Ruby J– singer/songwriter born in 2005 who fuses multiple genres with her own unique style. FREE ENTRY 

Gary Clail Soundsystem –  The Brizzle roofer turned magical, mercurial MC cum radical and righteous sound system manipulator is back and then some…his latest album ‘Violence’ is the ‘End Of The Century Party’ for 2021, an absolute cracker of a record and a return to form right up there with his best On U Sound material. With fellow Bristolian legend brass and woodwind man Tony Wrafter (Tricky, Glaxo Babies, Maximum Joy etc) as his musical right hand man there’s a deep resonance at play with this fabulous new material, still hot on social comment but head warpingly good to dance to too. Gary will be MCing, live mixing, DJing and collaborating with other artists tonight and ongoing monthly in the DC as part of his ongoing residency, rudely interupted by Covid 19 in Spring 2020. The Pink Diamond Revue– Psychedelic, conceptually driven, sampledelic instrumentally inclined electro rock, with great fat slabs of rock intensity amidst buried voices and samples, something of Revolting Cocks, Spiritualized/Spacemen 3 too. Trans Am fans will enjoy too, fab.  D-Kel & Los Bandidos – A decidely Londinium shaped multiculturally alert rap gets rapped with some heavy funk rock, punk tood and indie nous…so Wiley fronting Funkadelic with a hint of The Clash? …kinda. ‘Frontman D-Kel takes inspiration from London where he was born and bred and Latin America where his roots lie, Drawing inspiration from Artists such as Roots Manuva, Slaves, The Beat, The Specials, Jamie T, The Streets, Calle 13 & Tego Calderon’ Pretty cool all round then. Social conscience in tact with a neat and creative spin of verbals,  and the band have a feeling of something classic, somewhat vintage but yet refreshing and original, with a strong British representation featured throughout their music. GULZ started as a one man bedroom project of a singer/songwriter from Newcastle Upon Tyne, and has since evolved into an irresistible four-piece. Proud residents of pirate studios in Camden, the band have spent the last year fine-tuning their sound. It’s loud, it’s pop and it’s sweeeet. DJ and Radio Presenter Charlie Ashcroft has featured GULZ’s tunes on his infamous ‘Fresh Finds’ Spotify Playlist, with GULZ’s latest release leading to a full interview on BBC Radio. Expect chaos, laughter, major chords, plastic pint cups, and guitar-occupied boogieing .

Fu Fighters – This is indeed a call…the premier Foo Fighters tribute band hit Camden Town, which you might think is The Long Road To Ruin hoho but no in Times Like These these Stacked Actors are Making A Fire that will no doubt be The Best Of You… Copperhead Jacks – classic rock covers act taking in Hendrix, Cream, Small Faces and more….brilliant. The Front Rank – Some veterans from Her Majesties Armed Forces got together when they were still serving squaddies and traded their weapons for guitars to produce a blend of classic rocknroll and Britpop, a thoroughly British take on all things loud and melodic taking in Oasis, The Who, The Kinks and the Pistols. An excellent opening barrage.

FREE ADMISSION ACOUSTIC GIG promoting  the excellent Rock’n’Roll Rescue CD ‘Tales From Parkway Stadium’ 

Smiler Nights #2… Dress To Express!

Hollis Lomax bring their unhinged brand of alternative psych to the Dublin Castle on the 29th September. Through a combination of off-kilter math pop, sardonic, barbed lyricism and idiosyncratic song structures, the four-piece willingly embrace their strangeness. Absorbing a variety of influences, ranging from Ought to Parquet Courts and Brian Eno to Talk Talk, Hollis Lomax constructed a sound that uniquely straddles the line between contemporary and retro.  Latest single, Past Time, exemplifies the band’s ability to produce endearing distinctive pop music. Twinkling keyboard sounds flutter in a dream-like trance, and are accented beautifully by jazz-infused percussion, wry spoken word vocals and chiming guitar notes. With their artistic airs, disregard for congruous or manufactured ‘band fashion’, and unwillingness to abandon melody in their construction of ‘post psych-funk-punk’ hits, Hollis Lomax are deliberately a little hard to define. But what they are certainly and emphatically not, is just another one of those ‘not just another indie band’ bands. Sharkboy: A psych-jazz 4-piece who create mesmerising grooves, floating guitars and progressive synth lines that will put you in a blissful trance.

