MORE LIKELY to play Reykjavik than Detroit, more likely to release songs on flexi-discs in Dutch comic books than provide MP3s on their website, Shellac have long operated outside typical mainstream practices.
They also contain Steve Albini, one of the most renowned producers of the last 35 years, having produced Nirvana's In Utero, Pixies' Surfer Rosa, PJ Harney's Rid Of Me, to name but a few. He is also a musician of note in his own right, through such punk bands as Big Black, and their 1987 album, Songs About F***ing. His influence on American alternative rock, punk, and hardcore cannot be underestimated.
The band is completed by drummer Todd Trainer (Rifle Sport, Brick Layer Cake ) and Bob Weston (Sorry, Volcano Suns ). Since their formation in 1992, they have released five albums, the most recent being Dude Incredible in 2014. Their lyrical subject matter considers the uglier side of humanity, shot through with flashes of humour - and are not, as the band mischieviously claimed, all about baseball or Canada. They have also covered AC/DC's lost 1976 classic 'Jailbreak'.
Shellac play the Róísín Dubh on Friday September 29 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.roisindubh.net, the Ticket Desk at OMG Zhivago, Shop Street, and The Róisín Dubh.
