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It’s Tuesday night in the middle of Kentish Town and I’m in a pub with Niall O’Flaherty, frontman of Cork punk rock gods the Sultans of Ping FC.
Niall is making apologies about being “30% bigger than in the old days” – but as you can see from the photo this is a comment that will infuriate blokes in their 30s (like me) all over the land who really are. He’s giving his first interview for years but is very relaxed, giving me a tour of the pubs in the area before (it’s just like the tour I give people where I live – “don’t go in there, don’t go in there, stay well away from that one”) – until we find a suitable one to talk in. It’s a radio interview’s dream – it’s empty – really, really empty – but it means we end up packing up pretty quickly to find a slightly more lively pub to carry on talking in.
The Sultans were one of the brightest stars in the 90s indie galaxy – a “novelty” hit, Where’s Me Jumper (Ireland’s biggest selling single of 1992, no less); three frenetic albums and another 10 singles, including a UK top 30 hit in U Talk 2 Much in January 1993. The band were always noted for their stage shows and toured non stop with a host of other bands – I had the good fortune to see them supported by little known indie outfit Radiohead with about 100 other people in a small club in Essex in 1992. “Ah yeah, I remember them – nice guys, quiet shy guys. Do you remember that bit on Father Ted with the priest on the bus?”
In 1997 the band split up and Niall was involved in writing and producing Japanese girl punk band Mika Bomb’s 2001 album The Fake Fake Sound Of Mika Bomb. Music-wise not a great deal has happened since, but with the nostalgia wheel turning round to the early 90s there’s been an upsurge of interest in the band – Where’s Me Jumper was voted the no 2 Irish song of all time by listeners to Dublin’s Today FM earlier this year, and the band have agreed to come out of retirement and play a few shows in Ireland in December – with a possible warm up gig right here in Essex in October.
Afterwards we talk about things I forgot to mention in the interview – a few stories about gigs which I shouldn’t really repeat, and of course football, a major influence in some of the band’s early songs. Niall’s parents, who spent a while living in the East End of London before moving back to Cork, are followers (like me) of West Ham United – Niall, who was born in Brighton, gravitated towards Nottingham Forest. Was Give Him A Ball really about Nigel Clough? It was – and I also learned the quotes from Brian Clough in the song were all about John Robertson. Cue an opportunity for the two of us to start moaning about our team’s prospective predicaments – I’m worrying about getting a tonking from Preston North End and spending another year in the Fizzy Drink League, Niall worrying about his beloved Forest – mightly two times champions of Europe – having to visit Yeovil and Scunthorpe next year.
Niall’s more looking forward to getting back on stage but couldn’t promise the energy and crowd insults of yesteryear – time’s moved on and everyone’s older and wiser. Does this dignified stance mean that he’ll be turning into the Val Doonican of indie? You’ll have to find out in December …