Pink Eye Club – They say ‘lo-fi electronic songs of varying quality’…haha, suffice to say the quality is ripping throughout in actuality… Go Chi Minh – post punker artnik noisemakers supreme, got some lovely little zesty tunes and a nice dollop of off colour synth noise, quite Fall-ish, but not an impersonation thankfully. Legpuppy– electro with attitude and conceptual pizzazz, plus a very healthy dose of searing satire. “Saxophone (band)” – Unique duo doing Baritone Sax and drums driven dance punk craziness, supercool.

The Naked Ra- Slowburning blues rock with prowling bass, solid, frippery free drums and some pretty tasty guitar work in the Jimmy Page/Jimi Hendrix vein via Cream. Nicely measured and soulful vocals too. Top stuff. Those Those Naughty Lumps  – Original Liverpool punk/new wave band (‘Iggy Pop’s Jacket’ on Zoo Recs is a classic 45) , darlings of Eric’s from back in the as they say day when it was all Teardrops n Bunnymen n Wah and Pete Burns could safely be declared Alive. High comedy sax infused rip roaring social comment tweaked pop gems in dark glasses. Oliver Shaw Experience– the excellent songwriter Ollie Shaw takes Radiohead like progressive pop moves and meshes them with garage rock elements care of his excellent band, producing some righteous nuggets of raw sound that are indeed wonderfully crafted songs. After two great albums under the wing of producer Paul Tipler, Ollie is already creating his third, and his ongoing and highly popular Dublin Castle residency continues tonight. KOYO– frenetic angular and urgent post punkish rock played by  crisp and fresh faced young men who clearly harbour dark thoughts unseen in their pleasant faces! This really stretches out (‘Walking On Air’), hot video too. Rides a tight groove but also fizzes around experimentally, very satisfying. Like it a lot, and so shall ye.

DamageUK – Brian Damage outta Nuffin embraces the post 1979 sensibilities of the more thoughtful end of the new wave and the riffing has slowed down a tad and the punkishness given a less fevered hue or 3…quite Clash like and some nice Joy Division-ish guitar figures. 6AM Saint -a punk rock trio from Cambridge, who mix their music with mini skits, films and videos, all enhanced with the with the power of punk rock. With defined American influences to the fore- Green Day, Misfits, Ramones, Offspring and HIM. The Assassination Bureau- frantic wanton punk rock and sensational spaghetti western vibes from this boy/girl/boy 3 piece- give it plenty too, some nice whammy bar twang and a keen eye on melodic content too. Isla Dogs – Bass Guitar and Vocals, Dave D. Void – Guitar and Vocals, Will D. Beest – Drums Audio assassination. Hits to order. Executed in 3 minutes or less… Subtitle – Subtitle– mad for it clattersome alt rock with wonderfully wayward intensity pitching up in some strange but beautiful place where Pere Ubu, Queens Of The Stone Age and punk rock classique coalesce. Compere Cherry B – Poetess and force of nature Cherry B will be guiding you thru proceedings ce soir and adding a few spiked bon mots and cutting edge couplets to boot.  

The Return Of RNR Book Club! A Furious Devotion: The Authorised Story of Shane MacGowan, Richard Balls. Publisher: Omnibus Press  Punk protagonist, legendary drinker, Irish musical icon. The complete and extraordinary journey of the Pogues‘ notorious frontman from outcast to national treasure has never been told – until now. A Furious Devotion: The Authorised Story of Shane MacGowan vividly recounts the experiences that shaped the greatest songwriter of his generation: the formative trips to his mother’s homestead in Tipperary, the explosion of punk which changed his life, and the drink and drugs that nearly ended it. As well as exclusive interviews with Shane himself, author Richard Balls has secured contributions from his wife and family, and people who have never spoken publicly about Shane before: close associates, former girlfriends and the English teacher who first spotted his literary gift. Nick Cave, Aidan Gillen, Cillian Murphy, Christy Moore, Sinead O’Connor and Dermot O’Leary are on the rollcall of those paying tribute to the gifted songwriter and poet. This frank and extensive biography also includes many previously unseen personal photographs. Interview, Q And A, Book Store and Signings, Shane friendly musical interludes and DJ Set! Plus! Paul Maddog- very pleased to add Paul Maddog McGuinness to this evening’s bill of fare… Shane MacGowan, Paul and Tommy McManamon put The Popes together after the demise of The Pogues,  with Johnny Depp infamously appearing with them on Top of the Pops and directing and appearing in the video of “That Woman’s Got Me Drinking”. Paul’s recent music with Aisling has been absolutely stunning, and his involvement this evening will certainly add a fabulous new dimension to proceedings. PLEASE ADHERE TO COVID SENSIBLE PRACTICES. WASH YOUR HANDS. STAY AT HOME IF UNWELL. WEAR A MASK IF YOU WANT TO. THE DUBLIN CASTLE HAS HAND GEL STATIONS AND VIRUSKILLER UV HEPA FILTER EQUIPMENT IN SITU. ENJOY YOURSELF AND STAY SAFE!

