Episode Notes

Episode 31 of To Here Knows When - Great Irish Albums Revisited focuses on Paradise in the Picturehouse by The Stunning released in 1990 on Solid Records.

This is a long conversation with The Stunning’s Steve Wall. We go into the band’s history and how they self-financed their first four singles in the late 80s. We talk in detail about Paradise in the Picturehouse and how it eventually spent five weeks at No. 1 in the Irish Albums Chart. Steve also talks about Irish radio programming and his frustration at the lack of airplay afforded most Irish artists. We chat about the time when Blur supported The Stunning in London. Gigging in Ireland and the economics of recording and releasing music today. We chat about the decision to allow The Stunning’s music to be used in advertising and the financial difficulties of being a full time musician in Ireland. Steve also talks about the film they’ve recently made where other musical artists (including Camille O’Sullivan, Shobsy, Zoë Conway, Mundy and Niwel Tsumbu) perform songs from The Stunning’s back catalogue alongside the band. We also talk about Steve’s acting career and his portrayal of Chet Baker in 2018’s My Foolish Heart.

When I mentioned to a friend that I was producing an episode about The Stunning I was called a “sell out”. I assume that because I’ve covered, what some might consider to be, a few obscure albums on this podcast my friend thought that my own personal taste couldn’t possibly also include the Galway band. But I’ve said from the start that I’m only covering albums that I personally love, it’s ultimately my list of Great Irish Albums.

So, I had to quickly set the record straight. I emailed back and wrote: “You can accuse me of being a nostalgist - but don’t you ever accuse me of being a sell-out!”

So, it’s fair to say that my feelings about The Stunning are wrapped up in associations I make about a specific time and place in my life. But these memories are not necessarily sentimental, because The Stunning were and remain an incredibly powerful live band. That night in Sir Henry’s all those years ago has stayed with me. The place was absolutely jammed. I had never seen anything like it. They were incredible.

In 1990 when they released Paradise in the Picturehouse I bought it on tape. It seemed as if half the country had it on tape. It topped the charts for weeks. It has probably sold more copies in Ireland than most of all the albums we’ve covered so far on this podcast. When it was reissued on CD twenty years ago – I bought it again and my love of this album was rekindled once more. Its songs are engrained in the consciousness of a generation, they’re part of the cultural fabric of this country and as I speak ‘Brewing Up a Storm’ is being introduced to a whole new audience via a Rugby World Cup advert.

For Further Listening:

Paradise in the Picturehouse can be heard below:

For the Irish Examiner’s Ireland in 50 Albums series I’ve written about Paradise in the Picturehouse…