Phil Udell: From Rags to Riches

The end of the year then and a time when journalists fall over themselves to get excited about new bands, with scant evidence to merit such hyperbole bar maybe one single and a handful of gigs. Forgive me, though, if I too join the foolhardy rush, as 2004 really did provide such a moment.

The Rags came out of north city Dublin with a debut EP so confident, so rounded and so good that you’d swear they’d been at it for years. Sure they weren’t reinventing the musical wheel (indie guitar being the order of the day) but everything about Me & The Moon – from the songs and performance to the packaging and management backup – suggests that the six piece are going to make their mark in a big way.
Crucially, they also sound as if they’ll travel well and appeal to audiences beyond these shores. It’s a quality that’s worth noting because , in the current do-it-yourself climate here, there is a danger that a headline slot at Whelan’s is the ultimate objective for some.
For me, the bands that most caught the attention in 2004 all displayed a wealth of ambition that marked them out as contenders both here and abroad.
The NPB have struggled more than most and yet remain unbowed; what’s more, they managed to produce their finest album to date by a mile, as well as nurturing talent such as Life After Modeling on their Catchy-Go-Go label. I’d love to see it happen for them.
Republic Of Loose similarly displayed a maverick spirit that may take them far. The Radio tread a less abrasive path than their separate previous incarnations (Chicks, Rollerskate Skinny), but their marriage of classic pop with darker undertones is hugely impressive.
The Chalets too walk the pop line, over the course of two single releases blossoming into something genuinely amazing.
Hopefully this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of bands out there – something that the Hard Working Class Heroes festival had a great stab at representing – and if we keep our ears to the ground, something great might just emerge.
Love them or loathe them, the ascent of The Frames has been a good thing, but let’s not stop looking for the Holy Grail.