PRESS
100 MIDNIGHTS AVAILABLE NOW FROM ALL GOOD RECORD SHOPS [IRE] AND USUAL DIGITAL OUTLETS WORLDWIDE buy now!
"MASTERPIECE"....... 4.5/5
HOTPRESS MAGAZINE
"The Mighty Stef is something of an anomaly on the current indie-wasteland that is the Irish music scene."
TOTALLY DUBLIN MAGAZINE 4/5
"The Mighty Stef: a mess of swaggering braggadocio. Exactly what we need in these dark times."
THE IRISH TIMES 3/5
"Like an Irish Iggy Pop, he is: loud, brash but ultimately far more subtle than you'll ever realise."
STATE MAGAZINE
"You heard U2, now it is time for some FRESH, NEW talent from Ireland: Meet Dublin's blue collar rock bard The Mighty Stef.. sounding like the result of a session with Johnny Thunders and Scott Walker in the back room of a pub. His sound incorporates a big dollop of New York Punk with the flamboyance of Johnny Thunders and a pinch of blue collar rock a la Springsteen."
TUNERAKER.COM
"100 Midnights is an impressive offering from The Mighty Stef and has firmly set his place at the table of Irish music talent. With an big fanbase growing further and further in the USA, Stef is up and coming in a rare genre, and in time, he's bound to be up their with the likes of Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan."
IRISH MUSIC TELEVISION
"Mighty Stef will probably be around for quite some time, and if he gets noticed, is due for the sort of cult following that musicians like Tom Waits and Nick Cave get, the notice that is due to equal parts musical talent, raw charisma and innovation of sound."
ABOUT.PUNKMUSIC.COM
"100 Midnights is an achievement, and the genre-hopping style makes it an interesting journey from start to finish."
DAILY MUSIC GUIDE 4/5
"The Mighty Stef's second studio album is the same mixture of folk and folklore that makes Stefan Murphy an artist that really stands out from the crowd."
DROP-D MAGAZINE
"MASTERPIECE"....... 4.5/5
HOTPRESS MAGAZINE
"The Mighty Stef is something of an anomaly on the current indie-wasteland that is the Irish music scene."
TOTALLY DUBLIN MAGAZINE 4/5
"The Mighty Stef: a mess of swaggering braggadocio. Exactly what we need in these dark times."
THE IRISH TIMES 3/5
"Like an Irish Iggy Pop, he is: loud, brash but ultimately far more subtle than you'll ever realise."
STATE MAGAZINE
"You heard U2, now it is time for some FRESH, NEW talent from Ireland: Meet Dublin's blue collar rock bard The Mighty Stef.. sounding like the result of a session with Johnny Thunders and Scott Walker in the back room of a pub. His sound incorporates a big dollop of New York Punk with the flamboyance of Johnny Thunders and a pinch of blue collar rock a la Springsteen."
TUNERAKER.COM
"100 Midnights is an impressive offering from The Mighty Stef and has firmly set his place at the table of Irish music talent. With an big fanbase growing further and further in the USA, Stef is up and coming in a rare genre, and in time, he's bound to be up their with the likes of Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan."
IRISH MUSIC TELEVISION
"Mighty Stef will probably be around for quite some time, and if he gets noticed, is due for the sort of cult following that musicians like Tom Waits and Nick Cave get, the notice that is due to equal parts musical talent, raw charisma and innovation of sound."
ABOUT.PUNKMUSIC.COM
"100 Midnights is an achievement, and the genre-hopping style makes it an interesting journey from start to finish."
DAILY MUSIC GUIDE 4/5
"The Mighty Stef's second studio album is the same mixture of folk and folklore that makes Stefan Murphy an artist that really stands out from the crowd."
DROP-D MAGAZINE
TOTALLY DUBLIN MAGAZINE....
The Mighty Stef is something of an anomaly on the current indie-wasteland that is the Irish music scene. His Dublin roots are ever prevalent in his songs' subject matter, and his gravel-raked twang, so reminiscent of Luke Kelly or Shane MacGowan, belies his tender youth. His last album, The Sins of Sainte Catherine, saw Stef channelling his inner seaman with swashbuckling pirate-punk ballads that stirred up excitement in the soul and made you want to take to the open seas with your wench in tow.....
