Who is the most embarassing Irish musician/band around at the moment?

Valeriedoors

This topic came up on a recent very drunkin nite in the pub, The usual suspects of Boyzone/Westlife were top of the list. Does anyone have any suggestions/comments on this?!

Censorsh!t

How about Steer Clear.

MikeHoncho

Damien Dempsey. Hands down. I think he writes his songs in crayon.

Was in HMV the other day and they had his new CD on and it was just cringeworthy.

Honey-ec

Paddy Casey. He clearly wrote "Saints & Sinners" on the back of a beermat after a few too many. The most facile lyrics ever.

IanCurtis

The Frames.

They're god awful.

Clare Bear

Republic of Loose. Drunken muppets.

And that Michael English guy, the next Daniel O'Donnell. Lord help us!

Glassheart

MikeHoncho wrote: »

Damien Dempsey. Hands down. I think he writes his songs in crayon.

Was in HMV the other day and they had his new CD on and it was just cringeworthy.

You should take a listen to Colony.

His new cd is a collection of Irish Traditional songs anyway...

JerryHandbag

The Thrills, Westlife, Boyzone (Grown-Man Zone), The Saw Doctors...

Dlite

Love Republic of Loose but they did a song with that muppet Sinead O'Connor


Answer: The Rastafari Priestess that is Sinead O'Connor

PrivateEye

Actually very proud of Damien Dempsey. Colony is fantastic. I hate the over-simplistic 'The Brits done this, The brits done that' of the Wolfe Tones and the sort.... Dempsey makes the connection between kids in Dublin with no shoes in 1916, and kids in Gaza with no shoes today. He always opens that song by saying it's the political class who bring that kind of suffering on people, not ordinary British people who suffered at the hands of the same people. Young people who you hear shouting sectarian rubbish can learn from that, plenty of British people starved and were mistreated by those in power.

I've always loved singers who mix the personal and the political (Billy Bragg- Heres a song about a girl I went to school with, followed by a song about a miners strike )

Some of his earlier songs were a bit cringeworthy lyrically- but he's come on in leaps and bounds. Captures life for a lot of Dublin people now and in the past. I admit there's some of his tunes I avoid myself but :rolleyes:

Sing All Our Cares Away is a beautiful song.

Rita's little child, has a lovely little smile,
This means nothing to her father,
because he's never even seen her......

The Wolfe Tones make me want to destroy my Irish passport.
S
H
I
T
E

Nolanger

Aslan - bunch of no-hopers that should have been huge. Even made the front cover of NME back in the day.

Nailz

Sinead O'Connor (should have been kept of "The World Is Yours")
DoD,
Mundy,
BoyZone,
Westlife,
U2.

Dudess

I don't get the Irish tendency for embarrassment in relation to someone/something that shares the same nationality as us. I mean, do English people get embarrassed by Gareth Gates?

Anyhoo, some awful sh1t becomes successful in this country all right - that's the other end of the spectrum though: nail the fact that it's Irish to its mast and people are all over it like a rash... no matter how sh1t it is.

OP, does this have to be limited to "at the moment"? Because I think The Cranberries are one of the worst bands of all time. I think Hothouse Flowers are better than them, which is really saying something as I also think they're one of the worst bands of all time. And the easy listening stuff that comes out of this country - e.g. ballads for the Eurovision - so horrible and takes itself so seriously. Paul Harrington and the like - horrendous.

And oh yeah, Paddy Casey, Mundy, Aslan, The Frames, that lot who are always slated, but with good reason. I feel anger whenever I think about them. I like Bell X1 though - I think it's unfair to lump them in with the others.

I love Republic of Loose - they're superb and I consider them to be quite original. And I think Damien Dempsey's a great songwriter. People think he's a clown because of his accent and they presume he's not to be taken seriously, but in actual fact his lyrics are excellent. The likes of him would be considered an important, observant, political... I suppose protest singer in other countries.

Nailz

Oh I forgot Mike Denver.

KnifeWRENCH

Any of the current crop of bland singer-songwriters: Paddy Casey, Damiens Rice and Dempsey.

Anyone who's been on You're A Star (with a few exceptions)

I agree with most of what's been mentioned above. Siinead O'Connor is an embarassment to this country coz she's such a twat (which is a shame since she has a great voice) Republic of Loose are shocking - so so bad.

I don't agree with U2 or The Cranberries though - both great Irish bands imo.

Xavi6

MikeHoncho wrote: »

Damien Dempsey. Hands down. I think he writes his songs in crayon.

Clare Bear wrote: »

Republic of Loose. Drunken muppets.

JerryHandbag wrote: »

The Thrills

Nolanger wrote: »

Aslan

+1 to all that.

