become too comfortable to my own ego, but I think this hits the heart of the soul of Niall,  as he takes us through an emotional roller-coaster of a track. An honest and open piece of material. The lyrics and composition, combined with stage persona may play the humour, but here we hit an accent, as we delve deeper in to Rachel’s Apartment.

I sometimes wonder if I play too much of the psychoanalysit when listening to music, but having been a song-writer and vocalist myself, I trust my ears and  instinct. I wrote from my heart and the more I hear and see, I more strongly believe my perspective. This album contains some wrenching excavation and perhaps on a par with the estrangement between Ian Curtis and Deborah, Curtis also had other medical issues. Is Holohan suicidal or just plain angry? I hope to be able to grab some time with him for an in-depth interview away from the stage and the lyrics. Is this a seminal release? Let’s wait for the follow up album. It does however explain the history of Reader’s Wives – anyway back to the album and off the couch.

Laughter/Commute, after 45 minutes listening and thinking over the the first four tracks let’s get busy – Reader’s get soulful as the tempo slows and the music flows over the lyric enabling the track to ease over the ears in a comforting wave, echoed guitars waft the listener gently to a relaxing mediterranean shore.

Isadora Duncan (Ft. Cathal Coughlan) Once again the lyrics of this composition challenge the listener. A spoken piece, which sits perfectly within the album. Duncan was a dancer born in the 19th Century, an open bisexual (‘I’m dancing on the landing if you fuck to it, it’s rock n’ roll… is this an allusion) , who challenged social mores of her era, including at the time a ‘shocking’ exposé of her breast and her communist ideals whilst on tour in the USA. She died of strangulation when her scarf wrapped around the wheel of her car, is that the carpet to which the track references? Cathal Coughlan is renowned for restructuring  compositions with reference to history, politics and the social underbelly.

God With A Brigand is a smart follow up to track 5 as we commence on the vocal which implodes with seried ranks of instrumentation, guitar drowns out the ear drum as the voice disappears.

For followers of Reader’s, we head back to familiar spaces with A sight for Sore Eyes, as the band reworks a lead riven perspective. This has been a well received rock driven track on live performance, which sits a little at odds with the album, but underlines the new direction for the band, which has moved away from the powerful emotional bass, to a resonance which sits a couple  of octaves higher, which perhaps gives Niall a stronger space in which to expose his vocal.

I am shifting along now and already up to track 9, Annabella a smartly produced piece of material. Sharp chalk stripes and hidden lives meet razored drum and muted bass, making a comfortable dance number.

Get Laid, leads us up to the final track. I am convinced this would work well live, with some real energy and demanding of crowd listening.

All of a sudden here is the finale and time to be escorted from Rachel’s Apartment- Serial Monogomay – takes an acoustic turn to the night and a fitting conclusion to a closing door.

If you want to find more about the band take a moment to check out the previous articles on Readers’ Wives. Once I have a link to the album release it will be posted, alternatively keep in touch via our newsletter to keep up to date with the best indie music from around the globe.

London Irish Showcase

Three bands took to the stage, first up Kyle John Suckling, followed by A Plastic Rose with the night rounded off by Reader’s Wives.

To be fair to the other bands, I had come down to Kilburn to catch up with the guys from Reader’s Wives and spent much of my time talking to Disko, we both share a nicotine addiction, which meant not really being in the venue too much.

But I did catch the sounds emanating from Kyle John Suckling, but didn’t get a chance to catch up with him. The acoustic guitar and soul searching lyric were well received in the venue it would be good to get to hear more.

Kyle John Suckling

A Plastic Rose, I did get a chance to catch a few of their songs and even meet up with them afterwards briefly, are on the verge of releasing a single. They gave me a copy to listen to and I enjoyed the one track CD, Kids Don’t Behave Like This to the extent that I played it continually through to a good way up the Barnet Bypass from Kilburn High Road, thats quite a few times in non-geographic terms. I’ll be getting a review of these guys from Belfast up soon.

A Plastic Rose

Reader’s Wives, well I could say the set was great and I enjoyed the music, but you know I am going to write that anyway, so what else did I find out?

