No Monster Club is the DIY indie pop project of Irish musician Bobby Aherne,[1][2] also known as Dublin Duck Dispensary and Sir Bobby Jukebox.[3][4]

No Monster Club
OriginDublin, Ireland
Genres
Years active2009 (2009)–present
Labels
  • Popical Island
  • Already Dead Tapes and Records
  • Mirror Universe Tapes
  • CF Records
  • Emotional Response Records

Since their debut release in 2009, they have recorded a number of albums, split releases and EPs, alternating between a solo project and a full band.[5][6]

The music video for their 2012 single La La Land was named as one of Nialler9's "50 best Irish music videos of all-time"[7] and was screened as part of Adam Buxton's series, BUG: The Evolution of Music Video, at the BFI.[8] The band performed on Chic-a-Go-Go in 2013[9] and performed a WFMU session in 2016.[10] They have also toured several times with The Polyphonic Spree.[11]

An alternate version of their single Arms Across America was used as the theme song of The Alison Spittle Show podcast.[12] Their 2015 single I've Retired was featured in the movie Let The Wrong One In.[13] They contributed original music to the Dublin Fringe Festival musical Trial of the Centurys,[14] and to the RTÉ Jr Radio series Nero's Class.[15]

Musical style

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According to AllMusic biographer Marcy Donelson, No Monster Club "merges retro-minded garage-pop and elements of lo-fi psychedelia with passionate performances and ever-present tunefulness".[16]

In a review of 2016's I Feel Magic album, The Irish Times drew comparisons to the songwriting styles of Kevin Ayers, Syd Barrett and Nikki Sudden.[17] In his 2019 book Perfect Sound Whatever, James Acaster called this album "A good old quirky bit of fun".[18]

Some influences cited by the group include Animal Collective, Lionel Bart and ABBA.[19]

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • Tropical Decibels Volume One (2009)
  • Tropical Decibels Volume Two (2010)
  • BRAIN HEAT WAVE (2010)
  • Dublin (2012)
  • Posthumous Hits (2012)
  • Foie Gras (2013)[20]
  • People Are Weird (2015)[21]
  • I Feel Magic (2016)
  • deadbeat effervescent (2022)
  • Young Guts Champion (2011)
  • Panda Kid Meet No Monster Club (2011)
  • The Community Games (2013)
  • Where Did You Get That Milkshake? (2016)

References

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  1. ^ Cook, Martin (28 November 2018). "Music at Marrowbone Books: No Monster Club". Dublin InQuirer.
  2. ^ Hendicott, James (12 Nov 2017). "Wonderfully Weird: the Charming 60s-Pop World of No Monster Club". Hendicott Writing.
  3. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (22 May 2020). "Sir Bobby Jukebox: Friendship Gift review – a riot of colour as pop songs". The Irish Times.
  4. ^ Wilson, Danny (5 February 2015). "ALBUM OF THE MONTH: NO MONSTER CLUB – PEOPLE ARE WEIRD". Totally Dublin.
  5. ^ Galil, Leor (5 October 2012). "The story behind No Monster Club's not-so-posthumous Posthumous Hits". The Chicago Reader.
  6. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (13 Feb 2015). "No Monster Club - People Are Weird album review". The Irish Times.
  7. ^ Byrne, Niall (May 3, 2018). "The 50 best Irish music videos of all-time". Nialler9.
  8. ^ "32 - BUG Videos - The Evolution of Music Video". Bug Videos.
  9. ^ "No Monster Club on CHic-A-Go-Go". YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "Prove It All Night! with Pat Byrne: Playlist from October 1, 2016". WFMU. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  11. ^ Ward, James (Aug 21, 2015). "Polyphonic Spree on touring: 'When it's happening, there's nothing better than that'". Irish Mirror.
  12. ^ "The Alison Spittle Show". Headstuff.
  13. ^ McPartland, Rory (April 4, 2022). "'I've Retired' by No Monster Club featured in the vampire comedy 'Let the Wrong One In'". Tremolo Music Publishing.
  14. ^ Murphy, Lauren (August 19, 2018). "Jedward put us up to this, say Trial of the Centurys creators Giles Brody and Bobby Aherne". The Times.
  15. ^ O'Sullivan, Eoghan (October 18, 2022). "Podcast Corner: Shows that will entertain and inform listeners of all ages". Irish Examiner.
  16. ^ Donelson, Marcy (2021). "No Monster Club biography". AllMusic.
  17. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (19 Feb 2016). "No Monster Club - I feel Magic: less cartoon, more drama, and all the better for it". The Irish Times.
  18. ^ Acaster, James (2017). "2016 was the best year for music in my lifetime". JamesAcaster.com.
  19. ^ Rushe, Loreana (2014). "Track Record: Bobby Aherne". TheThinAir.
  20. ^ Walsh, Cian. "No Monster Club - Foie Gras |Review | Album Review". GoldenPlec. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  21. ^ Udell, Phil (February 20, 2015). "No Monster Club – People Are Weird". Archived from the original on April 5, 2015.
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