The Goo 1
Opinion DAN HEGARTY Stop, Rewind, Change Sides Th
e post-Christmas/New Year hangover can often stretch deep into January and February for some of us. The line-up for next month’s Borderline Festival may act as a remedy. Taking place at The Workman’s Club on February 21st and 22nd, it features acts like Grove, Pale Blue Eyes, TTSSFU, Personal Trainer, and excellent Irish acts like Adore, Yard and Theatre. After releasing ‘ECCE HOMO’, last year, Gavin Friday will play his play his first Irish live dates since 2011 in April. The show in Dundalk on April 8th will be a chance to see him in the intimate surrounding of the Spirit Store. Two days later, he’ll be in Vicar Street in Dublin for what looks like a live date that you won’t want to miss. The Resurrection of the cassette format is one that I didn’t see coming. With this comes a stoplight on many forgotten albums. Described by an associate of mine (who I won’t name) as the donkey of all formats, the cassette has become a favourite again among those who remember their heyday, and to a generation that until recently would have only seen them in Instagram posts or while looking through dusty boxes of treasures that have been in storage for decades. That said; a person who has a column called Stop, Rewind, Change Sides can hardly throw stones here. There is a certain kind of thrill of finding old favourites from acts like Power Of Dreams, Sinead O’Connor and That Petrol Emotion, alongside more recent ones by Denise Chaila, Just Mustard and Telefis. It’s strange being drawn back into a world I thought I’d long left behind. Finally for now, it’s hard to believe that it was this month last year that Sprints brought us their debut album ‘Letter To Self’. It was one of the finest debuts released in 2024, and saw the band clock up more touring miles than many would cover in an entire career. Featuring outrageously good tracks like ‘Cathedral’ and ‘Adore Adore Adore’, it’s as engaging a listen now as it was 12 months ago on a first listen. PAGE 6