Stef's latest endeavour, 100 Midnights upon first listen might feel a touch too polished for fans of his original incarnation. Mixed and mastered in Philadelphia, the album certainly flirts with genres outside of his comfortable patriotic beginnings. But when you realise that the bubbly, banjo-tinged Sunshine Serenade is, in fact, a paradoxical plea to a junkie friend that commences with the lines "You can stick that dirty needle in your last responsive vein, but don't let it steal the sunshine from your eyes", you realise how much Stefan Murphy's songwriting skills have matured. The ease with which he flits between corny country music and Clash-inspired punk, dusting them with a thick layer of vivid storytelling, almost audibly hears him laugh, 'Haahaaa... look what I can do!', but his genuine attentiveness towards his subject matter means that the album stops short of becoming a cocky shrine to his accomplishments. The title track to 100 Midnights is a poignant French lament to the deceased son of a 'drunken, old French brothel-keeper' that could easily have been written while lingering mournfully at the gates to the Per Lachaise.....
Safe At Home, a passionate duet with Cait O'Riordan that beautifully displays the raw extremities between Stef's gritty drawl and Cait's haunting lilt, is easily the standout track on the album. Add to this his collaboration with Shane MacGowan (on Waitin' Round To Die) and his imminent appearance at SXSW in March and it's clear to see that The Mighty Stef is no longer a songwriting nipper - he's playing in the big leagues now.....
....
IRISH TIMES....
100 Midnights RMG Chart ***....
There’s a glorious sneering quality to The Mighty Stef’s debut. Stefan Murphy wears his acting credentials on his sleeve (with nods in the direction of Nick Cave and Johnny Cash), and it’s precisely this posturing that’s so refreshing in an era of over-emoting You’re a Star wannabes. Truth is, the straight-up blues riffs of Golden Gloves are brightly reminiscent of Mick Jagger at his luscious lipcurling best. Cáit Ó Riordáin brings flighty vocals to Safe at Home . However, it’s Murphy’s nicotine-soaked duet with Shane MacGowan’s stumbling vocals (and Philip Donnelly’s forbidding electric guitar) on a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s Waitin’ Round to Die that sums up The Mighty Stef: a mess of swaggering braggadocio. Exactly what we need in these dark times.....
....
STATE MAGAZINE ....
Nick Cave is obsessed by it. Shane MacGowan appears immune to it. Johnny Cash’s fascination with death and mortality came to define his legend and followed him, fittingly, all the way to the grave. Death, too, is a lingering theme through 100 Midnights, the second full-length record from Dubliner the Mighty Stef (né Stefan Murphy).....
Keeping with a macabre theme, 100 Midnights follows the release last May of the Death Threats EP, a mostly acoustic effort. That EP marked the last ever recorded performance of Ronnie Drew, on a cover of Pete St. John’s lesser-known classic ‘The Mero,’ before he too succumbed to the allure of the grave. The Irish folk tradition is not as pronounced here as on the EP, with the full-band arrangements tending to take it closer to his Cash and proto-punk influences than anything, but Stef’s meaty Dublin brogue is unmistakable. Like an Irish Iggy Pop, he is: loud, brash but ultimately far more subtle than you’ll ever realise.....
Opening track ‘Downtown’ is an obvious choice for a lead single, an energetic rocker in the Springsteen mould, but it’s merely a springboard for the rest of the album. ‘Safe At Home’ is a duet with former Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan and wears the influence of that band proudly, shifting seamlessly between a sparse, mournful verse (sung by O’Riordan) and Stef’s thunderous, organ-assisted garage rock chorus. The title track and ‘I Swear I Have No Feelings For That Girl,’ sea shanties both, see Stef adopt a smoky tone that’s eerily reminiscent of the late Drew, while ‘Golden Gloves’ is the most unlikely love song imaginable, as Stef howls out blue lines on top of fuzzy 12-bar riffs and boogie woogie piano: “come rain down fire on me baby / hit me with your golden gloves.”....
‘Sunshine Serenade’ is a deceptive title for a cautionary tale about drug-taking and child mortality, and the upbeat, Memphis-country arrangement is just as misleading, but it turns out to be the most moving track on the album, hinging on the chorus line: “you will not leave this hospital until you give me your word: don’t let it steal the sunshine from your eyes.” ‘Russian Roulette’ is a dreamy tribute to Johnny Ace, the original rock n’ roll suicide case, but the duet with Shane MacGowan, a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Waiting Round To Die,’ is just downright discomforting considering the parallels between the lives of MacGowan and its authors. Well, nobody said it would be easy to digest.....
....
IRISH MUSIC TELEVISION....
Since the release of his Death Threats EP last year, The Mighty Stef has been appearing more and more on the music radar both here at home and in the States. The release of 100 Midnights has hyped that blip on the radar to a big fracas, and more importantly it’s showcasing just how far The Mighty Stef (aka Stefan Murphy) has grown.....