Hunted By Elephants-  Inspired by the rock classics of the 70s,Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep and Rainbow Hunted By Elephants are a high-energy 5 piece renewing the time-honoured union of soaring vocals, growling riffs and energising drum beats. Electric Black-are a British rock quartet from North Hertfordshire, taking influence from the likes of Bad company, Jet, Rival Sons & Black Stone Cherry amongst other hard-rock classics. Powerful anthems for the highway with loud guitars, fat-bottomed rhythm, clear and soaring lead vocals. Mercury Rising-Tracks of the week for single ‘Running out of Time’ – Classic Rock/Louder “If you like galloping hard rock with raucous riffs, melodic solos and driven bass-lines, then this is indeed paradise” – 4/5 Sunday Sport“ “Metal Fans are running out of time in the race to jump aboard the Mercury Rising bandwagon as one of the UK’s hottest new acts readies this summers must hear E.P” – Rushonrocks Playlisted on Planet Rocks “New Rock Show” for 3 consecutive weeks. Yesterday’s Gone- Dirty, southern Fried Blues rock, think Lynyrd skynrd, molly hatchet etc but with a brit twist.

CMDN Presents- All Dayer Live Music Event At Camden’s Legendary Dublin Castle- Bugbear and the good people of camden-live.com are getting together for an amazing line-up of rock music across blues, classic rock and punk. The day is split into 2 programs – Afternoon and Evening both priced at £12.50 each. Or you can go for the whole day for £17.50.  Check the band’s socials and websites for special discount codes.

Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons –  Punk, hardcore, psychobilly, noize rawk and just a dash of metal played with the exacting energy and passion we know and luv. Always a challenging, compelling, empowering performance by Puss Johnson up front,  against a backdrop of fabulous , shredtastic, hook laden rumbling rock n roll from Jake and Ant, often augmented by Puss on second geetar. Brilliant, and thoroughly in the not to be missed dpt as ever. There’s a Dirty Johnson in No.10 but these three are No.1, ya git me. Electric Shakes –  Fast pace energetic punkoid rock of an Iggy Stooge kind pop featuring ex members of 80’s punk tikes (and John Peel faves) ‘Tours’ and Thee Jenerators amongst a slew of underground bands over the past 10 years. Book em quick while they’re still breathing!” Got signed, Mimed. Toured. Got bored. Lived. Loved. Laughed. Grafted. Got shafted.… ”  Captain Future – Psychedleic gumbo swamp music?! Not half and yes please. The Captain’s debut album ‘Ghostman’ appears round about …NOW…and also features some guests such as Nuwella Love, the first ever singer in TFSOS, and a myriad of other marvellous mover shakers who have got together on a ‘chilled out, after hours album where you can sit back, dim the lights, choose your poison and let it be the soundtrack to your escape’…get a rare glimpse of that LIVE tonite. Hatepenny– The guitar/drums White Stripes formula gets a particularly frenzied blues wailin’ makeover. The Hate Penny effect is big and ballsy. Great grinding rocknroll.

