Theme Tune Boy
"MUSICAL COMEBACK ... Arrives with the hugely welcome return of Niall Quinn. Not that Niall Quinn. Rather the NQ behind The Hitchers, one of Ireland's finest bands and authors of Strachan, voted best football song EVER! by readers of the Observer. Now going by the name Theme Tune Boy after a long-time break, he's back with an album: Return of the Living Dead. A delirious amalgam of pop-punk, shot through with the acerbic yet touching wit and observational genius Quinn brought to his homage to the Scottish dynamo. Fans of that tune will love his new work, out now on iTunes, Spotify and at themetuneboy.com" The Guardian - http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/jul/13/ashes-the-open-f1-arsenal
“Musically, quirkily tuneful punk-pop ramalama abounds, with scarf-waving anthems such as ‘Posteenager’, ‘One Way Conversation’ and the mercilessly sardonic ‘I’d Say That Gets Really Hard Being Right All The Time’ rubbing shoulders with the infectious chug of the anti-hoarding ‘Recess’
Whisperin and Hollerin http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=9697
“...contagiously catchy, blasts from beginning to end, with some laugh out loud lyrics . It beams with snappy percussion, melodic punk/distorted guitars, energetic vocals and a healthy serving of pop sensibilities. When the end comes after a stomping energetic 30 minutes, the temptation to go for another spin is palpable.”
Louder Than War http://louderthanwar.com/theme-tune-boy-return-of-the-living-dead-album-review/
“The sozzled folk-abilly of Pissing Away The Summer suggests Quinn’s sonic palette continues to broaden, but it’s still chugging, Ash-style anthems he does best. Of these, it’s Recess – an infectious tribute to attic-clearing domestic bliss – that sounds like the radio-friendly unit-shifter here”
Record Collector Magazine http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/the-return-of-the-living-dead
“Vinyl crackles, and opening stomp Twentyfortyeight seems a raucous example of Quinn’s claim later in the album that “…all my songs are drinking songs” Posteenager sees Quinn “all revved up and ready to go”, power chords and distortion channeling The Ramones via QOTSA. The singer has a knack for the unsentimental, with some cutting observations in Recess – “Nothing brings you down quite so hard/ As an autumnal scene on a birthday card/ So why keep them/ Why keep anything?”
Golden Plec http://www.goldenplec.com/theme-tune-boy-return-of-the-living-dead-review/
“Quinn can dramatically change gear from kooky folk crooner to demented noise rock god with the flick of a pedal. He does so on a curious compilation of concise and catchy songs that mostly stick to the two-and-a-half minute mark, with the breakneck ‘Tailrace’ and acoustic ditty, ‘Pissing Away The Summer’, among the standouts. ‘Horrible Songs’ meanwhile is an infectious slice of pop punk somewhere between The Damned and The Undertones. It’s as charming as it is weird, showcasing Quinn’s inimitable blend of fruitcake blues.” Hot Press http://www.hotpress.com/Theme-Tune-Boy/music/reviews/albums/Theme-Tuneboy-Return-Of-The-Living-Dead/9610389.html?new_layout=1
"Limerick’s Niall Quinn has spent quite some time on the “Where Are They Now?” fringes; first he was the singer in a band called The Cranberry Saw Us, but left that unit to make way for his replacement, Dolores O’Riordan. He then formed The Hitchers, a blast of a pop/punk band that is, perhaps, best known for their John Peel favourite, Strachan. The Hitchers split up more than 10 years ago, but when life wasn’t getting in the way, Quinn and friends continued to write sparky, incisive pop/punk tunes. Strictly adhering to album producer Rene Van Der Zeer’s motto of “don’t bore us – get to the chorus”, in a lean album (30 minutes-plus) there are even leaner songs, most of which zing, ping and sting where they’re supposed to. Welcome back, matey!" The Irish Times http://irishtimes.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
Theme Tune Boy released Return of the Living Dead/ROTLD through 4-3-3 (4-3-3LPCD001) in Spring 2013. The album was recorded in both Ireland and The Netherlands (Mastered in the same studio as Rock Me Amadeus …just love saying that!) and is available through a growing list of independent record stores as well as on iTunes, Spotify and Bandcamp.
There had to be an element of fate involved that on the very day TTBs album Return of the Living Dead was released where does his old band The Hitchers turn up but on BBC1s Football Focus who used their single 'Strachan' behind a montage of the tiny wee Scotsmans finest moments on the field. Not every day you're on the beeb ...unless you're the girl with the headband in the test-card. Strachan had to be played at the launch gig to mark the occasion so we finished with it and an awkward segue into The Golden Hordes 100 Boys. The gig went great, the crowd got rowdy and everybody had a good time.
