Tommy
McLaughlin - Guitar & Vocals
Eugene McGinty - Bass Guitar
Hugh Law - Drums
Official berkeley website now online
Thursday 18th May LIMERICK Dolans (Upstairs)
Friday 19th May DUBLIN Whelans,
Sat 20th May DUBLIN Tower Records In-Store, Wicklow St, at 3PM
Sat 20th May MONAGHANMcKennas Brewery
recent reviews
HOPE PRAYERS AND BUBBLEGUM ALBUM
KERRANG
K
K K K Near
perfect debut from Donegal-based post-rock trio.
Made up of bold crimson, the cover image of Irish trio Berkeley's debut
album resembles nothing so much as the physical convolutions of the human
heart. Fitting then, that the Steve Albini-produced 'Hope, Prayers and
Bubblegum' is both a contorted, complex reworking of post-hardcore rock
and a raw, bloodied, ear-busting slab of emotion. It'sa dynamic that recalls
US post-hardcore henchmen Fugazi and one that Berkeley, with an average
age of just 21, have already developed to epic proportions. Take the hooky
bassline of 'Explanations' or the big-throated bluster of 'New Star',
both possesing a pop-inspired shine that steers Berkeley towards the mainstream.
Even when they make a misguided move into soft metal territories on 'All
I Want', it's not long before Berkeley rediscover their edge with the
eerie atmospherics of I'm Losing You" JANE GILLOW
ROCK
SOUND 7/10
Judging from the title
of their debut album, it's difficult to know whether to expect Creed-style
crooning or pop-punk jubilance from Ireland's Berkeley. Luckily they're
neither and with a string of support slots to the likes of The D4 and
Rival Schools bumping up a rather promisingCV, it's about time we clarified
just what these three emo lads are all about. Specialising in a brand
of rock that's urgent and gloriously rough around the edges, if opener
'New Heavy' kicks and screams it's way to imperfection, 'Follow Through'
and 'Explanations' pin down the infectious chorus, while 'New Star' claims
the award for earth-shattering unpredictibility. Stricking the balance
between wildly intense and memorably melodic is no easy task, but Berkeley
are doing it with their eyes closed. It looks like these hopes and prayers
are about to pay off. VICTORIA DURHAM
THE INDEPENDENT ****(4)
At the end of last year this young Donegal trio announced their arrival
with the excellent rocking ÔNew Star EPÕ and now follow that up with a
gem of an album produced by Steve Albini. ItÕs powerful, emotional hardcore
with well-thought-out lyrics and the influences of Fugazi and Buffalo
Tom are nicely tempered with smouldering songs reminiscent of early Radiohead.
TIM PARRY
NEW STAR E.P.
KERRANG K K K K 'GET OVER it!' shrieks Tommy McLaughlin a few seconds into 'New Star'. Is that the sound of another emotional crisis being exorcised with a dose of hardcore pounding? Well yes, but inventive Irish upstarts Berkeley only use the heart-and-brawn bluster of Hundred Reasons as a template for tailoring their own mini-anthems. From then on they add as many flourishes as they see fit. 'Explanations' fades in with an eerie guitar line before being set alight by Berkeley's grasp of melody, while 'Fallen' boasts a bass-line that could blister paint. With ragged vocals that recall Walter Schreifels and Fugazi-esque fury. Berkeley might just be a gorgeous mash-up of your favourite bands. New Star? Better make that stars.
THE INDEPENDENT **** SINGLE OF THE WEEK The work of three kids from Donegal, these five tracks have more ideas and twists in them than uou'd find on most full-length albums. With Steve Albini twisting the production knobs, it's raw , emotive, complex and highly atmospheric stuff, and some of the best alt.rock to surface in a long time.
"One after another they churn out manic, thrilling guitar pop. Forget the w*nky indulgent Rawk music that is force fed to us by MTV2, this is pure, it's raw, it's sometime out of tune. Most of all it's fun." - Hot Press (Live Review)
"This stunning five-track EP is one of the best releases to emerge from these shores this year. The playing is crisp and precise, Tommy McLaughlin's vocals wringing every last drop of emotion from each song. Spellbinding." - Hot Press ('Single of Fortnight')
"They are the new HUSKER DU." - The Event Guide
band biog
berkeley are a sonorous hybrid of their influences Fugazi, Nirvana, Radiohead, Idlewild and Jeff Buckley. Their live show is a blast of full-on punk rock energy laced with soul-searching dynamics. Music is everything to berkeley, no gimmicks, no manifesto and this has enabled them to play to very diverse crowds.
Dynamic 3-piece rock band berkeley formed in Donegal, Republic of Ireland in January 2001. Their first year was spent writing material for their debut album and playing throughout Ireland. An early decision to find someone who could capture their live sound without any studio trickery was realised in December 2001 when the band travelled to Chicago to record their debut album 'Hope, Prayers & Bubblegum' with the legendary Steve Albini at the controls at his Electric Audio Studio. 15 tracks were recorded and the first release from this session the 'New Star' 5-track EP will see its UK release on Monday 11th November 2002.
Upon returning from Chicago, they set about building a reputation for themselves as one of the best live bands in Ireland. They started 2002 well supporting Jimmy Eat World at their debut sell out Dublin show. Since then they have supported a number of visiting International acts including Rival Schools, Sparta, Haven, Jetplane Landing and the frames. Their impressive performance at this years Witnness Festival T.V Tent (after almost missing out on playing at all after the Upstage was flooded out) and most recently touring Ireland with The D4 have kept them busy. berkeley recently played their first dates in England & Scotland. Thanks to everyone who helped organise these shows. Anyone who wants berkeley to play where you live please get in touch.
The 'new star' EP is the first instalment from 'Hope, Prayers & Bubblegum' and features two album tracks, 'New Star' and 'Explanations', and three exclusive non-album tracks 'Fallen', 'Whatever You Think Yourself' and 'Motion of Lives'. If you want to buy it direct from us please go to the Mail Order page.
In the meantime check out some early material for free below.
They have released a very limited mini album "the best of" on their own label. You can download all the tracks below.
Click on a song title for a free mp3 download of complete track.
All
I Want
Superstar
After Eight
One Way Out
Red
Vertigo
Contact berkeley info@supremorecordings.com
