‘It’s so hip to be Irish nowadays…’

The Mary Wallopers’ Charles Hendy talks crossing the Irish Sea to make the band’s new album with The Coral’s James Skelly, feeling at home in Liverpool, and questioning the increasingly fashionable – and commercial – appeal of Irishness

Words | Lawrence Saunders

You recorded the new album Paddywhackery here in Liverpool with James Skelly. How did that come about?

It was suggested to us that James should do the album, and we were already fans of what he does. He came over to Dundalk originally for a couple of nights while we were practising and trying to work out songs, and he just observed it all really.

I suppose we ended up going to Liverpool because that’s where James works, but we were very happy to be there. We actually love Liverpool even more now after spending so much time there. I think we were there for about a week initially and then spent two weeks straight there, and it was brilliant. It doesn’t feel too foreign to us either, Liverpool. It feels very Irish.

Did you get to enjoy the city much or were you stuck in the studio?

We didn’t spend that much time in the studio, actually. We’d go in for maybe four or five hours and just hammer through a load of stuff, and then the rest of the time we were enjoying ourselves. We went to different restaurants – Elif on Bold Street was lovely.

The Grapes was down the road from where we were staying, so we were there a lot. Then when we got sick of The Grapes, we’d go to this natural wine bar called Bunch around the corner. We’d have a hape of pints and then the next day we’d be saying, ‘No, we’re not being so vulgar today’, and go drink a little wine instead. We had a great time going around Liverpool, and the record shops are f *****g great as well.

You’ve performed in Liverpool plenty of times over the years, and will be again later this month. Does it feel different playing here compared with other cities in the UK?

Absolutely. Liverpool’s the 33rd county. I love the way Liverpool hates The S*n newspaper. I love the people. It feels relaxed and it feels like home. We’ll never skip it on a tour. There are certain places that we always look forward to, and Liverpool is definitely one of them. Better than Manchester anyway [laughs].

There is much more original material on this album. Was that a conscious decision?

It’s mostly original, yeah. There are maybe a couple of songs that come from old ballads, but even with those we’ve changed lyrics and things. I suppose we were conscious of it to an extent, but even unconsciously things have to move along. We wanted to be saying stuff that was a bit more modern.

Before The Mary Wallopers, we were in another band where we wrote our own stuff, so it just naturally happens. We’ve never been ones to go against the general flow of things. It makes sense and we’re very happy with the songs. It feels more exciting.

You’re still playing traditional songs that have survived for 100 or 200 years. Does that put extra pressure on you when you’re writing something new that has to sit alongside them?

You’re already starting on the back foot if you’re trying to write songs that will stand up alongside songs that have been around for hundreds of years. But all you can do is write. If you’ve got a good concept for something, it’s about getting it out. It feels quite natural, and if it feels natural, I think you’re onto a winner.

Is there a theme running through the new songs?

There’s a lot about identity because it’s so hip to be Irish nowadays. It can be a bit commercial. I think we’re questioning that a little bit. [Irishness] is something that can be sold, and if people blindly go along with it without questioning anything – whether it’s bands, actors or whatever – it can be very commercially viable for them. Our thing is that we don’t really do that.

As bands get bigger, do you think there can be a temptation to become more cautious about speaking out politically?

Yeah, definitely. I think if you’re going to speak out about stuff and you’ve always been doing it, usually you’ll carry on doing it.

Sometimes people jump on bandwagons – celebrities and all that – but I think people can tell whose heart is in the right place and who is just saying something because it’s hip. Then again, if it’s still getting the word out, what’s the harm in something being hip?

You get big pop stars saying things like, ‘We’re against war’, which is really brave of them! You see people saying, ‘I don’t think anyone should ever be angry at anyone else’. Okay, good on you. Then you see all the branding behind them from Coca-Cola or some other massive company. That’s the kind of thing that bothers me

Some of the subjects you tackle in your songs are very serious, but The Mary Wallopers have always had a strong sense of humour too. Is keeping that humour important?

One hundred per cent. You can hear it in the new songs. Anything we say, even if we’re trying to be serious, there’s humour in it because that’s just the way we are. Things are that f *****g depressing sometimes that you have to laugh. If you don’t laugh, you’ll f *****g cry.

The Mary Wallopers play the Liverpool Olympia on 22 October. Their new album Paddywhackery is out now

Image © Tom Beard

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