The Goo 1
Words: Niall McGuirk SEP '25 PUNK On 6th Septembe
r The Grand Social roars back with the resurrection of Dublin’s infamous Let’s Get Serious festival – four decades after it first tore up the city’s stages. For just €20, expect a wall-to-wall punk assault from scene legends and rising forces. TV Smith & Paranoid Visions headline with cuts from The Cheap plus anthems from across punk history, joined by The Coathanger Solution, UK livewire Yur Mum (Dublin debut), snarling locals Molly Vulpyne Band, Cork streetpunk heroes Easy Company, and the dark, dynamic Arcadian Shadows. Smith also delivers a blistering solo acoustic set. McDowells in Inchicore is kicking off with loads of gigs. Of course the nature of these types of gigs is that advance notice doesn’t come too far in advance, not great for columnists with extended deadlines. Watch out for it as it’s a very interesting spot. If being hit by a very heavy, yet very bouncy anvil sounds like it could be your thing then make the short trip to Droghda to see the Brighton two-piece hardcore/ sludge band Human Leather. They are playing McHughs with the Improvisational/experimental collective, Organs on Sept 6, alternatively go see them in McDowells the previous night, Sept 5 with Vultures You Know & Creepy Future. It’s easy to forget that the members of the Redneck Manifesto all started out in the diy punk and hardcore scene. Whether that was flexihead, blackbelt jones or I am the waltons these bands were the formative genesis of the rednecks. The band are now back doing sporadic gigs including one to launch the new record in the Button Factory with Skloss and Kaja on Sept 6. Also on the same night in the Thomas House are Wasps vs humans & Thewlis in the Thomas House. Anna’s Anchor are back in little Whelans Sept 20. Nice to see the band playing some gigs again. Cockney Rejects are back touring again following on from their grand finale tour last year. The band enjoyed it so much they are back on the road. This time in the Grand Social, Sept 27. Barely a month goes by without referencing Paranoid Visions and this time it is the launch of their new biopic- Outsider Artists: The Story of Paranoid Visions. Filmed independently over six years by CLIFFORD CLIFFORD PRODUCTION—a father-and-son duo comprised of Dave Clifford (editor of VOX Magazine, 1980–83) and musician/filmmaker Greg Clifford— this is a documentary built from the same resilient, self-taught, and rebellious spirit it celebrates. It’s not just a film about a band; it’s a lens through which to explore the cultural and social conditions that made punk not just music, but a movement. With a rotating cast of approximately 35 members since its formation—while core members Deko Dachau (vocals) and Peter PA Jones (guitar) have remained constants—Paranoid Visions’ story is as chaotic, inspiring, and unrelenting as punk itself. The documentary features intimate interviews with current and former band members, as well as punk luminaries including John Robb (The Membranes), TV Smith (The Adverts), Pete Holidai (The Radiators From Space), Dick Lucas (Subhumans), and Steve Ignorant (Crass)—a pivotal figure in shaping the band’s direction. It also includes voices from a new generation of Irish punk artists, such as Meryl Streek and Vulpynes. Watch out for the official launch in the Sugar Club on Sept 29. 37