Content over contrivance. Power over personality. Ferocity over fashion.
Those are the hallmarks of Fighting With Wire, the trio from Northern Ireland that took the whole of the UK by storm in 2008 with their debut album, MAN VS. MONSTER, and now cross...
Content over contrivance. Power over personality. Ferocity over fashion.
Those are the hallmarks of Fighting With Wire, the trio from Northern Ireland that took the whole of the UK by storm in 2008 with their debut album, MAN VS. MONSTER, and now cross the pond to make their mark with feral rock 'n' roll – parading muscular guitar riffs, brutal rhythmic attacks, and memorable melodies that stick in your head long after the songs end. And that, of course, is exactly what singer-guitarist Cahir O'Doherty and drummer Craig McKean had in mind when they founded the group five years ago.
"In the UK at the time, everybody was trying to be the next sort of indie sensation," O'Doherty recalls. "There was more of a ‘fashion over content’ thing going on. And we just wanted to rock it out, really. We didn't care how we looked. We wanted to play honest rock music.
That's an apt description of MAN VS. MONSTER's 12 tracks. The propulsive set by O'Doherty, McKean, and bassist Jamie King is a model of modern rock done right – a big, brash sound with plenty of heart and craft. The singles released in the UK thus far are indicative of the gamut the album as a whole runs: "All For Nothing" is a tuneful and energetic sprint with a buoyant, anthemic chorus, while "Everyone Needs a Nemesis" is a heavy stomp that packs a wallop but still has a chorus fit for singing along. The harsh punk flavor of "Cut the Transmission," the staccato New Wave attack of "Last Love Song," the dance-rock groove of "Make a Fist," and the airy ambience of "Sugar" add to a bold listening experience that comes together in a focused and unified body of work
"I suppose I've got a soft spot for pop music," O'Doherty confesses, "but good pop music -- good, solid melodies. I hate the sort of disposable pop music. I'm a fan of big choruses and nice melody, just big, rockin' riffs
"And," adds the man who drew on the end of a romantic relationship for the songs on MAN VS. MONSTER, "I love lyrics. I love bands like Death Cab For Cutie. I love Conor Oberst and people like that... their lyrics and that kind of relationship vibe that they bring to their lyrics, with love songs but not in the bleeding-heart sense, just interesting ways of telling their stories.
Fighting With Wire's story began in 2003 in Derry, Ireland, where O'Doherty was playing in the band Jetplane Landing, which released three albums between 2001-2007. McKean was drumming in Clearshot, though he also played on tracks for Jetplane Landing's 2001 debut, ZERO FOR CONDUCT. The two decided they wanted to keep playing together and "hijacked some shows," according to O'Doherty – sometimes playing before Jetplane Landing, other times just showing up at gigs by other bands, mostly friends, and asking to go on early in the night
"It was a really good way of very quickly breaking into the scene and getting people to hear our music," O'Doherty recalls. "It was a good plan. It worked.
Fighting With Wire went through five bass players before settling on King, a headbanger who, along with O'Doherty, is active in the Nerve Centre, an organization that provides opportunities for youths in Northern Ireland to experience the arts. The idea, according to O'Doherty, was always to keep the group a trio.
"We had always loved Nirvana and Fugazi and Dinosaur Jr. and Husker Du and bands like that," the guitarist explains. "We always loved the three-piece and the idea that you have to be tighter than everybody else 'cause there's just three of you.
The group took its name from a comment by a friend’s girlfriend, gigged enough to build a following, and found a receptive audience for their first single, "Machine Parts," and a pair of EPs that followed.
Nevertheless, the machinations of the music business slowed the process towards MAN VS. MONSTER, and O'Doherty acknowledges there was a low point in late 2007 when "we were going to split up the band, to be honest." Then the album was released in the UK in spring of 2008, and the reaction put those thoughts to rest.
BBC Radio 1 personality Zane Lowe became a big fan and ardent supporter, calling MAN VS. MONSTER, “absolutely phenomenal from the start to the end, a flawless modern rock record…
Kerrang announced that Fighting With Wire "are living proof that despite the gazillions already used you can still come up with a fucking great band name if you try. More importantly the music matches; vicious and stinging in parts but applied with dexterity and finesse." Rocksound seconded, gushing that "these three guys make enough noise to drown out an Armageddon-scale nuclear attack... against a seething mass of generic and unoriginal rock and indie bands."
MAN VS. MONSTER put Fighting With Wire on the road non-stop throughout the UK and Europe, playing nearly all of the biggest festivals, including Oxygen, T in the Park, BBC Radio One Big Weekend, and the Reading and Leeds Festivals
"2008 was immense," O'Doherty says with unhidden satisfaction. "Our video for ‘Everyone Needs A Nemesis’ went to No. 1 on MTV over here. It's just been incredible. It's kind of taken us by surprise. It's good in a real way. We're really happy it's happened.
Given that success, bringing MAN VS. MONSTER to North America was inevitable. Fighting With Wire blew away audiences with their first-ever performance in the U.S. at the 2008 CMJ New Music Marathon in New York City, whetting appetites as the battle of MAN VS. MONSTER opens a new front
"We're very optimistic," O'Doherty says. "We've always toured hard; we're no stranger to that. And we've always wanted to play in the States 'cause that's the kind of music we were influenced by, American bands. So we're not going to waste the chance. We're gonna put our heads down and work hard, which has worked well for us so far.
