‘Sometimes the reality is more Spinal Tap than Spinal Tap': Philly Byrne of Gama Bomb on Irish thrash metal and the band's new film
When Philly Byrne, lead singer of Gama Bomb, began discussions about a documentary on his durable thrash-metal band, thoughts of a much-loved pastiche from the mid-1980s were unavoidable.
'Well, sometimes the reality is more Spinal Tap than Spinal Tap,' the Newry man says. 'Obviously, we're all huge fans of the film. Just last week we were on tour and we drove past Stonehenge.'
Ah, yes. As replicated in accidental miniature for one of the Tap's most hilarious mishaps.
'The comparisons were inescapable!'
READ MORE
There seems to be one oblique reference to This Is Spinal Tap in Kiran Acharya's rambunctious Gama Bomb: Survival of the Fastest. We hear of Domo Dixon, the band's lead guitarist, being laid low with a mysterious 'trouser accident'. Come on, now. This is surely a nod to the fatal 'bizarre gardening accident' that did for a Tap drummer.
'Correct reference!' Byrne says with a bellow. 'He put his hand in to push his boxers down and something snapped. It's called 'baseball finger'.'
The conversation is a bit unfair to Gama Bomb and to Acharya's low-budget flick. This Is Spinal Tap, like so many genuine rock documentaries, is a study of terminal dysfunction. It is about relationships warping and cracking under the glare of publicity.
The wonder of Gama Bomb's story is that they survived for more than 20 years without (if the film is to believed) any major fallings-out. Purveyors of warp-speed comic bangers, the band have never been enormous, but they have sustained enough of a following to keep them trundling on while members worked jobs, raised children and otherwise pursued 'real lives'. It is, to use a sentimental cliche, an inspirational tale.
'We are mates, which I think the film does a really good job of showing,' Byrne says. 'There is love there. So there's that. None of us are hired guns, and that's really important. The other thing is we had realistic expectations. Coming from the type of families we come from, we didn't walk into this naively. Whenever we got signed, back in the noughties, we didn't put a down payment on a guitar-shaped swimming pool. We kept our real lives going.'
In the film, Byrne, a fiercely smart fellow with a very south
Down
line in self-deprecation, points out that bands often conceal the fact that they maintain 'day jobs'. Gama Bomb have no such inhibitions about acknowledging their parallel straight lives. Why should they?
'You have to reach compromises,' he says. 'You end up with a job where your boss doesn't really mind that you use all your holidays to be in a band. You end up married to someone who isn't insulted by the fact that you dress up like an idiot for a gig.'
Byrne was a journalist for a while, but 'the arse fell out of that when the crash happened'. He still does a bit of that, but most of his work is now in marketing.
'In the band we've got a man who runs supercomputers for cancer research,' he says. 'We've got a guy who is one of the directors of a theatre. We've got a guy who owns a hotel.'
The film is a laugh. But it is also a touching study of middle-aged men managing complex lives. Acharya, an experienced multidisciplinary film-maker from
Northern Ireland
, had known and worked with the band before, but he was still taking on a notable responsibility here.
'It was a strange experience that revealed new dimensions for both the subjects – that is to say Philly and the boys in Gamma Bomb – and the film-maker,' Acharya says. 'Our friendship and our working relationship precedes the making of the documentary. I made several Gama Bomb videos in a variety of incredible locations: Malin Head, out by the lighthouse; that time Philly called me up and commanded me to make my way to a sex dungeon in Edinburgh.'The film also features a touching thumbnail sketch of Newry. Byrne clearly has great affection for the city, but that affection is tempered with an awareness of political tensions that haven't quite gone away. We get a brief visit to an Orange Hall. A band member talks about IRA attacks before the ceasefire.
'It's hard to explain,' Byrne says, minding his words. 'It's kind of a one-sided love. Newry is a hard place to love. But, in retrospect, even with everything that was happening at the time, it was an amazing place to grow up in. Even during the Troubles it was fairly safe. I was never in any real trouble growing up there. Never in any real bother.'
In Survival of the Fastest we get the sense he feels the old place has got slightly left behind. His dad lives in nearby Warren Point, which has 'really nice vegan restaurants'. Joe McGuigan, the band's bass player, lives just across the Border in tourist-friendly Omeath.
'Newry at the moment is just like another Wakefield,' he says, referring to the city in Yorkshire. 'It's got the air of a depressed UK town. And I think it deserves more. And, as I say in the film, the slang and the attitude in Newry is amazing. The people quality is excellent. I just think the town itself needs a bit of a shot in the arm.'
The band members are a little too old to qualify as ceasefire babies. They have clear memories of the violence. They've seen how the jurisdiction has changed. Before
Kneecap
were even a twinkle, popular music – first punk, then rave – played a part in moving young people away from sectarianism.
'Music of all kinds was the common currency that you bonded with,' Acharya says. 'Happy hard-core, Scooter, rave or whatever it might be. It was, and it still is, something to be passionate about. Music fans are my people, so to speak. Live music, punk, metal: everything like that is second nature to me.'
The genre the once-young band settled on was thrash. The theology of metal has become ever more complex as decades intruded between relatively uncomplicated roots in Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. You have your death metal, your folk metal, your glam metal, your neoclassical metal and so on to apocalyptic eternity.
Thrash has its origins in the speedy sounds of early
Metallica
, Slayer and Megadeath, but, whereas those bands favour a death's-head glumness – 'None more black,' as Tap's Nigel Tufnel would have it – Gama Bomb and their ilk lean towards a comic-book school of macabre humour: titles such as Beverly Hills Robocop, Smoke the Blow with Willem Dafoe and – one of their most popular numbers – Miami Supercops. The riffs are tight. The lyrics are a hoot. In a fairer world they'd be as big as BTS.