The Dubliner has kept the macabre theme, mostly of death and mortality to his work that was apparent in his early days. But Stef has progressed his music and added greatly to it by upgrading his mainly acoustic sound and brought in a full band to heighten the senses that each track instills. The Mighty Stef began his music days with a successful take on the Irish folk sound, but 100 Midnights has progressed his trademark sound with his gypsy/celtic influence into the punk genre, while retaining those gritty Dublin vocals.....
100 Midnights conveys a varied version of The Mighty Stefs musical talents, and also shows how he has grown to accept the different ways he makes his music while being true to himself and his lyrics. ‘Downtown’ is the opener of the album and bursts through your speakers with its edgy, raw rock energy – a perfect opener for any album. Stef recognises, if not salutes the influence and comparisons between his work and that of The Pogues by included duets with two band members. ‘Safe at Home’ is the first of these duets to appear with former Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan. The track is a dark tune, with a haunting vibe provided by O’Riordan’s vocals in comparison with the rawness of Stefs inclusions. The frontman himself, Shane MacGowan joins Stef for a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Waitin’ Around To Die’. True to MacGowan’s nature and lifestyle the track is a down and dirty drinking tune, and firmly plants Stef as Ireland’s modern version of MacGowan’s lyrical talent and raw vocals.....
Stef goes back to his sea shanty influences throughout 100 Midnights, particularly in ‘Nelligan Guts’ and in the albums title track. ‘Golden Gloves’ is another track from the album that stands out for me as it varies Stef’s sound even further to a bluesy, rock ‘n’ roll tone.....
100 Midnights is an impressive offering from The Mighty Stef and has firmly set his place at the table of Irish music talent. With an big fanbase growing further and further in the USA, Stef is up and coming in a rare genre, and in time, he’s bound to be up their with the likes of Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan.....
....
PUNKMUSIC.ABOUT.COM....
So far this year, I’ve caught the Mighty Stef twice - once opening for Flogging Molly on a big stage, and once for the Tossers in a small club – and while the band’s sound (and hometown of Dublin) do readily compliment the Celtic punk sounds of both bands, the music of the Mighty Stef is really nothing at all like that easily recognized sound.....
And vocalist Stef Murphy, the actual Mighty Stef himself, is as much a aural chameleon as the band bearing his name, with a voice that wanders across the spectrum, drawing influence from as wide and powerful an array of sources like Tom Waits, Shane MacGowan and Nick Cave, with a little Neal Diamond and even some Joey Ramone.....
On 100 Midnights, the Mighty Stef takes you on a tour of all their varied sounds. Starting with the moment the record opens with the raw rock of “Downtown” , it’s never obvious where the record will go next, although it is always fun, even though it seems to simultaneously be mildly macabre.....
“Nelligan Guts” find Stef going for his best Shane MacGowan, and cranking through a song that is equal parts Celtic and full-blown "Gypsy punk, with just a dose of sea shanty added. In fact, the this blend of sound reappears more than once on the record, always with a tune that makes you want to dance, like on the album’s title track), and on “A Pretend Sailor’s Goodbye”.....
This isn’t the extent of Stef’s sound, though. “Golden Gloves” is a raw, bluesy rock track and much of the rest of record dabbles in his emotional style of pub rock that tinkers with punk, a little country and simple, smooth rock and roll.....
Despite the fact that it doesn’t strictly subscribe to the Celtic punk sound, 100 Midnights gains further credibility from that scene by the inclusion of a few members of the Pogues dueting on tracks. Former Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan appears on “Safe At Home,” a dark tune that waltzes between the thereal and the raw , and the legendary Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan duets with the Mighty Stef on a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Waitin’ Around To Die, with the resulting track being a melancholy drinking tune.....
Based on the power I’ve seen of Stef’s live shows, on small stages and large, and on the complexity and talent exhibited on 100 Midnights, I expect that the Mighty Stef will probably be around for quite some time, and if he gets noticed, is due for the sort of cult following that musicians like Tom Waits and Nick Cave get, the notice that is due to equal parts musical talent, raw charisma and innovation of sound.....
....
DAILY MUSIC GUIDE....
100 Midnights is the second album from Dubliner The Mighty Stef. The LP contains an impressive array of songs which draw from a great many genres, and are expertly arranged and constructed. ....
The album manages to coherently mash a variety of styles and influences such as rockabilly and punk together with great ease, and begins in roaring fashion with ‘Downtown’; a brash rock tune complete with raspy gruff vocals - a perfect launch pad for the rest of the album. ....
