Playlist 23.08.10

Back in the very first issue of Alternative Ulster magazine, there was an excited article about 'Ballymena Beat'. It was a fanciful idea, and it centered about a bunch of old schoolmates who were playing in each other's bands. I can't remember which acts were cited, but I do suspect that The Throes were involved. They were a rumbling menace, with singer Eamonn using his words like a circus knife-thrower, evidently inspired by Dylan and Lou Reed.

The band expired a while ago, but Eamonn and some of his pals have regrouped as The Holy Innocents. Mark McCambridge is sharing the songs and adding a mournful tone to the show. They are spread between London, Ballymena and Belfast, and when they played at McHugh's last Saturday night, it seemed that precision wasn't part of the deal. But there was excellent attitude and that insouciant style that revealed a deep and assured grasp of the music that's significant. Their sails are lifted by Neil Young's 'Wayward Wind' and their spiritual advisor is Leonard Cohen. I do hope that they travel well and often.

BBC Radio Ulster, 92-95 FM

Online: www.bbc.co.uk/radioulster

Mondays, ten - midnight

Playlist 23.08.10

The Coral - More Than A Lover (Deltasonic)

Ben Folds, Nick Hornby - From Above (Nonesuch)

Villagers - That Day (Domino)

Li'l Millet And His Creoles - Rich Woman (Specialty)

The Duke And The King Hudson River (Loose)

Paul Weller - Andromeda (Island)

Piney Gir - Lucky Me (Damaged Goods)

The Jim Jones Revue - Righteous Wrong (Punk Rock Blues)

Gene Vincent - Blue Jean Bop (Poppy Disc)

The Drums - Down By The Water (Moshi Moshi)

Eddie Vedder - Better Days (Island)

The Holy Innocents - Epistle To Home (white)

The Mighty Stef, Shane MacGowan - Waiting Round To Die (Cherry Red)

Georgie Fame - Baby Please Don't Go (Spectrum)

Deerhunters - Revival (4ad)

Tom Waits - Way Down In The Hole (Island)

The Cribs - Housewife (Wichita)

The Duke And The King - Gloria (Loose)

David Rotheray - The Sparrow, The Thrush And The Nightingale (Proper)

John Prine - Angel From Montgomery (Oh Boy)

Agnes Obel - Falling, Catching (PIAS)

The Arcade Fire - City With No Children (Mercury)

Brian Ferry - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Virgin)

Danny and the Champions - For The Sake Of The Song (Cherry Red)

Mississippi Sheiks - Sitting On Top Of the World (Snapper)

David Rotheray, Eliza Carthy The Road To The South (Proper)

The Housemartins - Build (Go Discs)

The Transatlantics - Tea Legs (Freestyle)