A compacted history of the greatest harmonic pop act from Ireland, as told by someone who has lived, breathed (and occasionally vomited) the West Seventies
After a stint of necking vodkas and throwing plant pots out the window in between performances at singer-songwriter sessions in Dublin during the mid 1990’s, Scottish guitarist supremo Robin Hurt and Co. Down song-scribbler Pavel Barter joined forces with local musician Mick Morris. Mick had the uncanny ability to fall asleep in noisy environments (sometimes his own gigs) and during one such moment he unwittingly agreed to lend his soaring vocal skills and lightning bass talents to Pavel and Robin’s first demo. One vocal booth, some studio fun and a few parties later, and the young Morris, complete with a collection of bittersweet songs, joined the two compadres to create a rousing pop threesome… despite never receiving the £20 he was promised in the first place. The songs were lovelorn and aching but with crisp, rousing choruses and harmonies to die for. In other words, classic pop. Fiery yet, shucks, tender in all the right places. The trio’s water had broken and the West Seventies were born.
Marathon touring ensued around Ireland and the UK. Energetic live performances quickly won them a following, while TV appearances on the BBC and RTE offered them up to a wider audience. The band toured the States - taking in CBGBs in New York, the 40Watt in Athens, Georgia, and Austin’s South By Southwest – where they met producer Col. Wil Masisak. This semi-retired veteran would soon capture and bottle the West Seventies studio sound with the help of Pro Tools, a Rocky Mountain backdrop, and a local stripclub DJ who, um, roadtested the work in progress. And that work is? “Lavish harmonic guitar pop melancholia; the sound is raw and direct, the songs are melodic and hip,” says Robin in a moment of cider-induced clarity.
A Double-A (I’ll Come Around/Nothing To Lose) recording from Col. Masisak’s studio in Boulder, Colorado, was released during the Summer of 2002, rising to the top of radio station’s playlists. It subsequently left stores faster than Winona Ryder after a shopping spree. In between recording, radio sessions, and playing WWF in hotel bedrooms, the Seventies began touring Holland for extended periods, and were taken under the wing of the Dutch people like a finely chiselled clog or a musical windmill. The band returned to complete their debut album with Col. Masisak and mighty skin-pounder (er, drummer) Dave Keegan in the land of Uncle Sam towards the close of 2002 – the scarily excellent results will be released in Ireland sometime Summer 2003 and in Holland around the same time. Stayed tuned, stay fresh and stay close: the West Seventies may well be knocking on your door in the very near future.
Pavel.
Believe the hype
"The West Seventies are a new guitar pop band who love noise deeply. This Dublin band can’t resist squeezing a certain malevolence into their well-crafted, hummable tunes."
Austin Chronicle, Texas.
"Soaring vocal harmonies, Beatles-esque song structures and twisty romantic themes … sounding close to XTC."
Flagpole Magazine, Athens. Georgia.
"You can hear Crowded House, you can hear the Jam. You can hear Teenage Fanclub, you can hear the Pixies. But it’s clearly the West Seventies."
Mike Edgar. BBC Radio Ulster.
“In a year of great singles, the West Seventies’ ‘Underground’ was one of the best.”
Phil Udell, Hot Press Annual 2002.
“Full guitar chords, nice lyrics and songs that creep into your head and stay there.”
Aidan Corr, Limerick Leader.