The title track has a real sea shanty feel to it through its simple beat and use of a squeeze box, and then the listener is taken inland in the form of ‘Sunshine Serenade’; a folk inspired country tune dealing with the murky issue of urban drug use. ‘Golden Gloves’ is lively affair evoking memories of 50’s rockabilly with a swinging melody and coarse vocals.....
Two of the major high points are the duets, first off being with The Pogues bassist Cait O'Riordan. The track switches from her sweet and tender vocals to Stef’s angry and aggressive retorts, backed by frantic garage rock. The second duet continues with The Pogues connection, this time with the legendary Shane MacGowan, who takes the microphone for the re-worked version of ‘Waiting Around To Die’ - an aptly chosen song for a man who is seemingly immune to death. ....
The album closes with ‘A Pretend Sailor's Goodbye’ - a beautifully crafted song with a stirring and sentimental sing-along chorus. In itself the song demonstrates his versatility, vocal power and ability. ....
There is a sense of real boldness from this record, not only in terms of successful genre fusion, but also the lyrical content, often dealing with dark and murky issues such as death and drug addiction. This record has a unique and distinctly Irish sound, whilst successfully managing to harness influences from across the globe. 100 Midnights is an achievement, and the genre-hopping style makes it an interesting journey from start to finish.....
Rating: 4/5....
....
DROP - D MAGAZINE....
The Mighty Stef's second studio album is the same mixture of folk and folklore that makes Stefan Murphy an artist that really stands out from the crowd. His storytelling techniques which have been likened to Nick Cave have continued developing since his 2006 debut The Sins of Saint Catherine and last year's Death Threats EP which saw appearances from folk legend Ronnie Drew and a couple of punks from Flogging Molly. 100 Midnights continues in the same vein fusing noise, country and folk together with a raw Irish-ness in the delivery that steadily places Stefan Murphy along the same lines as Phil Lynott.....
The album, recorded in Dublin and co-produced by Frank Murray (Thin Lizzy, Joe Strummer) with Stefan Murphy, showcases this artists diverse songwriting ability from paranoid duets with Cait O'Riordain to “the most romantic song in the history of romance" to drunken lullabies. The unique thing about Stef is that he really can't be pigeonholed into any particular genre and the combination of influences and dark themes played with a subtle grace makes this more than something you'd expect a booze-hound musician to start banging out after a few jars, down in the local.....
The album opens with a haunting Downtown that works as a soundtrack to the recession beginning nine to five is eating us alive. Hound Dogs of Love is a beautiful from-the-heart love ballad. Sunshine Serenade is a cheery sounding song with enough with an infectious rhythm that can make you forget the lyrics which deal with injecting heroin, stealing from your family, losing all your friends but no matter what happens Don't let it steal the sunshine from your eyes. Shane McGowan lends his vocals to the cover of Townes Van Zandt's Waitin' Round to Die giving the song a discomforting feel. The album closes with a late night goodbye from Stef and his band A Pretend Sailors Goodbye recorded with high spirits at 3am bidding a fond farewell singing “It's time to go to sea but I'll be back to you real soon."....
....
TUNERAKER.COM....
You heard U2, now it is time for some FRESH, NEW talent from Ireland: Meet Dublin’s blue collar rock bard The Mighty Stef.The Mighty Stef, aka Stefan Murphy, is part Punk rocker and part bohemian. His new album ‘100 Midnights’ shows both sides at work, sounding like the result of a session with Johnny Thunders and Scott Walker in the back room of a pub.When it comes to music, Stef’s heart beats for rock ‘n’ roll. His sound incorporates a big dollop of New York Punk with the flamboyance of Johnny Thunders and a pinch of blue collar rock a la Springsteen. Stef’s lyrics have a dry humour and his put-downs are cutting.100 Midnights’, his second album to date, focuses on the bohemian side of Stef. The selection of songs favours downtempo numbers and the arrangements smell of seedy dive bars.The best tracks on the album remind me of Scott Walker’s interpretations of songs by Belgian chansonnier Jacques Brel. They are bawdy ballads bursting with life, raucous and sad at the same time. Start with the title track ‘100 Midnights’, then check out ‘I Swear I Have No Feeling For That Girl’ and ‘Kings Of New York’ if you like that style. Stef enlisted the help of some famous friends in the making of this album. Two members of legendary London-Irish hellraisers The Pogues appear as guest vocalists. Original Pogues frontman Shane McGowan duets with Shane on a cover of ‘Waitin Around To Die’, a song written by leftfield Country singer Townes Van Zandt. And Cait O’Riordain, the original Pogues bass player, duets with Stef on the track ‘Safe At Home’.The rock ‘n’ roll animal that regularly graces Dublin stages for a bit of impromptu mayhem is largely missing from the album. Try ‘Safe At Home’ with Cait O’Riordain for a taster or the ace bubblegum Punk ballad, ‘Downtown’, that would have made Joey Ramone proud. This is real sing-a-long, fists in the air stuff.‘100 Midnights’ is a great after hours listening album that captures that elegantly wasted feeling like no other.Stef and his band are currently on tour in the US. They are due to hit the stage of the Mercury Lounge in New York on 7th March and will play three gigs at the prestigious ‘what’s hot in alternative music’ festival SXSW in Austin, Texas, between 19-21st March.....