Bugbear and VIVA in association with www.bootboyradio.net Presents SKA PUNKY PARTY #2 with TROJAN BEATS, JACK THE LAD, DEAD BEAT AT DAWN NB Early Doors 5.30pm with Bootboy Djs 1st band 8.00-8.45 (45) Dead beat at dawn (You can’t kill what’s already dead… Yorkshires most unprofessional idiot punks are back in the game) 2nd band 9.00-9.45 (45) Jack the lad (5 piece band playing their own material plus Punk Ska & Oi! from 1978 onwards, with a few obscure tunes thrown in for good measure) Headliners 10.00-11.15 (1 hour +) Trojan Beats ( 7 piece band who specialise in traditional Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, and 2-Tone) Free entry after 11.15 with Bootboy radio s DJ’s till 2 am…. This will be a LIVE STREAMING EVENT for www.bootboyradio.net from doors open till close. PLEASE ADHERE TO COVID SENSIBLE PRACTICES. WASH YOUR HANDS. STAY AT HOME IF UNWELL. WEAR A MASK IF YOU WANT TO. THE DUBLIN CASTLE HAS HAND GEL STATIONS AND VIRUSKILLER UV HEPA FILTER EQUIPMENT IN SITU. ENJOY YOURSELF AND STAY SAFE!

The Star-Nosed Moles -fizzy lofi punk pop with a kind of discombubulated Dr Feelgood element and some hard rocking power chords with walking basslines…certainly a touch of Wilko in the guitar stylings. Quirky and cute and located quite close to the garage. Officer – born in Glasgow and grown up in Northern Ireland.. Officer AKA Dc Logan is an Indie Soundscape Songwriter from The Corner of The Ferns. Playing angsty but soulful stark post punk plus something a little more balladeering and wide eyed, has scope, has potential, hits a loud rock guitar driven quasi stadium rawk vibe too…could be the next U2! A nice tremble and tremor in the Celtic Soul channelled vocal, know what they’re doing this lot. ‘Stratospheric and yet disarmingly intimate’ – RCM. Slow Like A Feeling – Electronic beats with postpunk guitars and keyboard, interesting blend of 80s sounds with hard-hitting guitar accompaniment as well as some unique/nostalgic vocals fronting a nice new sound that transcends many genres. People People – Crisp rocking pop of an Adult Oriented Rawk bent with good tight playing and groove rock sensibilities, plus wonderful wigout lead guitar.

Gary Clail and Tony Wrafter – The Brizzle roofer turned magical, mercurial MC cum radical and righteous sound system manipulator is back and then some…his latest album ‘Violence’ is the ‘End Of The Century Party’ for 2021, an absolute cracker of a record and a return to form right up there with his best On U Sound material. With fellow Bristolian legend brass and woodwind man Tony Wrafter (Tricky, Glaxo Babies, Maximum Joy etc) as his musical right hand man there’s a deep resonance at play with this fabulous new material, still hot on social comment but head warpingly good to dance to too. Gary will be MCing, live mixing, DJing and collaborating with other artists tonight and ongoing monthly in the DC as part of his ongoing residency, rudely interupted by Covid 19 in Spring 2020. Leonotas – electro and dark narco rock collide with some balladeering elements- a bit of Depeche Mode in leather trews and heroin chic times maybe, some Trent Reznorisms… but mainly coming from a soulfully sung rocknroll place informed partly by Zep et al. Good voice, catchy emotive songs. Psycho Yogi – Gnarled narky snarky art punk cum jazzbo experimentation, but always with a fab sense of fun amidst the conceptual expressionism schism. These guys used to come and do Bugbear shows waaaay back…and they are back. Might appeal to peeps who dig the likes of Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, This Heat or The Contortions. Tizane – causing quite a stir at last, quite so, and talent will out…this barely out of her teens singer songwriter turns head with frank lyrics, stark beats and a killer ice maiden with soul kinda vocal… all in a pop friendly package. Fascinatingly individual covers of R.E.M and Smiths classics now added to her fine set of original songs.

The Kubricks- Played many a Dublin Castle Bugbear happening over the years and it’s fantastic to welcome them back as part of their extensive Autumn 2021 UK tour.  Formed in London, The Kubricks are a seven-piece band who mix ska, reggae, and infectious melodic pop.  After surfacing in 2013 with their debut EP, “Wasters & Wannabes”, The Kubricks soon became one of the must-see ska bands of this generation. Tracks from their debut release were supported by Huey Morgan on BBC Radio 2, and Tom Robinson (BBC Introducing – 6Music), and The Specials’ bassist, Horace Panter championed the band, claiming “I can hear Madness, The Ruts, Squeeze and The Clash in there…” The timing was perfect, and coincided with a new interest in ska music, as many of UK’s festivals began dedicating entire stages to the genre. Riding on the back of this wave, the band soon found themselves supporting legends such as UB40, Bad Manners and The Toasters. The Kubricks have honed their commanding live set, headlining their own shows and playing festivals across the country. After a highly acclaimed debut album and further well regarded releases The Kubricks are back to shake us out of our lockdown blues. They have played to tens of thousands over the years with appearances at Boomtown Fair, Bearded Theory’s Spring Gathering, Wickerman (Scotland), Godiva, Dance Ska La (France), Brownstock, and The London International Ska Festival, amongst many others.

