Veteran Kilkenny band Kerbdog play their album On The Turn in full at the 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin on Halloween night. We asked front man and 2fm DJ Cormac Battle the BIG questions . . .
Kerbdog formed in the mid-90s, relocated to London and signed with Mercury Records and recorded their debut album in Rockfield Studios in Wales with Jack Endino, the producer responsible for Nirvana's debut Bleach
We need your consent to load this Spotify contentWe use Spotify to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Although the band split in 1998, they reunited in the mid-2000s for several live shows which resulted in the 2014 live album, Congregation.
"For reasons that allude me, 2025 was a very busy year for Kerbdog on the live front (Forest Fest, touring with Kaiser Chiefs and Reef to name a few), so it's time to take a break from it all . . . " says Cormac.
"However, On The Turn is heading towards 30 years in existence (we’re in mega denial about this fact), and we’ve decided to do a live rendition of the entire record, but just a once only in Ireland, on Saturday 31st October 2026 at Dublin’s beautiful 3Olympia Theatre."
He adds, "We’ll be playing tracks that were rarely if ever played live, so there’s proper homework to be done!!!!. Naturally, we’ll be doing the other 'hits’ too and other surprises you’ll hear about in due course.
"We hope that you can come and join us for this occasion from wherever you may dwell, it’ll be a very special night in very special place."
Tell us three things about yourselves . . .
We sent off a demo tape in 1992 to a load of record companies expecting to hear absolutely nothing and get on with our lives. Two weeks later there were limos dropping off international record executives at our local pub in Kilkenny to see us play. We were offered a deal the next morning by Mercury. It was completely surreal and felt like we’d won the lottery. It still bemuses me that four lads who had about half a dozen half-baked songs at the time managed to do this!!!
We moved to London and spent most of the time in expensive rehearsal studios drinking tea, we had no idea this was costing a lot of money, a hardcore work ethic wasn’t our strong point.
We managed to experience the stuff of fantasy and enough anecdotes to do ten lifetimes. For example, discovering wasabi when we were invited over to Duff McKagan’s from Guns N’ Roses house to hang out in Los Angeles. I know….four young lads from Kilkenny!!!!
How would you describe your music?
Alternative tuneful mathematical rock (or a pop band with nuclear-powered guitar amps).
Who are your musical inspirations?
God, they are infinite, but the more surprising ones would probably be shoegaze stuff like Ride, The Jesus and Mary Chain, a smidge of Metallica, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Hüsker Dü, R.E.M., Spacemen 3….I know, it’s an odd mix. And the obvious Seattle stuff (Nirvana, Soundgarden etc).
What was the first gig you ever went to?
U2 on The Joshua Tree tour in 1987 at Croke Park and way too young to be there. Mind blown!!
What was the first record you ever bought?
I could pretend something cool, but it was Baggy Trousers by Madness (that is cool! - Ed). .
What’s your favourite song right now?
At this moment, Tropic Morning News by The National.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Black Flag’s TV Party "We’re gonna have a TV party tonight – Alright" . . . profound stuff.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Sonic Youth’s Teenage Riot (it helps that it’s seven minutes long).
Where can people find your music/more information?
Instagram and Facebook.
Alan Corr
