13th Note, Glasgow, 20 March 2007

Oi Polloi

UNTIL last night, the term “Gaelic punk” carried absolutely no connotations for me. With “Gaelic rock”, at least there is Runrig as a frame of reference, but to be completely honest, I had no idea what to expect when I went along to the Ròc na Gàidhlig – Rac na Gaeilge 2007 gig with Oi Poloi, supported by La Luain.

I was surprised by how many Glaswegian punks, the old school kind with big mohicans and even bigger Doc Marten boots on, were in attendance. Again, much as I was ignorant of the Gaelic punk sub-genre, I didn’t appreciate that punks actually existed in this day and age. I thought they had disappeared about the same time as the coal mines. But they’re still very much alive and gig-going.

How musicians end up as part of such an obscure sub-genre as Gaelic punk is somewhat baffling – the lead singer of La Luain, for instance, comes not from Uist, but the USA. The decision has apparently more to do with cultural politics – the Wikipedia entry on the topic describes the movement as one that promotes “biocultural diversity” rather than artistic concerns.

As for the sound of “Gaelic punk”, well it does exactly what it says on the tin; it is Gaelic lyrics set to punk music. And while punk is not the broadest of musical churches, that’s not to say that the support band and headliners sounded similar.

The former, La Luain, come from the chirpier, more upbeat melodic end of the spectrum. And considering how politicised such bands are meant to be, they prove to have a pretty good sense of humour with a large number of songs taking a wry look at the topic of sex. The band’s lead singer is also extremely amiable, with an infectious enthusiasm for live performance.

For the non-Gael there’s something rather surreal about watching La Luain – the between-song banter comes first in English but then is swiftly translated into Gaelic, thus making it reminiscent of the bit in Eurovision Song Contest when the scores are given out.

Oi Polloi, on the other hand, have a much harder edge to their music, both in terms of sound and content of their lyrics. ‘Union Jack? Thall ‘s Cac!’ tells of their distaste for the British flag and a sample lyric, translated into English, goes, “Imperialism and racism – that’s what they symbolise, The Butcher’s Apron – I’m gonna puke”.

But that’s not to say that their songs all doom and gloom; any band that writes an ode to Stephen Gough, better known as The Naked Rambler, can obviously see the lighter side of life.

Like Lu Lain, Oi Polloi bring a massive amount of energy to their live performance, and while their sound may be a bit overwhelming for some, they’re certainly worth seeing.

The Mod it ain’t, but it might be just as significant a force in keeping Gaelic alive.

(Touring until 31 March – see link below for dates)

© Bruce Munro, 2007

Links

• Ròc na Gàidhlig – Rac na Gaeilge 2007