I'll stick in U2 as well. Shitebags.

Nailz

Nailz wrote: »

Sinead O'Connor (should have been kept of "The World Is Yours")
DoD,
Mundy,
BoyZone,
Westlife,
U2.

Ahem Xavi...

Dudess

Ooh yeah I detest the Thrills.

The Sawdoctors on the other hand: I don't like their music but they're only having a bit of a laugh so let them at it...

MikeHoncho

PrivateEye wrote: »

Actually very proud of Damien Dempsey. Colony is fantastic. I hate the over-simplistic 'The Brits done this, The brits done that' of the Wolfe Tones and the sort.... Dempsey makes the connection between kids in Dublin with no shoes in 1916, and kids in Gaza with no shoes today. He always opens that song by saying it's the political class who bring that kind of suffering on people, not ordinary British people who suffered at the hands of the same people. Young people who you hear shouting sectarian rubbish can learn from that, plenty of British people starved and were mistreated by those in power.

I've always loved singers who mix the personal and the political (Billy Bragg- Heres a song about a girl I went to school with, followed by a song about a miners strike )

Some of his earlier songs were a bit cringeworthy lyrically- but he's come on in leaps and bounds. Captures life for a lot of Dublin people now and in the past. I admit there's some of his tunes I avoid myself but :rolleyes:

Sing All Our Cares Away is a beautiful song.



The Wolfe Tones make me want to destroy my Irish passport.
S
H
I
T
E

Seriously?

I think I hate him even more now.

Dudess

Early U2 is quality - as in, pre 1983. You can hear it in the output of yer Interpols and Editors...

Parrish_Crooks

Republic of Loose are a bunch off fcukin clowns, and not the funny kind.

"Some of your jokes are real funny, Ya kind of remind me of Bugs Bunny"

"Thisssss is ma... this is ma comeback girl"

*shivers*

EvolutionNights

Don’t know if they are still around but B*Witched really made a laughing stock out of the Irish music scene. I thought I seen a poster the other day for them playing some boozer. Could have been a nasty flashback though.

kensutz

Paddy Casey

Steve_o

B*Witched
Mundy
The Thrills
Damien Dempsey
Brendan O'Connor
Daniel O'Donnell
Boyzone

thats all i can think of right now...

PS. EvolutionNights...B*Witched played at Rag Week in Maynooth either this year or last year, apparently the crowd were embarrased for them!!!

Dudess

EvolutionNights wrote: »

Don’t know if they are still around but B*Witched really made a laughing stock out of the Irish music scene. I thought I seen a poster the other day for them playing some boozer. Could have been a nasty flashback though.

Oh yeah, B*Witched! They were so awesomely bad. The thought of them raises a smile though - because they really were a joke. Last action I heard of where they were concerned: early 2005 at the opening of a shopping centre in Cork! Hahahahahahahaha!

lordgoat

Dudess wrote: »

I don't get the Irish tendency for embarrassment in relation to someone/something that shares the same nationality as us. I mean, do English people get embarrassed by Gareth Gates?

I would be embarassed about any band singing come out ye black n tans or other such songs, it's from a time past and we really should move one from it. Hate only harbours and brings about more hate. I'm not saying forget your history or forget what happened but to try and keep some balance to it.

stovelid

The status of Damien Dempsey or Kila as the boils-on-the-arse-of-Irish-music is ever-topical and unchanging for me.

Dudess

lordgoat wrote: »

I would be embarassed about any band singing come out ye black n tans or other such songs, it's from a time past and we really should move one from it. Hate only harbours and brings about more hate. I'm not saying forget your history or forget what happened but to try and keep some balance to it.

Yeah, that's different because those muppets claim to represent the Irish people. Although I wouldn't be embarrassed by it - I'd just laugh at them. That said though, one time, a couple of my friends from England were over and they wanted to go to a trad pub so we made the mistake of bringing them to a place with a band playing skanger rebel songs for the night (it was advertised as "trad"). I was mortified, but not because I'm Irish and those knackers are Irish, it was simply because the situation was so uncomfortable and tense.
But I wouldn't be embarrassed by any bad pop/rock act on the basis that they share my nationality - this isn't the only country that produces sh1t music. And the music doesn't actually have anything to do with nationality anyway...

ZakAttak

I could say Loius Walsh, but he's not a musical act.

I would have to go for Fionn Regan- Ireland's answer to James Blunt.

'Ol Jack Chance

Two words: Ritchie Kavanagh

There's one gene pool that could've done with some chlorine!

U2 and damien dempsey are good specially dempseys new stuff!

Nolanger

Hothouse Flowers are worse than Westlife.

katy brock

Valeriedoors wrote: »

This topic came up on a recent very drunkin nite in the pub, The usual suspects of Boyzone/Westlife were top of the list. Does anyone have any suggestions/comments on this?!