Laurie Wright & The Lockdown – Gloucester Town’s secret weapons, the fiery fizz of Laurie Wright’s songcraft and acidic pop delivery augmented brilliantly by crack band The Lockdown, all fab players, and a dedicated harmonica blaster in the mix too. A fantastic blend of edgy indie and roots staples from folk and rhythm n blues traditions, this band have mass appeal. For fans of Dylan, The La’s, Tom Petty, The Stones…  Sun Pinned Leaves – Already 3 albums in (and counting no doubt) Christopher Brown and Neil Faulkner are veterans of an always healthy Kent and Sussex music scene, which is probably how they mange to hone such musically sophisticated material imbued with a beach bum’s sense of relaxed adventure. They also pull off the very clever trick of being incredibly eclectic (a drum and bass riddim here, an Ian Dury like refrain there, a Britpop motif hither, a heart wrenching ballad thither) whilst not really sounding like anyone else. Brilliant pop music basically, belying their other  (also ace) punk rock activities (Nuffin to see here). Super Swamp Jellyfish -sunny side up somewhat psychedelic Summery pop, sensational!

Back in February of last year, just before everything went tits up, we had one of the finest ska and rudeboy reggae nights imaginable when Bugbear get on board with not only Ball Of Fire but also Coast To Coast ….And we’re very pleased to say we’re doing it again…Starring The Estimators and their joyful and peerless brand of brass imbued authentic ska and rudeboy reggae and ably supported by The Bighead, North Hants purveyors of prime pop reggae. And between the bands and right til the end of the night in the wee wee hours it’s fabulous to welcome DJ Cello on the decks playing reggae, ska, latin and soul. Unmissable.

Rock N Roll Book Club – JC Carroll, (Still) Annoying The Neighbours-  The Members‘ songwriter and guitarist JC Carroll, discussing his much praised memoir in suitably punk rock surrounds, the equally legendary Dublin Castle, as Book Club begins bouncing back from lockdown with aplomb. (Still) Annoying The Neighbours is the Autobiography of JC Carroll…Bank clerk, songwriter, musician, shopkeeper, Pantomine scriptwriter, film composer and Internet concert performer. From bank clerk to punk rocker, From bedsit in North London to rock and roll heaven in Hollywood, “(still) Annoying the Neighbours” takes its title from the lyrics of The Members anthem “The Sound of the Suburbs” and traces the journey of Members Songwriter and guitarist JC “Jean-marie” Carroll, a boy with three girls names, catapulted from suburban obscurity into the punk rock limelight and then flung back onto the music business scrap heap .. This is what JC writes in his book about his most famous song:- “I felt a responsibility to play “The Sound of the Suburbs”. That song could and would bring happiness to people that had grown up to it: it was the sound of their youth and bouncing around to it in a sweaty club for three to four minutes could and would take them back to a time where they were 17 years old with a full head of badly bleached hair, a 28-inch waist, and a fake leather jacket covered in pins and badges. That song was no longer just a song: it had become a time machine, an elixir of yoof, a magic pill that they could neck with a pint of lager to bring that youth club disco in a scout hut spinning back. It was not just a song, it was “The Sound of the Suburbs”. It was the aspirations and ambitions of thousands of bored provincial teenagers from a hundred satellite towns, bottled and aged in a cellophane wallet” Members roots, fruits and shoots shaped disco provided by Tony Bugbear, Q And A by Mr Simon Waller. PLEASE ADHERE TO COVID SENSIBLE PRACTICES. WASH YOUR HANDS. STAY AT HOME IF UNWELL. WEAR A MASK IF YOU WANT TO. THE DUBLIN CASTLE HAS HAND GEL STATIONS AND VIRUSKILLER UV HEPA FILTER EQUIPMENT IN SITU. ENJOY YOURSELF AND STAY SAFE!

