Fuckin' breadly! ham sandwich earn their crust by playing a butterly brilliant gig!

Its rare to read something about Ham Sandwich that doesn't have an obligatory cringey pun about their name. However, in fairness, they brought the current shitstorm of cruddy bread-related references on themselves that fateful day they chose to stick with the name for good. So its a measure of their rapidly burgeoning popularity that people are getting used to it. A woman I work with and who is in her early sixties mentioned them to me with a straight face the other day. For some reason, it was all I could do not to choke on laughter snot. Why was it funny? I really don't know. It just was. There are some things that older people should be spared the indignities of naming. Namely stinger bars, CBBC programmes such as Tellytubbies/Tweenies/The Hoobs and bands called Ham Sandwich. Well, at least they will never be banned from playing festivals like those poor sods Holy Fuck.

Live pic by Loreana


I went down to Wheelie-bins last week to check out the 'Sambo for what was probably the 20th time. As I've said before, I have a vested interest in this band as Podge is a close mate and I've known the others well over the years. But this was a bleedin' massive gig, and I reckon I'd say that regardless of whether the fuck I knew them or not. Nobody could deny the exuberant rock'n'roll credentials that were on display, flowing out of this raggedy bunch in showers of tickertape and blasts of pure power-pop. There was so much to enjoy, from Ollie's muscular drumming (which I think is absolutely key to their arresting live sound), to the playful enthusiasm etched all over Podge and Niamh's faces, and not forgetting the crowd pleasing jangly/loud aesthetic of the songs themselves. Also, it was surprising to see so many people hollering along the words of lesser known tracks from a record barely out a week. They have a following. Ham Sandwich have something special that is winning over the Irish public right now. I think this could be their inclusiveness. When they are at their best, their live performances include the audience as the sixth member. They court the crowd, banter with them, and make no secret of how much of a buzz they get from the attention. This sure beats the standard spectacle of frozen dudes with haircuts churning out pedestrian po-faced riffs and barked lyrics. It was a great night, and I won't be surprised if another Meteor ends up in the bag next year for best Irish Live Performance.

Finally, I must admit to having initial doubts about the new single Keepsake, thinking it was a bit laid back for a band that excels at rushing power pop. But last Saturday it had morphed into a bit of a sing-a-long anthem which ended on a mad cadbury's gorilla style drum solo from Podge that brought the house down. Fair Fucks. Oh and one more thing. The animated video by Kells artist Marc Corrigan that they previewed for forthcoming single Broken Glass is really something else.