On the Loose
A Friday or two ago, I went to see the Republic of Loose during their residency at Dublin’s Academy. I’d heard great things about the new album (the first tune from it, “I Love Music” is a winner) and I’d seen them back in January in Groningen, but the home turf is always more of a test.
It was a hell of a show. For a start, watching the audience was almost as entertaining as what was happening onstage. That floorshow was a flotsam and jetsam of Dublin past, present and future: apprentice chancers from a decade ago who’ve now graduated to prize chancers, a couple of multi-millionaires, a pair of weather-beaten poets, a future TD for Dublin South, contestants from Terenure’s Next Top Model, a few Italian wideboys who kept admiring each other’s perfectly sculpted sideburns, three Nigerian body-builders and at least 67 twentysomething first-jobbers with large credit card debts.
The real action, though, was happening onstage. Few acts can match the Loose when it comes to firing up funky riffs, chunky breaks and stone-cold infectious verse-chorus-verse bits all night long. They don’t look it, but they’re the house band at the Apollo on an alternative univese.
But best of all, they’ve a show-stealing frontman in Mick Pyro. Channelling in fairly equal measure the spirits of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, James Brown, Brendan Grace, Solomon Burke, Joe Dolan and LL Cool J, Pyro cajoled, provoked, teased, screamed, shouted, stomped and flirted away for the entire set. Any time the show was on the verge of flagging, Pyro would intuitively stoke up the atmosphere again. He was putting the “show” in “showbusiness” that night for sure.
For any long-time Loose watchers, the most noticable thing about the show was that Pyro was as sober as a disctrict court judge on his way to an all-night poker game. Now and then, Pyro would take a swig from a bottle of beer, but he wasn’t as messy or unfocused as we’ve seen him at previous shows. He was sharp, on point, rolling with it. The two facts may well be related.
The drink made an appearance in Neil Dunphy’s fine interview with the band in the Sunday Tribune. Dunphy realised that Pyro’s battle with the bottle had as much to do with the band and new album “Volume IV: Johnny Pyro and the Dance of Evil” as the music which inspired the songs.
Pyro certainly had no problems with Dunphy’s questions:
“Look, I have no problem admitting I’m an alcoholic. I gave up for a year and then fell off the wagon.”
There’s a song on the new album about it, titled ‘Poquito’. “It’s true, yeah. It’s about me falling off the wagon. Trying to describe that feeling. I’m not drinking spirits anymore.”
Is he aware where it all could go? “Well I’m aware of where it is. I drink too much. I have a problem with alcohol. I have to stop, but I need time off to do it. I don’t buy into a lot of the psychology on it, though. If I thought what I was doing was making my art suffer, I wouldn’t do it. I’m trying. I’m taking it pretty easy just drinking beer. I was pretty scared of making some of the music we are making, even the hip-hop on the new album. But you have to listen to yourself. I can be pretty cynical of people telling me what to do or that what I’m doing is wrong.”
Most of the new album was written while Pyro was on the wagon for the year. “I don’t think alcohol has anything to do with creativity, ” he says. “I get very anxious sometimes in social situations and it can help you then, but in terms of writing songs, drink is nothing but a hindrance. I was drunk writing ‘Comeback Girl’, but then maybe that’s why it’s a repetitive hit.”
Whatever about the ease with which Irish society as a whole self-medicates with alcohol for all that ails them, musicians have a much more complex relationship with drink. At work and play, alcohol is there at every single turn. They’re probably playing in a licensed premises so it’s available before the show and after the show. It’s probably on the posters advertising the gig too in the shape of the ubiquitous sponsorship from some drinks company or other and it’s on the rider in the dressingroom too. Like every other sector in society, some handle it fine while others, well, just don’t handle it at all and go off the rails.
It’s the same when it comes to admitting there’s a problem. Some do and some prefer to keep up the illusion that life is A-OK. They maintain the bravado, sink a couple of pints and play Jack-the-lad rather than admit this drug has taken over their life to the extent that they can’t function without it.
But as Pyro showed, that belief is a bit of a fake. He points out in the Tribune interview that being off the drink didn’t have any detrimental effect on his songwriting for the new album, which is probably their finest work to date. And, on the basis of that Academy show a few weeks ago, it has been nothing but beneficial for his mojo as a frontman either.
it’s cool that he is beating the bottle. maybe i can blame booze on why they were rubbish supporting ian brown and at oxegen……and on record to date. i just don’t get them, to me they sound like a dodgy 80’s jazz funk band
Comment by petee | April 29, 2008 at 9:51 amI believe the art is suffering though perhaps that began when his drink problem worsened?? The 1st album was a gem, raw, bluesy, soully & funky, ever since they’ve descended into a parody of themselves. Which is a terrible shame as they had so much promise to begin with. Then again there’s always gonna be a limit to the amount of soul a shower of middle class “arty types” from Terenure can muster up, isn’t there???
Comment by DepthChargeEthel | April 29, 2008 at 10:31 amBooze culture = laziness = why Ireland produces so few decent bands.
Comment by Bob | April 29, 2008 at 11:19 amBooze culture = laziness = why Ireland produces so few decent bands
But surely booze culture isn’t just confined to bands? Isn’t it the case that the relationship with booze is what is responsible for what a really fucked-up society we have in Ireland? I know plenty of people like Mick Pyro but very, very few of them would come out like he did and talk about it.
