Thursday, January 1, 2009

2008

I guess i will start by saying that 2008 was maybe the best year of my life thus far. I had a crazy amount of fun this year.

The first major event that i can remember was the Blacklisted, Shipwreck and Soul Control show. The main man billy27 made the trip over for the show and the laugh was had. Blacklisted are easily my favourite band in hardcore today. Theshow ruled so much and it was the start of an amazing year for Dublin hardcore. Billy split his head open during shipwreck, So me, Billy and Lee spent the night in the hospital with extremely funny results. 2 junkie lads were having the laugh and some woman in a celtic jersey kept getting sick in a bucket and we couldnt help but laugh hard at that. The next day we got the bus up to Belfast with Glenn and Gav for the show up there and even though there was no-one there we had a class time.



I think the next even was the Save Your Breath/All Or Nothing/Find A Way tour. Fuck me we partied that weekend. Dylan drove FAW on that tour and my lasting memory of that tour will always be listening to 90s dance on the drive from belfast to Dublin.
The Greystones show on that tour still stands out as the best of the 3. It was maybe my favourite FAW show ever. Im really good friends with the lads in SYB and AON as a result of that tour and im stoked to call them friends.

Find A Way - Greystones Scout Den


I think it was just after this show that Jon Boyce joined Forging Friendships. I really dont know what would hve happened to the band without that lad.

March saw To Kill from Italy come to Ireland. Dylan drove them on this tour and i jumped in the van and all. To Kill are one of the nicest bands i have ever met. All the shows on this tour were awesome, but the show in the Hideaway House sticks out as being amazing! So many people in such a small room going crazy! Galway was also awesome. I love that city so much. I remember after the show we stayed in Claras house. I was sharing a room with Dylan and when i came out of the bathroom he was standing there wearing a completely see through dress. I fell to the floor laughing. I remember when we got up the next morning i looked out the window and the whole place was covered in snow. I just remember driving home looking at this amazing scenery and feeling completely at peace or something.

Later on in March myself and Chris traveled to Belgium for the last Justice show. The line up was Justice, Blacklisted, True Colors, Dirty Money, Seed Of Pain and Hoods Up. It was maybe the best show i have even been to. We stayed in this mad hotel called the billiard palace. it was weird!!haha


haha somewhere in there we went to the UK to play From The Heart Fest. It was a good weekend and it was class to hang out with the Black Friday 29 guys again.

Guns Up were meant to play here in may and i missed the First Death tour cause i was broke, FUCK LIFE.

In June i put on Comeback Kid with the lads and its safe to say that it was the most packed show of the year. All the lads put in some hard work and it paid off. We traveled to Galway the next day for the show and it was the first time FF had played there and we seemed to go down fairly well!



I think next up was No Turning Back. They played 3 shows here but i only made it out to 2 of them. Solid band, Good dudes. The Dublin show ruled. Jacks birthday party that weekend ruled.

Pretty soon after that came Demented Fest. Macker has been doing a solid job for a few years now! Keep it up son!
What a class weekend! The Highlight was the last Another Day in Hell show. Although it was really sad to see them go it was an amazing show!
I cant really talk much more about that weekend cause i dont really remember much. haha.

In August Forging Friendships were in the UK with Everyday Hell and Dungeons and i had the most amazing time. I formed some solid friendships with the dudes in those bands and i can’t wait to see them again. You would think that sleeping in the back of a van for 2 weeks would suck but it actually turned out to be pretty comfortable. The dudes from Everyday Hell loved to get naked so it made for extremely funny times. The tour overall went so much better than i expected. Most of the shows were packed and we shifted a lot of Demos. BUT i fucking died on the ferry both times! FUCK ME! We also got to play the Deal With It LP release show and it was sweet. Such a pity they broke up. Ben and Jen from Denver were on the tour with us for a while and i can safely say that i miss them both a lot, Come visit soon guys. We got to play a couple of shows with Ritual and Union town to which ruled, Solid guys and girl.

Like aweek after we got back from tour i went to Ieperfest with the lads. What a class weekend! Hang outs with old friends and great music. what else could you want! uiner, Betrayed, Have Heart, Verse, Shipwreck and Counting The Days were all amazing!! It was class to catch up with all the people i aint seen in a while.
Haha it was muddy as fuck though and i managed to lose a shoe in the mud!
haha stoked for next year.

In September Lally, Jack and myself put on a show for Deal With It. The show itself ruled and sweet hangouts were had. Its such a pity they broke up.

Everything after that is a blur until the moshspace anniversary. One of the best shows of the year for show and def the best one with a local line up. One of my favourite FF sets ever and at that point maybe my favourite.

My birthday was a few days after that and everyone headed to Fibbers and the laugh was had. It was my favourite night out of the year for sure. Jack and Ciara bought me the best pair of nike! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Like a week later Ceremony played in the Boom Boom Room. Despite it being the worst venue the show was amazing! So many people going crazy. I had the biggest smile on my face the whole way home.

DECEMBER!!! haha i have been writing this since 11.
I had the best December ever! Dirty Money in the temple was fucking so sweet! it was so fucking packed to!
A couple of days after that FF did a 3 day tour with Verse starting of in Galway. Verse are one of my favourite bands in hardcore today so it was sweet to get to see them 3 days in a row. The Dublin show was my favourite for sure! Everyone went crazy and i still get chills thinking about it. It was def my favourite FF set ever. After the show i got talking to Matteo and Glauce from Hurry UP! Records and after a bunch of e-mails we signed with them. To say that we are stoked would be an understatement. It just opens up so many doors for us with regards to touring and having a record released world wide. Add in the fact that Matteo and Glauce are 2 of the nicest people i have ever met and itsthe perfect fit. Im stoked to get the record out and to go everywhere! 2009 will rule!

The last show of the year was Have Heart in Ruaille Buaille. Def my new favourite venue and maybe my favourite Dublin hardcore show ever.


So there you have it. I spent new years eve in bed sick.
I met a lot of amazing people this year and i let go of some dead weight. I think the most important thing i learned is to stop caring about what others think.

People will always talk shit, people will always try to put down the acomplishments that you have made, but in the end your friends will still be your friends and even though ladders are meant to be climbed there is no room for ladders in my life and the most important piece of this puzzle is not the kid up on that high horse its the kids that no-one knows that comes to every single show, we can create the veins but they are useless without the blood that fills them.

Im stoked for 2009!!!

Ian James Kelly.

8 comments:

xMac Kellx (Old Account) said...

Sweet. Now I don't have to write one these.

xCiaránx said...

Ciarán James Parnell

Iano said...

haha i was hoping for that

Unknown said...

I got the bus to belfast tooooo.

xGavx said...

We know everybody that comes to every single show. But new kids are the coolest unless they talk mad shit on the internet.

Iano said...

there are def so many people that come that we dont know

xGavx said...

I'm sure there's a few people that show up when Have Heart and Verse play but every single show?

All about... (vegan) food said...

Hi, thanks for the nice words about us! We're so happy to be in Dublin and to meet you! I am also stoked to 2009 =D

Happy New Year!

PS. I love Blacklisted too and I didn't see their show yet =/