In a classic case of persistence versus foolhardiness, Dublin band Sack have come through the bad, obscure times to reach a point in their nigh-on 10-year life where good, high-profile times are just beyond the horizon. The bad times were when they were know as the long-forgotten Dublin band, Lord John White, a unit which had the bejesus battered out of them by a motor accident. Slowly evolving into the rather more compactly-named Sack, the survivors included Santry brothers John and Tony Brereton and, all the way from Finglas, Martin McCann.
From 1990's Jungleburger (the final remains of Lord John White's legacy to the great Irish public, who promptly forgot all about them) to this year's Adventura Majestica, Sack have thrown in their lot in a manner which can only be described as dogged.
"I do it for the love of music," says guitarist John Brereton. "We're friends as well," chips in vocalist Martin McCann. "I feel like we're in the Moonies - I cant get away from them, they just won't leave me alone. We're Siamese triplets." "I couldn't think of doing anything else to do," adds John. "I love when I bring a new song into rehearsals and it gels. We've never had the luxury of a proper record deal, so we've never had money behind us, which some other bands have. The only thing money buys is time in general and time specifically in the studio, yet we're three records down the line. I think we're getting better, the songs are getting stronger. It's not even a question of keeping going; this is what we do, simple as that."
It is said that good things come to those who wait. Following a few releases, including an EP, What Have The Christians Ever Done For Us and an album, Butterfly Effect, Sack were on the verge of giving it all up as a bad joke without a punchline. "I was getting very fed up, quite disheartened and sick of not having any money," says Martin. Then they came to the attention of one Steven Patrick Morrissey.
Absurdly, it was a case of a late arrival a Dublin venue, Whelans, that enabled the former Smiths' frontman to see Sack. In Dublin for the sale of his house, he initially aimed to see a different band, Sunbear, support act to Sack on the night, but between one thing and another Mozzer missed the support and stayed for Sack. The resulting meeting snagged support slots on a threemonth Morrissey tour of Europe and the US west coast. Cue a rise in public profile among people who had never heard of Sack, performances in front of up to 5,000 people a night, sales of T-shirts and albums the like of which they'd never experienced - and being greeted with the endearing "Sack you're the bomb" by eager-beaver Morrissey fans in Los Angeles.
"It was fantastic," understates Martin. "Morrissey fans are quite loyal, which means that if they don't like you, they'll soon let you know but his crowd warmed to us."
What the tour also did was to reaffirm something that Sack had known for years, but which had been diligently chipped away at as time and continued lack of interest went by: they were still a good band. Marginalised for the past five years as alsorans, Sack have found it difficult to transcend entrenched expectations. They have, also, never been part of any localised media/ music industry clique, which hardly helps them in Irish terms. Renards? A nice place to visit but, unlike other Irish demi-monde rock 'n' roll notables, the members of Sack don't want to live there.
"Even now, so many people don't know of us," says John Brereton. "Ultimately, its not that important, but on the tour our history, of how long we've been around, wasn't an issue to the people who liked us. Art isn't based on how long you've been operating as an artist. The confidence and self-belief we received from the Morrissey tour was crucial. We came back and - rather than go to a record company - decided to establish a cottage industry and build up a little ball of energy that becomes impenetrable."
"Adventura Majestica has covered itself already; we own the recordings, the publishing rights, and apart from the CD pressing, we paid no one. We're earning money now."
Sack play the following dates in Ireland: Shelter @ Vicar Street, Dublin, tonight; Cuba, Galway, November 29th; Doran's, Limerick, November 30th; The Forum, Waterford, December 1st; Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin, December 14th; Whelans, Dublin, December 31st
