While Dublin’s literati wandered around in silly Edwardian costumes celebrating the fictional Bloom, the Village bore witness to the return of another long-exiled, real life Dublin institution. The 2004 version of The Radiators presented an intriguing prospect to the full-house, which was made up of long-time fans, ex-punks, scene-makers and assorted Horslips, not knowing quite what to expect. But they needn’t have worried. After a wobbly start, the band, which included original members Phil Chevron, Pete Holidai and Steve Rapid, quickly found their feet and proceeded to tear into their hallowed legacy with a renewed vigour. The early part of the set included incendiary versions of punk-pop gems like ‘Million Dollar Hero’, ‘Sunday World’ and ‘Prison Bars’ that defied the passage of time.
Chevron was in mischievous form as he dedicated ‘Under Clery’s Clock’ to “all the married gay men in the audience.” But the real surprise was Cait O’Riordan, who not only excelled on bass but took the lead vocal on ‘Kitty Rickets’, updating Agnes Bernell’s cabaret vamp.
An updated version of their classic debut single, ‘Television Screen’, saw sporadic outbreaks of pogo-ing, while their best-known creation, ‘Song of the Faithful Departed’ was re-invented yet again this time in a slow-burning mournful tone. The set was fleshed out with some inspired covers, including Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring Of Fire’ which saw Rapid coming into his own, while a version of Creedence Clearwater’s Vietnam-inspired ‘Fortunate Son’ was both timely and relevant, proving that the Radiators still have something to say.
Brilliant – and not a straw boater in sight!