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Blizzards to storm Limerick |
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Written by Alan Jacques
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Wednesday, 01 October 2008 |
CURRENTLY storming up the charts with their new album ‘Domino Effect’, The Blizzards have achieved one of the most impressive rises to the top of the charts with their energetic brand of blistering indie-pop.The Mullingar five-piece’s platinum-selling debut album ‘A Public Display Of Affection’ featured the chart-topping hits ‘Trouble’, ‘Miss Fantasia Preaches’ and ‘Fantasy’ – three of the biggest singles of 2007. Now back with their infectious sophomore album, the down-to-earth Irish outfit are eating up the airwaves and charts once again with their new and improved sound.Not a man to sit on his laurels, former Leinster rugby star and Blizzards frontman, Niall ‘Bresy’ Breslin says he knew there was room for improvement this time round. “We were told by a few people that the first album didn’t reflect the energy of he live shows, so that’s what we were aiming for on this record,” Bresy tells me.“We set a limit on our time so we could capture the personality of the songs. We also used the old Led Zeppelin rhythm section trademark of pushing the tempo of the tracks to give them more energy and vibe,” he explains.“We didn’t want a clean cut, pitch perfect record. We just wanted something that represented the band’s live shows. It was an arduous process and there were times when I thought that we would never finish it, but I couldn’t be happier with the end result – it’s exactly what we were aiming for,” says the affable frontman in a thick Mullingar brogue.What the Blizzards were obviously aiming for then is an album that is passionate, energetic and direct, as that is what they have produced. Indeed ‘Domino Effect’ shows a tight band that knows how to play to their strengths. And by teaming up once again with world-class producer Michael Beinhorn, the man behind seminal albums by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Soundgarden and Hole, they have managed to deliver a winning record full of tongue-in-cheek humour and falsetto harmonies.“We’re good friends with Michael at this stage and he is great to work with. He brings so much out of us and we have got a lot from working with him in the studio. Any gobshite can make an album on pro-tools these days, even Paris Hilton is doing it, but we recorded as a full live band.”“Initially we demoed 30 songs for the new album but when our producer heard them he said they were shite so we started from scratch. Michael said the songs were really moany and political and not what people wanted to hear from The Blizzards. He said people wanted us to make energetic pop music so that’s what we went and did.”The band were forced to decamp to several different studios during their quest for sonic perfection. They even hired carpenters to build an indoor booth in one, hoping to achieve a better sound.“Michael is just really choosey about where he works. We got a really big drum and bass sound so it was a case of finding the right studio to get the guitar sound to match. I would have always been more comfortable in a live setting but these days I feel really at home in the studio. I’ve always been into my producers, people like Phil Spector and Tony Visconti. I just love watching how they work and it is a very creative and spontaneous environment to be in. You can just learn so much from a good producer.”The album’s title track, ‘Domino Effect’ and lead single ‘Trust Me I’m A Doctor’ contain bigger and better choruses than anything the band have done previously and are already marked as future live favourites. The shockingly touching ‘Postcards’ has a maturity that will astound newcomers as well as longtime fans as Bresy’s songwriting takes on a more personal approach. He even writes about his fear of flying on ‘Three Cheers For Modern Medicine’.“I’m terrified of flying. When I get on a plane now I just pop three valium and I’m totally stoned so I feel nothing, that’s how I get through it and that’s what the song is about,” Bresy confesses.“We’re definitely more confident songwriters now. Before we were naïve in the recording process, we were just finding our way around. This time, we took a much more honest approach to the recording process and learned a lot about ourselves as musicians and people. We are better musicians now too. I mean we’ve played over a 1,000 gigs so we should be.”The Blizzard’s second album entered the Irish charts at number two and was just kept off the top spot by their self-confessed idols, Metallica. In a week that saw five top ten albums by Irish artists, Bresy says they were thrilled to be placed at number two.“It’s fantastic to go in at number two alongside such other great Irish releases. It proves that it’s now time for the Irish music industry to stand up on it’s own two feet and not focus solely on other territories.”Currently out on the road doing a 22-date Irish tour, Bresy tells me that he sees their Limerick gig this weekend as a “night off”. “I’m not just saying this but Limerick is our favourite place to play, it really is. Mick and all the crew always take such great care of us. It’s like a night off for us. The one thing I always love about Limerick is that the crowd is so honest. It’s unlike anywhere else. In some city’s you might get a music snob in the crowd who will say ‘Oh I wish I could get into The Blizzards but they are just too polished’. In Limerick they just won’t come if they don’t like you which I think is brilliant. There’s no bullshit and it’s great to play to 500 people in Dolan’s who are there because they want to be,” Bresy concludes.The Blizzards play Dolan’s Warehouse this Saturday, October 4. Doors open at 8pm and tickets cost €18.
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