Top Music Producer meets Dublin’s hottest new Band

The Hot Sprockets closed out the final night of the much acclaimed youbloom@Dublin Festival at The Mercantile on Dame Street. They came straight from stage to couch where legendary producer Rupert Hine delved into the essence of their sprocketing and gave them the pearls of his wisdom. Those people who missed the youbloom@Dublin conference in the College of Surgeons may not know Rupert but he is rock n’ roll royalty. His Christmas card list includes people like Jimmy Page, Stevie Nicks, Suzanne Vega, The Waterboys, Bob Geldof , Tina Turner, RUSH, Howard Jones, Underworld and The Thompson Twins. He basically formed his own genre in championing the integration of digital technology into music production and art. He has composed, produced and released some of the best known music in the world. His experience as a musician goes back to the early sixties when he formed half of a duo called “Rupert and David”. He played clubs and pubs and occasionally shared the stage with a little known chap called Paul Simon. The duo released one single in 1965. It was a cover of “The Sound of Silence” and featured Jimmy Page and Herbie Flowers. That’s where the story starts. Since then Rupert has established himself as a composer, producer, songwriter, environmentalist. He is a founder member of the Music Producers Guild, the International MIDI Association and a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in the U.S. In 2011 he received an APRS Fellowship Award from Sir George Martin. The Hot Sprockets are probably the hottest thing smouldering out of Dublin this summer. They’ve been gigging around for a few years now, cutting their teeth at many Irish festivals. They’ve played every stage, street corner and cubicle in central Dublin. They trade on a combination of folked up, funked out, rock and roll flavoured good time tunes. They are very funny, a comedic quality that’s evident in all their videos. The most notable it has to be said, the video for “Shake Me Off”. Who else could get away with a motorbike flying off a ramp through a massive burning phallus? Their live shows have more energy than a crate of Red Bull, showreels of cartoon lady lumps and an impressive array of percussion. They’ve bagged a deal with AIB providing the music on the new advert, full of “Whoooo’s” and a hook that will follow you round all day. They formed their own label Cherrypopper Records and released two albums. The latest one “Brother Nature” was launched in early June. They sold out The Button Factory, leaving a trail of tear stained faces from devastated fans who missed the gig. Yeah, these guys are spreading the love and keeping it real. Pure advocates of joy are what they are. So, if you want to know what Rupert Hine, The Hot Sprockets and The Rolling Stones have in common watch this short but insightful interview. For more info check out their website where all their artistic pleasures are available online. Check out the upcoming Knockan Stockan, Latitude and The Green Man festivals to catch them live.