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Anthrax's Charlie Benante: 'I was always a big U2 fan. They just got better and better'
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'I love thrash metal because of when it came into my life,' Byrne says. 'Everyone in the family loved music at a time where there was lots of guitar music. Then thrash metal showed up. And me and my best friend Joe got into it when we were teenagers. We already liked heavy metal – bits and bobs of it, like Ugly Kid Joe and all that kind of thing. We discovered this and it appealed to us. We found it hilariously funny.'
Byrne argues that the genre imploded after 'Metallica changed their style in order to become more successful'. He seems relaxed about it all.
'They became a heavy-metal band. And then everyone swam after them, trying to do the same thing,' he says. 'And the genre collapsed. It's got all its own weird signifiers. It has codes and shoes that are appropriate, but I feel like it's a type of music that gives people an excuse to behave like kids – which I think is a brilliant, healthy thing.'
It would be insane to ask if he felt Gama Bomb will continue. The lesson of the film is that, for those who properly commit, there is no reason to quit the church of rock'n'roll. Real life can accommodate the music and the music can accommodate real life. It's a thumping yarn.
'You should be proud of things you've done,' Byrne says. 'And, with the band, apart from the music, the one thing I'm proud of is that we can say we're all friends. Even the people who aren't in the band any more are still mates with us.'
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Metallica, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and more: 20 of the best hard rock albums of all time
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Gama Bomb: Survival of the Fastest is on limited release from Sunday, May 18th
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Iron Maiden at Dublin's Malahide Castle: Stage times, set list, ticket information, how to get there and more
After 50 years in the business, there is no sign of Iron Maiden slowing down any time soon as their European Run For Your Lives tour kicked off last month in Budapest. The heavy metal band will take to the stage at Malahide Castle this Wednesday for an unforgettable night as part of the band's 27 stadium, festival and arena shows around Europe. This tour will mark 50 years since bassist Steve Harris formed Iron Maiden in 1975. The band have promised fans the 'most spectacular and elaborate show ever' with the set list spanning their nine studio albums. Iron Maiden, made up of Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain and Janick Gers, will give a 'once in a lifetime experience' to their concert-bound fans. READ MORE When and where is it? Iron Maiden play Malahide Castle in Dublin on Wednesday, June 25th. What time should I arrive? Gates are at 5pm, meaning the show is expected to start at 6pm. Stage times are not yet available, so keep an eye on Iron Maiden's social media for updates. The concert should be finished by 10.45pm. Who is playing? Support on the night comes from Halestorm and The Raven Age. Iron Maiden will headline. What songs will Iron Maiden play? Below is a recent set list from their gig in Helsinki. Murders in the Rue Morgue Wrathchild Killers Phantom of the Opera The Number of the Beast The Clairvoyant Powerslave 2 Minutes to Midnight Rime of the Ancient Mariner Run to the Hills Seventh Son of a Seventh Son The Trooper Hallowed Be Thy Name Iron Maiden Encore Churchill's Speech Aces High Fear of the Dark Wasted Years Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python song) How do I get to and from the gig? Though it is possible to drive, you are encouraged to use public transport to get to and from Malahide Castle. Allow yourself plenty of extra travel time, as traffic delays and congestion are inevitable. Bus: Dublin Bus operates services to Malahide village from the city centre. The H2 and 42 routes connect with Malahide, while the 102 provides a direct route from Dublin Airport. Marathon Coaches are offering private, direct return buses to the concert from Northwall Quay Bus Stop 7623. JJ Kavanagh Event Coaches are also offering private coach services from locations including Limerick, Portlaoise, Kilkenny and Carlow. Irish Concert Travel offer a similar service from the likes of Donegal Town, Sligo, Longford and Galway. Train/Dart: Malahide train station is about a 15-minute walk from the concert venue and connects to city centre dart locations including Grand Canal Dock, Pearse, Tara Street and Connolly. The Dart usually runs extra services for concerts in Malahide, with the last train leaving the station sometime between 11.30pm and midnight. Car: There is limited parking at Malahide Castle, but it is possible to drive to and from gigs. You are recommended to book parking by downloading the Evntz app and clicking 'parking' on the page for Iron Maiden. Recommended car routes are: Via the M50: From Dublin city centre, west and south of Ireland, exit the M50 at Junction 3 (signposted M1 Belfast/Airport), continuing on to the R139. At the roundabout, take the second exit, continuing on the R139 for 2.6km. Turn left on to Malahide Road/R107. Continue straight for 4.2km, then take a right on to Back Road. Follow signs for car parks on your left. Via the M1: From the north of the country, exit the M1 at Junction 4 (signposted R132 Swords/Malahide/Donabate). Keep right, merging on to the R132. At the roundabout, take the second exit, keeping on the R132. At the next roundabout, take the second exit, again staying on R132. Take a slight left, merging on to Swords Rd/R106, and continue for 2.9km. Turn right on to the Dublin Road/R107, continue straight for 700m and then turn left on to Back Road. Follow signs for car parks on your left. Are there any tickets left? A very small number of tickets are left so act quickly if you want to bag them. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and cost €91.30 each. Download your tickets to your phone in advance, in case there are internet or connectivity issues at the site. Screenshots may not work on the day, as Ticketmaster often use live or dynamic barcodes that update regularly. What's the story with security? Attendees under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult to be permitted entry. You should bring an official form of identification – a passport, Garda age card or driving licence. Bags will be searched on arrival, and you are advised not to bring a large bag to avoid the possibility of a lengthy delay or even refusal of entry. It is prohibited to bring alcohol, umbrellas, garden furniture, flares or professional recording equipment in with you. What does the weather look like? Weather is forecast to be largely settled next week, with less rain than usual and above average temperatures according to Met Éireann .
