Sounds Like Teen Spirit

Sam, Zak, Tadgh & Darragh SAT5OCT24

n the wise words of Sir Paul of Simon, every generation throws a hero up the pop charts.

Only, in the last two decades or so, none of those being thrown appear to be guitar heroes.

When was the last great string-driven band to take the world by the chords? Do we go back to R.E.M.? To U2? The Pixies…?

And when it comes to bands in general, it’s really only Radiohead – who made the bold move from guitar to electronica after 1995’s stadium-filling The Bends, morphing into Punk Floyd – who still get critics and audiences alike excited about each new album. Far from the benign rock’n’roll of Bon Jovi and their ilk, Thom and co’s passion for pushing boundaries only excites and ignites their fans ever more.

“We’re keen to make the guitar sound vital again,” says Sam Burke, lead guitarist with Stick N’ Poke, a Greystones four-piece who have just moved up a gear or two with the release of their new single, Expensive Eye. “But we’re also keen to embrace all that is great about that genre. Our influences are the likes of Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd…”

“That doesn’t mean we don’t want to bring our own take to this,” adds lead singer Tadhg Conway. “Ultimately, it’s about creating a sound, and songs, that are your own. But you can’t help but start with those bands, those sounds, that you love.”

After a series of name changes (Burnt Lobster turning into Overcooked Crustacean, then T.O.K. before the current moniker), and a string of festival appearances (including this year’s Kaleidoscope and our own Picnic In The Park), the band (which also includes Darragh Emerson on bass and Zak Hastie on drums) now have enough original songs to make an album.

They’re just going to see how Expensive Eye – available to stream here – does, and get a few venue gigs under their belt too before heading back into the studio.

You can find out how their cunning plans for world domination are working out on Instagram, Tik Tok, Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube right about here.

In the meantime, we put the lads through one of our infamous, shapeless but strangely revealing ramble chats…