Reader's Wives live @ Peter Parker’s Rock & Roll Club by Daniel D'Souza

They dragged themselves out of bed for an early morning flight to London and with Chris heading off to Berlin after the show and Doug and Niall heading back on the 06:00 flight back to Dublin you wouldn’t have had any idea as they took to the stage. Since I saw them late last year, they have become an even tighter outfit and even more natural on stage, making them a superb act to see live. I’m pleased to say I wasn’t the only one singing along to Sexually Attracted to Myself last night, as Niall insisted we all get involved, if only they had given out hand mirrors as we arrived…

In a nice touch, and these really are welcoming guys, it isn’t just a PR stunt, Niall had created a brief reprise to mark the death of Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse), this personal moment wasn’t extravagant and seemed perfectly in tune with the evening.

The ten piece set was played to a mainly new audience, who immediately took to the humour and output from the guys.

Chris continues to confound as the lead guitarist, who manages to appear to play two distinct roles at once, both lead and supporting rhythm to Nialls rhythm guitar. Doug managed to find some space in the set, to unleash his powerful drumming ability. Disko sprang to life on stage as the heavy bass rumbled throughout the evening.

With two songs to go, the audience were ushered closer to the stage, upon which Reader’s Wives in the seemingly innocent step of ‘now we’ll go acoustic’ immediately racked up the tempo and the final song You Must Have Been Crazy was met with demands for an encore.

It was a great round up to the whole evening and when they come back to London in May, it would be a good move to get to see them.

With their soon to be released EP, Victor’s Mother, Juliet marking the transition of the band from Nialls previous material, their album, which is taking shape and due out for release late summer, it should be a good year for the band. An old contact from Disko, Ger McDonnell, is engineering the release, I am looking forward to hearing what they have come up with.

Having been moved out of their old home in Dublin, Disko is moving to London and Chris is now dividing his time between Germany and Ireland. I didn’t check if Doug and Niall have a new home, but they did have on clean shirts, so I guess all is well. I expect as a result the Reader’s Wives trail will quickly start to extend over a broader base, than the home town of Dublin and the odd sojourn to London.

I had the delight of watching a couple of video interviews after the gig and those Balcony.tv clips really are as they seem. On the interview couch it is easy to see why these guys get on so well, making life for an interviewer a little complex to say the least. I hope the two interviews they carried out get released, it was particularly unsettling for the second interview team, from SeeSound to find JackO from Krakatoa take Chris’s place and answer the final interview question.

By comparison, my life is a breeze, I just turn up, have a few cigarettes and watch some great bands, then get home to recapture what I saw.

More information on Jay’s London Irish Showcase events

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Readers Wives photo credit Daniel D'Souza

All change in the chart this week, with two new entries and three new entries. The Drums retain their remarkable feat of having appeared in the chart every week since September 2009.

Band of the week: Top 10. Saturday 20th February 2010.

1. Reader’s Wives Ireland (re-entry)


Reader’s Wives on MUZU

2. Hotel of the Laughing Tree USA (new entry)
3. The Drums USA  (+ 5 places)
4. The Soft Pack USA (new entry)
5. My Glorious Austria (- 3 places)
6. Rajasthan Roots India (+ 4 places)
7. The Reactors UK (re-entry)
8. The Brassic UK (- 1 place)
9. Elephantom USA (- 8 places)
10. Divorce UK (re-entry)

Reader’s Wives who have been busy preparing their new EP recently, have an established fan base in their native Ireland and this is beginning to gather momentum with a wider international audience. The strong song writing skills of the band are complimented by experienced musicians, who are able to transpose the lyrical concepts to well crafted out-put.

Reader's Wives | Victor's Mother Juliet

On receiving the Demo, I eagerly opened the EP and pressed play. I was immediately struck with the depth of the release. I recognized, the art work, I recognized the voice, but was bowled over by the way the band had developed. Their ability to paint a picture not just lyrically, but with empathic instrumentation, is a superb testament to their abilities.

