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CD single number 1, by Jackie Hayden in Hot Press (Demo Dip)

After one look at the magnificent photo sent in by Stoat [see home page], I had to listen to their demo immediately. This raucous three-piece is made up of two Wexfordmen and a Russian (allegedly). They plough a freaky furrow of rock with noisy, jagged guitars, rumbling bass and thrashing drums, all rampant with energy and a great sense of good fun.
The demo only features two tunes, 'Randall' (a hilarious song about a local lothario who drives a Hiace van) and 'Everybody Wants To Be American', the latter somewhat reminiscent of The Feelgood's Wilko Johnson at his most machine-gun manic. The overall impression is of a band that should be fun to see live and who exhibit influences ranging from Supergrass to The Pixies and the wackier end of bands like Green Day and Woozer. The fact that the drummer and bass player met at auditions for a new boy band only add to the sense of zaniness. Check 'em out.

[Stoat review-of-review: Supergrass? Green Day? No no. Apart from that, a good review. 9 out of 10]

IMRO showcase, Whelan's 13/04/2000, by Kim Porcelli in Hot Press

Stoat, also in early days, don't take themselves at all seriously ... which is nice. Fronted by Dave Grohl's doppelganger on bass (who provides hilarious a capella balladeering during a string-change) - and Eamonn Carr's misfit younger brother (possibly) on guitar, they are a satisfyingly unfashionable mix of the projectile-a-billy messiness of the Violent Femmes, crossed with the dayjob-as-a-civil-servant nerdiness of They Might Be Giants.

[Stoat review-of-review: Too much time spent describing how we look ... and, goddam it, I don't look like Dave Grohl. What the hell does projectile-a-billy mean? 6 out of 10]