Friday 26 May 2017

No. 37 Billy Mahonie - Nightmare City

My third and final offering from Billy Mahonie is their Nightmare City/Scary Village single. It gathers together a pair of tracks from 2002/3. According to the Rough Trade sticker on the front, both tracks were originally available as mp3s from the band's website, but were subsequently released as a single on the French label Euprate in 2007. I think this was the band's final single, though there was a fourth and final LP release in 2009. Both tracks were subsequently included on the Exhale on Mare Street compilation, which can be found in its entirety at https://billymahonie.bandcamp.com. Both tracks are relatively long (the single plays at 33rpm as a result); Nightmare City offers some excellent loud-quiet-loud-quiet-loud-louder dynamics, whilst Scary Village briefly resembles Bela Lugosi's Dead (in a good way).

The single is a rather lovingly put together - clear vinyl is always a winner and the sleeve in printed on semi-transparent paper, with a suitably nightmarish city scape. I do own a further seven inches featuring the instrumental joys of Billy Mahonie, but it's a split single, so won't feature until we reach the letter V (for various, obviously), which at the current rate will be around 2049. If memory serves this particular single was a gift from fellow-indie traveller Mark (@pomfob) currently pursuing all things indie in the greater Europe as I write this) - many thanks!



Teaser - Next time will feature one of the greatest goth tunes ever.