Dead Bob - Workman’s Club

Dead Bob

Workman’s Club 

words: Niall McGuirk

Nomeansno first played Ireland in April 1990, a benefit for Amnesty International in Smiley Bolger’s New Inn. It has been immortalised by many and was a night of controlled musical explosion. The three piece created some amount of synchronised madness on stage. They returned a number of times to Ireland with their gigs being cast as legendary in many alternative punk rock hardcore noise quarters. 

The band split as soon as many do and the Wright brothers continued as Ramones wannabes The Hanson Brothers before joining the real world at the turn of the 20th Century.  Over the past couple of years word has emanated from Western Canada that drummer/songwriter John Wright from Nomeansno had got the bug again. This time in the form of Dead Bob and with an expanded number of band members. 

2 albums later and the band finally got to Dublin. The packed out Workmans Club waited in anticipation, many of them had been in that New Inn madness in April 1990. More wrinkles and grey hair but no less excitement spread through the audience. 

Dublin’s Creepy Future for the audience going with a selection of garage speed from their debut album.  The excitement was brewing up for Dead Bob and when the five piece hit the stage the Workman’s room was nearly blown off with respect from the listeners. 

I stood at the back, Moving from side to side, head constantly nodding along to the noise on offer. This was an aural assault to the senses. My watch kept telling me I was in a Loud Environment. Hell, I knew that but I was completely transfixed. I will worry about my eardrums later, for now I was trying to figure out what was going on within this explosion of tunes. Less than 60 minutes later it was done not before John pleaded with us that when all seems hopeless with the world or with your world  please “Breathe” as they played the final track from their debut album, a song closer to belonging on the quintessential Nomeansno record “Wrong” 

They departed, played 2 more songs as their rock opera live performance finished with the crowd beaming as if it was 1989 all over again.