This is a brave release by Reader’s Wives, as it is a huge step away from the debut EP Secrecy and Sex, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This EP is a clear stepping stone in the development of Reader’s Wives and a new chapter, marking a moment in time when influences from everyone in the band has been fully realized and the LP due out later this year, I expect will be a stormer.

Victor’s Mother Juliet the opening track- Has the obvious song writing capabilites of Niall writ large over it. I heard this track at Peter Parkers, on the EP it has taken a step forward. No matter how many times I listen to this track, I still find something new in it. There is an acoustic feel which seems to make this an intimate one to one peformance. Yet the strong bass and layered vocal bring a roundness and depth means it can be sustained musically at both high and low volume, each providing a completely different feel: One bitter; The other of longing, try it and you will see what I mean (well I hope I haven’t completely lost my head).

Reader’s Wives – Victors Mother Juliet on MUZU

Beautiful Angel – sees the brand stike out with a superb melody, the track gave me the sense of looking at a portait of someone no longer there. The lyric evocatively reminiscing and the instrumentation providing a frame for the echoed voices.

Everything’s Better With You – Is a simple exposition of a split in a relationship. Musically the sense of chaos and and recrimination is creatively captured in just 1:10. As with the first EP, there is a song which very powerfully makes its statement by appearing to jar with the rest of the release. That ability to bring something completely different to the party, is precisely what makes Reader’s Wives such an interesting band. On the face of it, the track shouldn’t be here, but due to its stark clarity, it is in fact the very essence of the release.

Eyes like a Hutu – Listening to this track, I find myself drawn to an desolate bar in a French garrison town in Africa. With a provocative drum beat I couldn’t help tapping out myself and an accompainment of a mouth organ, Reader’s Wives paint images of loneliness and longing.

Working All Week – Is a showcase for the superb songwriting and composition skills of the band, as the acoustic guitar sets the scene for a lyric reflecting on the tenuous balance of inter-woven lives.

A powerful, atmospheric and thoughtful EP, Victor’s Mother Juliet, capably demonstrates the depth: lyrically, musically and emotionally, that marks out Reader’s Wives. They are able to surgically slice to the depth of emotions and extract a gently beating heart, vulnerable  yet with an inner strength. Leaving the listener, with a feeling of possibilities, despite a world of inner-conflict.

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Reader's Wives | Victor's Mother Juliet

8th February Atomic (DJ Set) @ Whelan’s Dublin 20:00

9th February Atomic (DJ Set) @ The Ruby Sessions Dublin 20:00

16th February Trashed On Tuesdays (DJ Set) @ Andrew’s Lane Theatre Dublin 20:00

19th February Home Town Weekender @ Shebeen Chic Dublin 20:00

20th February Home Town Weekender @ Shebeen Chic Dublin 20:00

11th March Showcase @ the Luminaire London 20:00

With more dates likely to be added to the list, the best way to keep up to date is through our weekly newsletter.

For more information on Reader’s Wives including a review of their last EP, Secrecy and Sex.

Having had an early promo copy of the new EP, keep your eye on the indie bands blog for a review, coming up pretty soon and I am hoping to be able to get to the Luminaire on 11th March, so if anyone is going to that gig, let me know, be great to meet up.

Readers Wives photo credit Daniel D'Souza

By the time the band had taken to the stage, the narrow venue was full as people waited in anticipation for the gig to start and suddenly Reader’s Wives were blasting their way through Light up. Niall O has great stage presence and his ability to combine self deprecating humour with serious lyrical content is superb to watch. Sexually Attracted to myself is brought to life by Niall Os’ stage craft.

Reader's Wives by Daniel D'Souza

At this point we were invited to raise our glasses and expectant of a sermon, the audience followed suit, to which Niall O merely wished us cheers and the band played on. This is a band who are in complete control of their music and performance. The staccato guitar and drum need precision timing to work and Reader’s Wives have it down to a tee. Guitars stopping precisely in time and recommencing right on cue.