Kape Kanaveral-Infectiously catchy indie  equally informed by the proto-punk,  early Talking heads and U.k Post punk early X.T.C maybe…Bite OfKarma-Halfway between indie and alt rock a dose of Artic Monkeys and a good measure of Foo Fighters and Queens Of The Stoneage, decent fizzing tunes played with plenty of conviction The Buddha Pests – indie with a very strong post punk element… think Can with a bit of Pixies, a bit of Pigeon Detectives (gone punk), a lot of Buzzcocks here too…  Big clanging guitars and a ferocious bass and drums onslaught plus a semi deranged vocal reminiscent of Richard Hell if Richard Hell came from Homerton or Hounslow...yeah this rocks, a bit of Husker Du, some early Damned and Dead Boys too.  Girls Like Us-All girl grunge but with a brooding post punk angle, tense Joy Div bass and drums, edgy atmospheric tunes, neat.

Growing up listening to The Jam has lead Ben McKelvey to also be influenced by the likes of Bruce Springsteen , Noel Gallagher’ s High Flying Birds , Johnny Cash and Frank Turner . This collection of legendary inspirations is evident in his music, as Ben’s rich melodies and musical storytelling will easily find it’s home with any fan of more contemporary artists like George Ezra , Vance Joy or Mumford & Sons . Produced by Jake Robbins ( Natives ), Ben McKelvey ’s energetic ‘ Wild Child ’ is an uplifting fast-paced album about freedom, believing in your dreams and ultimately regret. The lyrical content starts out as being about the teenage dreams of aspiring musicians, but right at the end, it is tinged with a sense of sadness as regret comes creeping up; thinking about a life that could have been. Driving drums, swooping guitar solos and hypnotic bass lines all work together in perfect harmony as Ben ’s vocal delivery effortlessly portrays his storytelling talent.

Sheffield comes to London care of Big Tee Enterprises- and he is indeed becoming an OAP, although the bands are youthful at least! The cream of punk, grunge, indie and rock outta Yorkshire and beyond. NB EARLY START- First band 7pm. PLEASE ADHERE TO COVID SENSIBLE PRACTICES. WASH YOUR HANDS. STAY AT HOME IF UNWELL. WEAR A MASK IF YOU WANT TO. THE DUBLIN CASTLE HAS HAND GEL STATIONS AND VIRUSKILLER UV HEPA FILTER EQUIPMENT IN SITU. ENJOY YOURSELF AND STAY SAFE!

Stones N Roses – U.S. band performing an unlikely but convincing and indeed uber entertaining mash-up of Guns n Roses and Stone Roses, and hey maybe some Rolling Stones too!…all played with total conviction and aplomb “An unreasonably thrilling, hilarious and altogether genius affair. A gutsy re-imagining of rock and roll history played with verve, nerve and heart.” as one gentleman of the press has it, or as legendary producer John Leckie said ‘Gobsmacked!’…so come on down and get a fabulous smack in the gob. Independent Country – 6 piece doing indie covers in the style of a good ‘ol shit kickin’ country and western band, or showband. Cover Artic Monkeys, Smiths, Oasis etc…and a wonderful reading of Primal Scream‘s ‘Rocks Off’… PLEASE ADHERE TO COVID SENSIBLE PRACTICES. WASH YOUR HANDS. STAY AT HOME IF UNWELL. WEAR A MASK IF YOU WANT TO. THE DUBLIN CASTLE HAS HAND GEL STATIONS AND VIRUSKILLER UV HEPA FILTER EQUIPMENT IN SITU. ENJOY YOURSELF AND STAY SAFE!

Tuppeny Bunters – A boy/girl duo who hooofeckin ray sound NOTHING LIKE THE WHITE STRIPES! haha…piano and drums, some showbiz/cabaret leanings via a bit of frantic pop psych and experimentation…is that a theremin or are you just pleased to see me?…….I’m put in mind of Badfinger somehow….a bit of Mott, a bit of this and that but a lot of Bunters…lotta fun Das Clamps –  Two piece band in shape of clams doing Cramps covers, tunes that The Cramps loved and our own cramp…. Martin Savage & The Jiggerz – Punkish girations from a 3 piece, sweet.

