Stream the shreddy version of “If I Should Fall From Grace With God”, featuring Spider Stacy of The Pogues on guest vocals.
Irish thrash lifers Gama Bomb have opted to take on a classic cover ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Tipping their hat to the band’s Emerald Island punk roots, Gama Bomb have paid tribute to The Pogues with a beefed-up rendition of “If I Should Fall From Grace With God” – the title track of the band’s seminal 1988 full length.
Offering more than just homage, Gama Bomb went a step further and elected to bring in Spider Stacy of The Pogues to assist on guest vocals.
Gama Bomb frontman Philly Byrne explained, “The Pogues were my musical awakening. When I was a wee boy, I shared a bedroom with four of my brothers. I’d sit on the floor between the beds, staring at the sleeves for ‘If I Should Fall From Grace With God’ and ‘Rum, Sodomy And The Lash’ while my brother played them on vinyl.”
Byrne added, “We don’t really ‘do’ covers, but we always discussed ‘If I Should Fall’… as one to keep in the back pocket. When we finally made a demo, I took a punt and sent it to Spider, literally just slid into his DMs on Instagram. I said ‘Hey, we’re this metal band from Ireland, we love The Pogues, we hate fascists, we did this – do you wanna get involved?’ To his eternal credit, he listened to it right away and replied ‘Absofuckinlutely!’. It’s been a huge privilege to work and hang out with him. The lesson here is, don’t be afraid to DM your heroes – just be nice.”
Spider Stacy revealed how social media really did bring the two together. “So there I was, just scrolling the insta, as you do, when I see this DM ‘what’s this’ I ask myself, ‘why, it’s Gama Bomb from Newry, a city famed in song and story as the birthplace of the great Pat Jennings, with a thrash metal version of ‘If I Should Fall From Grace With God’. Do they want me to appear on it. They do? Praise Jesus! Maybe I’ll finally make it on to the pages of Kerrang! And just look at me now – made it, Ma. Top of the world!’ And that’s a true story, I swear down.”
Paired with a video shot on location at Abney Park Cemetery in London, the project is a testament to the London-Irish legacy of The Pogues as interpreted by Gama Bomb some decades later.
A true rager just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. The track is currently available via Prosthetic Records – HERE
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