Doug on drums and Disko on Bass keep a high tempo as the songs demand and are then able to control the slower pieces working really well together. On the guitars Niall O and Chris keep absolute relevance to the mood. The whole perception is of a band who really enjoy their craft and are determined to put out the best of themselves in performance with the skills to do this in a way that makes it all seem so naturally easy. Annabella and Victor’s mother Juliet were played with the band in full flow and confident mood.

Reader's Wives live @ Peter Parker’s Rock & Roll Club by Daniel D'Souza

By the time we had reached the end of the set, A sight for sore eyes, the audience were completely enthralled by the gift of the blarney stone that is Niall O. It was a fantastic set list which encompassed pretty well the essence of Reader’s Wives. It is of no surprise that the following is loyal and rapidly expanding and I would most certainly recommend getting out to see them when possible and in the mean time grabbing hold of their new EP, Secrecy & Sex .

I didn’t get much of an opportunity to meet the band before the gig, as I was stuck in traffic on the way in and afterwards I was able to grab a couple of minutes with Niall and Chris before they had to grab their kit from the stage. Thanks guys, great evening and hope to catch you again soon. For more on Reader’s Wives.

My blackjack and fruit-salad are perfectly safe…

Reader's Wives tour schedule

Thursday November 12th -  Peter Parker’s Rock & Roll Club, Tin Pan Alley, London WC2H 8LP
- (band on stage at 7pm)

Friday November 13th -  The Fly, London, WC1A 1EP  (band on stage at 8.15pm)

Saturday November 14th     - F.L.U. at Tommy Flynns, Camden, London, NW1 7JH (band onstage at 10.30pm)

Saturday November 21st Live @ Odessa, Dublin, Ireland

Friday December 4th Art Freckles @ The Back Loft, Dublin, Ireland

Additional dates are being added to the line up, so please keep your eye on my nowuntill on twitter, or on the blog for updates.

Reader' Wives - Secrecy and Sex

Sexually attracted to myself, is a lilting piece of work which provides a breadth of humour, superb instrumentation and real quality of musicianship as the slightly haunting echos bounce against the crystal clear vocals.

Advertising Heroin is constantly driven forward by the persistent beat of bass and drum, which suit superbly the lyric as the chaos of a life as an addict reaches its stuttering conclusion.

I don’t need to be seduced took me in to a smoke filled jazz room as the pace is slowed down once again. This is a complex piece of work that Reader’s Wives handle with ease.

The acoustic Dublin is all Pubs and Cranes is for me the most challenging track, as we are taken through the diversity of life in the city full of opportunity and extreme poverty.

I know I’m not your hero anymore uses, (I think) a muted megaphone to deliver the lyrics as the band reflect on a life that could have been so different. The use of a distorted voice of Niall H. gives the distinct feeling that the band is talking to a far more general audience. Without being condemnatory the question is clearly posed, do we all really do the best we can, or is the price of change more than we want to pay?

The EP, Secrecy and Sex is a great collection of work, as Reader’s Wives display their musical and songwriting abilities and far more importantly a genuine affinity for the work. There is absolutely no doubt this is an EP Reader’s Wives wanted to release, rather than being a release to meet a deadline.

Now available on . Thanks guys and hope to catch you next week in London.

Follow the link for more about Reader’s Wives.

Reader's Wives

The strength of the songwriting gives Reader’s Wives an immediate edge, which allows them to bring stories of everyday lives to life. They are a proudly independent band, unafraid to plough their own furrow with songs based on what is happening currently, which makes them ever fresh and relevant. It is the very completeness of the band which ensures material has a real depth of sound, with the bass and drums resonating in the background bringing the whole number to life.

It would be easy for the band to become just a vehicle for cleverly crafted musical ability. They are however far more than that, as they provide an emotional attachment to their performances. Reader’s Wives are a band who not only have a message, but have the skills to combine humour, well written lyrics and superb interplay between the band members and a real belief in their own material, which is far too frequently missing in many of the bands around. Exactly the mental positioning I like to write about on the indie bands blog.

myspace page

With an EP due for release in November, I will provide an update nearer the time. They are in the UK from the 12th to 14th November and I hope to be able to bring you some photographs from one of these shows.