Pat Fish– Former Jazz Butcher frontman and Sumosonic sorceror, Glass Records and Creation recording artiste Pat Fish is back in the swim of things and hits the Dublin Castle for some Southern Mark Smithery… and not a little Scandal In Bohemia will ensue no doubt. Get on board, you don’t wanna be caught waiting for the love bus innit though. Micko And The Mellotronics – Veering between bleepy found sound electronica, jaunty post punk and psychedelic eccentric pop, the career of Micko Westmoreland has been fascinating. Now hooked up with full band including former late era Banshees guitarist John Klein, Micko takes to the stage perhaps at his most rocknroll oriented yet.   You may remember Micko from his role in Ewan McGregor glam schlock flick ‘Velvet Goldmine’ too, and for his musical endeavours with soooo many of the great and good including Terry Edwards, Neil Innes, The Blockheads, Kevin Eldon, Horace Panter from The Specials, The Stranglers, Les Rhythmes Digitales and celebrated artist Harry Pye…who said polymath? Mulitimath perhaps…

Rubbish Oasistributeband – Wryly named after them Gallagher boyos penchant for rubbishing other bands in interviews, so please don’t be put off by this suitably sardonic humour… luckily these fellas ain’t rubbish at all…hence their the Fauxasis of choice with the official Oasis fanclub. You’ll be stunned by the proximity of their expression of the classics (and yes, they do all the classics) to the waxings you know and love….and they even leave a little room for a bit of individual expression, but it’s all cool…and to paraphrase Liam you should be arsed to come to this gig. Or if you dig Oasis and you choose to miss, of you they might say, as Noel had it “He’s like a man with a fork, in a world of soup”… Sharp Class – superb high energy young mod band outta the Midlands.

The Warner E. Hodges Band bring their brand of fun, energetic Rock ‘N’ Roll to The Dublin Castle, London. It’s an undisputed, stone cold fact that Warner E. Hodges is one of the most instantly recognisable guitarists playing today. One who has played a major role is creating what we now call Alt. Country or Americana. Warner has put together a band capable of running Black Sabbath into Merle Haggard and back out into AC/DC. Supporting on the night comes from the amazing Keylock, a travelling Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus in their own right, and one of York’s finest singer songwriters Boss Caine.

The Vibrators – From Pure Mania in 1977 onwards The Vibrators set out their stall as the accomplished but still utterly kick ass end of Romantic punk n roll, showing the upstarts how it’s done. Searing, scintillating speedin’ rock and roll that they pulse along at such a pace commanded brilliantly by long standing lynchpin Eddie at the drums, you can’t possibly relax for a second coz yer having such a good time. They don’t ease off the gas for a second.  Eddie reconvened with legendary songwriter and frontman Knox, original bassist and uber producer Pat Collier and guitarist John Ellis (Peter Gabriel, The Stranglers etc)  just before lockdown and created the critically acclaimed album ‘Mars Casino’..we are exceedingly excited to say that iconic lineup gathers together tonight in The Dublin, so it really is one festive vibration you must not miss… Steve Hooker Stripped Down Stompin Band  – super charged dirty Essex Delta rocknroll trio fronted by long standing guitar guru Mr Hooker, a powerhouse who get a reet good and grinding riffology going and take it to the dancefloor with a sleazy Link Wray twang and a bulbous Bo Diddley beat…damn good. DamageUK – Nuffin‘s re-emergence on the UK punk scene after a nigh on 30 years absence has been a revelation, a joyful punk pop explosion of delight…and here’s what might have happened next if they hadn’t quit safety pins and gone off and got proper jobs…Brian Damage guitarist from Nuffin and bassist Paul Flynn have recruited some new chaps and in DamageUK explore some darker post punk terrain and a fair bit of Clash-ness. Some nice Joy Division-ish guitar figures and some prowling Ruts touches too.

Xmas Eve Anarchy In Camden Town!… with… Omega Tribe – the sassiest of sassy anarcho punk pop bands fromed in 1981 and revitalized since 2016…produced by Penny Rimbaud and feted for their kicking melodic pizzazz their LP, No Love Lost is something of a lost punk classic, so find one! And find them here in the bubblin’ troublin’ Dublin  all their glory tonight. anarchistwood – Taking conceptual punk pranksterism cabaret to new highs, new lows, the renounced Maciej Zurows (Melodie&Rhythmus) put it thus… “as if the (hyped) 1977 music industry event known as ‘punk’ hadn’t taken place”, imagining instead an “alternative history where the anarchic proto punk from Cleveland and Detroit seamlessly led into No Wave, Post Punk and Industrial and is still happily evolving” Fabulously challenging but accessible punk pop attack fronted by the enigmatic and unstoppable Frank Cutter, for fans of Destroy All Monsters, Bikini Kill, Teenage Jesus, X Ray Spex… Swaraj Chronos – melodic noise and social commentary are their chief weapons, but nobody expects the Swaraj inquisition, although they do. Here they be. As fabulous a bunch of groovy misfits as you could wish for.   