Comment by Vinnie | April 29, 2008 at 11:27 amat the risk of sounding eyebrowy-esque..that band have never hit the live heights of johnny pyro back in the..still mighty impressive however…
Comment by ciaran | April 29, 2008 at 1:18 pmI don’t get them either. There’s nothing original about them, just a hotch-potch of other people’s ideas mixed together with a bit of zeitgeist juice and a few catchy hooks.
FWIW, I think “Ireland’s dependence on booze” is blown out of all proportion. Ireland doesn’t have a drink problem, some people in Ireland have a drink problem. That sort of attitude is one of the reason the publicans in FF have been able to introduce draconian drinking laws.
If someone is an alcoholic is it really going to make that much of a difference that the offy closes an hour earlier?
Comment by Paul | April 29, 2008 at 1:52 pmbooze has nothing to do with it..
Where would Brendan Behan have been without booze?
Sebastien Tellier is an alcoholic and he consistently brings out cool stuff
ROL just arent a very good band - undergraduate styled humour - the mad lads in school who only listened to black music and still think Samuel L Jackson is funny.
Comment by Owen | April 29, 2008 at 2:11 pmthe booze is just something for journalists to write about
ROL are a great band IMO. Have seen them countless times and they are consistently awesome, and would blow most other bands off the stage regarding musicianship, energy, the songs themselves, presence etc.
Saw them last Friday night @ the Academy and it was the same story. Just great.
Regarding the excessive boozing, it’s one of the greatest perils of the music industry, most industries, Irish life, and life in general. It’s pretty refreshing for someone like Mick to come out and say he has a problem. Maybe it will make other people examine their behaviour, or maybe he is just worse than other people. At least he’s talking about it.
Comment by UnaRocks | April 29, 2008 at 2:20 pmRegarding the excessive boozing, it’s one of the greatest perils of the music industry, most industries, Irish life, and life in general. It’s pretty refreshing for someone like Mick to come out and say he has a problem. Maybe it will make other people examine their behaviour, or maybe he is just worse than other people. At least he’s talking about it.
Excessive alcohol is a peril to life in general? We need to get this news onto the front of the Metro pronto.
Comment by Steve K | April 29, 2008 at 2:58 pmjust because someone has a addiction does not mean they should talk about it and it does not make it refreshing.
Comment by Cj | April 29, 2008 at 3:09 pmI do like the new single, better than their previous stuff, I think.
Comment by kDamo | April 29, 2008 at 3:23 pmI haven’t seen these guys live since back when they were Johnny Pyro and the Button Factory was the TBMC.
Unfortunately, we had a misunderstanding with Mick about a week previous and he wasn’t happy with our presence at his gig.
Funny though.
Its amazing how defensive people get when alcoholism and Irish people comes up for discussion like this.
Comment by Rasputin | April 29, 2008 at 3:25 pmIts amazing how defensive people get when alcoholism and Irish people comes up for discussion like this.
Not to mention bored.
Comment by Steve K | April 29, 2008 at 3:44 pmI prefer to describe it as defensive. Some of the comments above are ridiculously defensive, as if “how dare anyone suggest we have a problem with our drinking”. I think it’s this reluctance to face the truth which is at the centre of Ireland’s horrible relationship with alcohol. Sure why bother when you can have another pint, hah?
Comment by Rasputin | April 29, 2008 at 3:50 pmI think there is a HUGE cultural problem in this country in relation to alcohol. Every social event is associated with drink. And not just one or two drinks, but getting drunk.
You only realise how massive a problem this is when you go travelling across Europe. The cultural difference in attitudes towards alcohol in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Holland, etc etc is incomparable with our own.
I could not dislike Republic of Loose more. Their music really annoys me, as does their lead singer. However, i applaud anyone brave enough to speak honestly and openly about an issue many would prefer we ignored.
Comment by Conor Furlong | April 29, 2008 at 3:50 pmto be honest they just sound like a dodgy covers band. however fair play to him if hes beating the bottle
Comment by derek m | April 29, 2008 at 5:46 pmSeem like an honest set of lads but my lord they are a monumentally terrible band.
Comment by hugger | April 29, 2008 at 10:20 pmthe only thing I ever enjoyed about ROL was that muppet of a lead singer dropping the mic on the Late Late show.. just so I could point and laugh. Awful band!
Comment by redc | April 30, 2008 at 12:51 amI still don’t get why people say they are an “awful band”. Fair enough if it’s not your thing but you can’t see Mik Pyro sing live and hear the band perform and say that they are awful. They are superb musicians in their own right and what’s more is the gigs are great fun as Jim has pointed out. Everyone’s dancing, enjoying themselves - and as for the drink - well that’s a whole other subject.
Comment by trix | April 30, 2008 at 3:57 pmThe pro-/anti- ‘Loose balance is in severe need of a redressing here! They’re a great band, can’t wait to hear the new album. Didn’t realise they divided opinion so much, either..
Comment by Lauren | May 1, 2008 at 2:09 amHmm…The Republic of Loose playing at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe…that would be great.
Comment by aoife mc | May 1, 2008 at 10:08 pmI loved their first album, but I bypassed the second one - didn’t like Comeback Girl. I also think ‘I Love Music’ is a winner.
Heard the album for the first time yesterday - there’s a bit of filler on it, but there are some crackers there too. I think they’re a bit of a misunderstood band. They’re loads of fun live and have oozles of attitude. In the nicest possible way.
So what if the singer dropped the mic on the late late show? It got my dad talking about music again. He thought it was hilarious. But he liked the tune too!