Mullingar may not be the first place that springs to mind as a centre of happening rock and roll. But right now, that’s just what it is. Look no further than the front cover of this issue, adorned by The Blizzards, for confirmation. And then there is The Aftermath, another of Ireland’s current hot prospects.
Lead singer and guitar wizard Johnny Cronin points out that the Co. Westmeath town has a vibrant music and cultural community, not to mention a great venue in The Stables. It has even enjoyed the occasional visit from pop royalty and Hollywood A-listers.
“Everyone probably thinks of it as the home of the late great Joe Dolan and people like Foster and Allen,” he says. “But that’s not the only music connection. Apart from us, there’s bands like The Blizzards and people like Mark Geary and Pete Holidai from the Radiators living around here. J. P. Donleavy lives nearby in a house that [Sound of Music star] Julie Andrews used to own. And Johnny Depp was spotted around here a few weeks ago – he’s apparently bought the film rights to Donleavy’s Ginger Man.”
The Prince of Pop himself even paid a visit to the town a few years ago, according to Cronin.“It’s absolutely true,” he beams. “Michael Jackson was in Mullingar at least once, around that time he was recording in Grouse Lodge. He actually went to the cinema – which is located directly behind our house – with his kids to see some Christmas movie. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet him! He could’ve dropped around for a cup of tea and a bit of a jam (laughs).”
Given its location, slap-bang in the centre of the country, Mullingar is, he says, the perfect location for a touring band. “The showbands discovered that years ago, which is probably why so many of them came from around here. You can get to anywhere in Ireland in a few hours north or south. The other night I went to see Supergrass in Dublin and it took forty minutes to get from the Ha’penny Bridge to the house here.”
The Aftermath – Johnny Cronin (guitar, vocals) his brother Michael (drums) Justin McNabb (guitar) and Martin Gray (bass) – have been on a bit of a roll recently with mainly full houses on their never-ending Irish tour. Their full-on blend of Anglo-pop rock (with more than a hint of mod to it) has been variously described as Arcade Fire meets Franz Ferdinand or, as one reviewer put it, “they sound like Roxy Music having a fight with the Pixies down a Northern backstreet.” Their current album, Friendlier Up Here is chock full of the kind of brilliantly insidious tunes that are impossible to ignore. Check out the latest single, ‘One Is Fun’ for confirmation.
The Cronin brothers were born and bred in nearby Drumlish, Co. Longford but the family left for the UK when they were young. “My dad was a JCB driver, so like almost everyone else in the building game at the time he had to emigrate when things got bad here. We lived in Leeds, which was a great place and we’ve been back and forth over the years. We’re not quite sure where we’re at sometimes – but we feel more Irish than anything. I probably feel a bit like Shane MacGowan or Phil Lynott must have felt when they moved back here. Anyway, we’re the first rock and roll band ever to come out of Longford town to get into the charts – and that’s something to be proud of.”
Cronin now lives in a newly-built house on the outskirts of the town which is, he says, “conveniently” right across from St Loman’s Mental Hospital. “It’s a bit like Brookside Close actually, if anyone remembers the long-running Channel 4 soap. Mick lives a few doors away and the rest of the lads are always hanging out here. It’s almost like that scene in the Beatles film Help!, where they all live next door to each other in a row of terraces but when they go in – it’s one big house.”
As well as having the requisite massive music and DVD collection, the Cronin household is a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of memorabilia, particularly of the ‘60s vintage, including film posters of the kitchen-sink “grim up north” variety. “I have quite a few of them including Poor Cow, Billy Liar, This Sporting Life, Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner. We collect Toby jugs as well, and those tacky snow-storms which you see everywhere. I collect autographs too. I’ve got loads – everyone from Lee Hazlewood to Brigitte Bardot.”
DVDs on regular rotation include classic ‘60s and ‘70s fare: “I’m loving watching Budgie at the moment (‘70s TV sit-com featuring Adam Faith), but I love Steve Coogan, all that stuff.”
Despite the pervading doom and gloom descending on the country like a dark cloud Cronin thinks the music industry will survive the downturn: “If people are depressed or on the dole they go back to the bars and to the gigs – that’s what I think anyway.”
That’s our economic woes solved in one simple equation!