The Goo 1
Regular Words: Paul McDermott @learnandsing TO HE
RE KNOWS WHEN – GREAT IRISH ALBUMS REVISITED EXIT TRASHTOWN BY CYPRESS, MINE! Cypress, Mine! were from Cork, they formed in 1984 after guitarist Ian Olney met Dennis O’Mullane (or Skoda as he was known) at a youth CND meeting. Mark Healy was on drums and Ciarán Ó Tuama was the singer. That summer The Bluebells reached No. 13 in the Irish Singles Chart with ‘Young at Heart’ and were booked to play a gig in the seaside town of Ballybunion. As fans of Glasgow and Edinburgh bands, and Postcard bands Josef K and Orange Juice, Cypress, Mine! hopped in a van and drove to Co. Kerry. They arrived at the Atlantic Ballroom during The Bluebells’ soundcheck and blagged their way onto the bill. It was their first gig. “I was watching them soundcheck,” remembers Ian. “They played ‘South Atlantic Way’ off their album, it’s got a slow build-up. I had hairs on the back of my neck when they kicked in, it sounded absolutely amazing.” The following year Cypress, Mine! shared a stage with U2 at the inaugural Lark by the Lee, they toured Ireland with Blue in Heaven and Cactus World News and also played gigs with Echo & the Bunnymen, Aztec Camera and Microdisney. Rory Gallagher came to one of the band’s London gigs. “He came in for the gig, watched it and then came backstage after44 wards. It was lovely to meet him,” says Mark. “I can still remember him complimenting Ian on his guitar work, he meant it too, he wasn’t just saying it.” I ask Ian if that would have meant something to him? “Yeah, that was a massive big deal,” says Ian. Cypress, Mine! released ‘Justine’, their debut single, in December 1987. Second single ‘In the Big House’ was released in March 1988. Exit Trashtown, the band’s debut album followed two months later in May. “As formidable a debut rock and roll album as U2’s Boy and the Radiators From Space debut album,” declared the Irish Examiner. “I first heard Cypress, Mine! On the Dave Fanning radio show in 1987 when he started playing the single ‘Justine’. It really grabbed me and I immediately went out and bought the 7” single,” remembers Power of Dreams’ Craig Walker. “Exit Trashtown cemented my fandom. The songs were great and the lyrics were clever, mysterious and interesting, as was the artwork.” “The album’s title had nothing to do with getting out of Cork,” says Ciarán. “It had to do with trying stuff that was outside your comfort zone, and expanding your mind. We were taking risks by recording a rock album in Cork because it hadn’t been done before.” “If Cypress, Mine! fit into any musical category it’s that of modern guitar-pop,” wrote George Byrne in Hot Press. “A vague area which encompasses such diverse spirits as The Smiths, REM and Microdisney, traces of all of whom can be heard in the band’s material.” The band’s third single, the absolute classic, ‘The Sugar Beat God’ (produced by U2’s sound engineer Joe O’Herlihy) arrived in July 1988. Cypress, Mine! broke up in 1989 and Ian Olney went on to join Power of Dreams. Cypress, Mine! are currently recording new material with Jessica Corcoran (Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, the Wonder Stuff) producing. An expanded version of Exit Trashtown (the original album plus non-album tracks, demos and unreleased songs) is available via Pretty Olivia Records on Bandcamp. Ciarán Ó Tuama, Ian Olney and Mark Healy revisit Exit Trashtown on To Here Knows When – Great Irish Albums Revisited, available on all podcast platforms. Episode notes and further information: https://www. paulmcdermott.ie/podcast