The Skapones – a reet skanking pleasure…a ska band who play sassy Specials/Beat influenced originals as well as a buncha classics..a punky reggae tease all the way from..The Tees… as in Tyne Tees… oh never mind. Anyway these effortlessly Bonny Lads are leading lights in the Specialized Project, a wonderful phenomenon that raises money for Teenage cancer Trust & Youth Music UK and produces some amazing music from the post 2 Tone Brit ska and mod/scooterist scenes. Amazing bands have been tributes in the course of all this, and The Skapones with ace Skapones versions of ‘ Police On My Back’ (on Combat cancer- A tribute to The Clash), ‘Midnight Ravers’ (One Heart – A tribute to Bob Marley) and ‘Smithers Jones’ (2017 Specialized tribute to The Jam.). Support this band and their good works and have a brilliant night out in the Ancestral Seat Of British Ska into the bargain.

Bugbear get back on board with Coast To Coast and get Intensified care of DJ Cello and you couldn’t wish for better top ranking partners for a ska and boss reggae based evening’s entertainment in London’s premier skanking destination, The bubblin’ troublin’ Dublin Castle! Starring Intensified – perhaps the longest serving authentic 60s style ska, rocksteady and reggae act on da circuit. “The band’s good-time feel, obvious love of this music and confidence in its wide appeal has led to near legendary status.” Amen.  Four studio albums, an early compilation album and a live album, plus several 7” singles have received much critical acclaim in the music press, fanzine world, on the web and on radio stations across the globe.  And tonite ably supported by Rocksteady Drop, plus!… between the bands and right til the end of the night in the wee wee hours it’s fabulous to welcome DJ Cello back on the decks playing reggae, ska, latin and soul.

The Satellites- Unabashed big bollocked Punk-Rock band from Acton, West London. Formed in 1977 on October 4th, twenty years to the day that the Russians launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. Ya see?! Singer Derek Gibbs took on an early mantle of punk rock fame as the model on the front of the infamous 1977 ‘New Wave’ compilation album…every young punker had one, and admired Del’s beer flobbing antics before they ever heard his sonorous singing. They supported Gary Numan’s Tubeway Army on their first ever gig in that sainted year of ’77, and have played with all the great and the good of punk in the ensuing years….proper punk… and tonite they play with… DamageUK – Brian Damage outta Nuffin‘s new band, bringing his cousin Paul Flynn from those top geezers on bass, plus Reg Charles on drums. So think post Nuffin, post punk, think 1979 and the riffing has slowed down and it’s gotten a tad more dare I say new wave- like the difference between early Lurkers and the stuff they did later- or any of them bands come to mention it. Songs echo Clash circa London Calling, plus some nice Joy Division-ish guitar figures…dynamic stuff. The Assassination Bureau– frantic wanton punk rock and sensational spaghetti western vibes from this boy/girl/boy 3 piece- give it plenty too, some nice whammy bar twang and a keen eye on melodic content too. Isla Dogs – Bass Guitar and Vocals, Dave D. Void – Guitar and Vocals, Will D. Beest – Drums Audio assassination. Hits to order. Executed in 3 minutes or less…

And they’re back! Dublin’s finest The Skatuesques, the greatest Irish all girl ska band known to man– ok, there may not have been so very many Irish all girl ska bands over the years but there’s absolutely no doubting this lot’s sheer brilliance. Fantastic playing, attitude and energy, whether covering classic ska, rudeboy reggae and 2 Tone numbers or whether playing their own compositions. All FANTASTIC. And a post Pat’s party at that…plus Riff Raff, some of whom may look familiar if you like checking out Feckin Ejits, ya get me? Like the man said, these sounds lead the way. Fuck art, fuck everything, let’s dance.