Not really. You were right the first time.

katy brock

Nolanger wrote: »

Hothouse Flowers are worse than Westlife.

Disagree. Hothouse flowers were crap but tried to sing and play instruments. Westlife and Boyzone don`t do anything.

lordgoat

katy brock wrote: »

Disagree. Hothouse flowers were crap but tried to sing and play instruments. Westlife and Boyzone don`t do anything.

While i'm not a fan of either to say they don't do anything is just ridiculous. They are commercially unbelievably successful, they would sell out quicker than any other irish artist any number of shows. So while they might be crap they certainly do something right.

Dudess

I'd say that's more to do with their publicists, agents, management - led by a certain Louis Walsh...

Blub Blub

Samantha Mumba...

Glassheart

How has Chris De Burgh not been mentioned yet?

Yet somehow U2 and Damien Dempsey are 'embarassing'...:rolleyes:

Creature

Yeah I strongly dislike a lot of bands mentioned here such as The Thrills, Damian Dempsey and Paddy Casey, but they wouldn't be embarrassing. Now Daniel O'Donnell. Embarrassment personified, in a white suit and dodgy perma-grin.

eamon234

The High Kings - what a bunch of arses - Designer Trad - that's all we need

Max_Damage

Richie Kavanagh

Is he still around?

ironictoaster

Westlife.

katy brock

lordgoat wrote: »

While i'm not a fan of either to say they don't do anything is just ridiculous. They are commercially unbelievably successful, they would sell out quicker than any other irish artist any number of shows. So while they might be crap they certainly do something right.

I know what you mean, but the thing is they don`t write any songs, don`t play any instruments, don`t own own any of the publishing or recording rights of the alleged music and are probably just paid a wage by their Manager Louis Walsh. Basically, Boyzone and Westlife are just stooges!

lordgoat

katy brock wrote: »

I know what you mean, but the thing is they don`t write any songs, don`t play any instruments, don`t own own any of the publishing or recording rights of the alleged music and are probably just paid a wage by their Manager Louis Walsh. Basically, Boyzone and Westlife are just stooges!

I still would never be embarrassed by them, it's not like that type of band are unique to just ireland. A serious amount of artists don't own their music, again i don't think that's a reason to be embarrassed by them. But if that makes you blush then fair enough!

shane86

Johnny Logan. The man is cheesier than the burgers he flogs on his McDonalds ads.

Aslan. Ive ended up at several of their gigs by accident. Must remember my Kevlar stab vest next time :eek:

Republic of Loose, The Coronas, The Frames, basically any going nowhere band that regularly plays to crowds of adoring 19 year old UCD Arts students on weeknights in Crawdaddys.

That plonker who threw a few sour grapes around when the country voted for Dustin instead of him

Damien Rice.

Nailz

shane86 wrote: »

Republic of Loose, The Coronas, The Frames, basically any going nowhere band that regularly plays to crowds of adoring 19 year old UCD Arts students on weeknights in Crawdaddys.

Mmm, don't they normally like people who can write songs with crayons who are dubbed as 'genius'' just to look smart and safisticated?

rowlandbrowner

Dudess wrote: »

The Sawdoctors on the other hand: I don't like their music but they're only having a bit of a laugh so let them at it...

I have the utmost respect for anyone who can pen a line like "get that wasp off my sandwich"

darrenw5094

B*Witched........cringe.

'I'll fight ye like me da'

WTF

Bren_M.Records

I "think" that should read........
"some people say I fight like me da, they say I look like him too"

I know, scary!

darrenw5094 wrote: »

B*Witched........cringe.

'I'll fight ye like me da'

WTF

nc13

Hi I only found this site and agree with a lot of posts, but at the moment I think Damine Dempsey is just taking the mick. He is covering classic songs and distroying them. He wants to be like Christy Moore and Ronnie Drew and making a balls of it. There is not the talent around Ireland now like in the late 80s and early 90s.

JackKelly

While I agree that some of Damien Dempsey's songs are cringeworthy (Dublion town - wtf!), calling him an embarrassment to Ireland is ridiculous.
Listen to "It's All Good","Great Gaols of Ireland" or "Choctaw Nation". 3 great great songs. A lot of the rubbish he fills the albums with is by request of his label for radio-friendy (****e) tracks.

Same thing with Aslan. While their following might be a bit questionable, and their drug habits out of control, they produced some amazing tracks. I'd hardly call them an embarresment to Ireland.

nc13

Hi TimAy, Dempsey may be a good song writer but his attempt at singing is a joke. My 3 year old could do better. At least he can write not like Westlife and Boyzone.