....
BACK TO MONO [TRANSLATED FROM GREEK..FUNNY]....
A fantastic irlandezikos baralogismos says that the devil was a life learned to say the best prayers, and when a soul was black as midnight one hundred gathered, he always came to his pariah amathito few tears and spartarontas inside a filthy apartment to the sigopsithyrisei the right words making it a bit and this poor guy to roll the rest of the night imeromenos than thoughts. The price was always his own!....
Brought up in the pubs of Dublin with red noses and pints of porter to the unsteady truths Stefan Murphy, (singer and basically the same as Mighty Stef), heard many stories drunk, drank with the whistle, impoverished girls in love for an evening and end as is usually always with them taking up guitar in the hands decided to tell all those who make an ass to sit over one hundred midnight on a stool waiting for just the wonderful big thing.....
So after a propersino immature album which recounted the sins of Saint Catherine (The Sins Of Sainte Catherine, 2007), and a last year's EP (Death Threats), with the homonymous threat of death dancing on barodies, the Stefan Murphy gathered for first time a solid band and took the hundred of Midnight stealing performances in various locations, opening the concerts of other compatriots of Flogging Molly.....
As the album opens with the Downtown are fully confident that everything that you read on Irish ancestry go straight to the bottom of a basin. Resembling your composition that sprang from years ago Gang Of Losers The Dears of Downtown is a massive rock composition that flows like a train down to city watching all the innocent «tribe» will take part in 100 Midnights. The not-so-innocent bassist of the Pogues, Cait O 'Riordan, begins to sing the next Safe at Home consciousness as a dream until you get the angry spitting Stefan minds and words in the air determined ruining everything as it does to him stand again just before the end of the praa voice Cait. So far so good, because after this inaugural Turning to unravel the pieces «singles», the Stef says to turn the sign that says «the cool pubs opened».....
It serves all the Kings of New York, (Kings of New York), the city where once lost all his belongings and left without even a sentsi the pocket and then drink the health of all those on a proud man's ballad not pull for anything . The Golden Gloves once in a dirty blouzorokia vrachniazei in rock 'n roll-unfairly tables zechnontas barila to come the Hound Dogs of Love, where you get up to dance the most decadent and wife shop to tell a fake in I love the ear. The dance continues but with the pathiariki form and glasses in hand Come over to the darkside, chest to chest and breaths you the most real thing. However priority are always on-call friends from the ephemeral and women because, as we said we are dealing with a male disc, the title track of the album 100 Midnights transforms into a devil telling the Balalaika at the next head lowered. The Sunshine Serenade brings the conversation to a great Johnny Cash and the rhythm of coming to tread on the Sam Hall of the black man. As I swear I have no feelings for that girl, the love story is hatred and disgust and a chorus of drunken singing from behind the waltz of decline. While in Nelligan Guts all irlandeziki Pagana rock tradition comes to party for the wreck of the famous story of the island that reads: Little kokkinomouris sirloin go to his mother who does not want anything to go by sea to become a sailor like achairefto her husband who ate rum t 'the saltiness.....
After the most humane musical Russian roulette (Russian Roulette) played on the trigger that keeps the ghost of Lanegan and the Dream Syndicate, is the ultimate autobiographical piece about a man who drank it all and did not even put anything down. Ladies and gentlemen, the Stefan Murphy would like to invite on stage the great Shane MacGowan to say with the Waitin 'Around to die the other great Townes Van Zandt! feet cut and their hands trembling, everything is serious business and the devil laughs from a corner of their only son. Aneipioti execution.....
Finally, all geronaftikoi sing together, pints of porter to make endless pollen, red noses even more, the women giggle with red eyes and rotten teeth, the sun goes to a xemytisei next morning, the Mighty Stef downloaded from Having finished the stage with A Pretend Sailors Goodbye, and somewhere on the edge before bringing the number of one hundred and first mesanychtias the devil says a prayer and disappear!....
Hush little soldier don't you cry the devil's gonna sing you a lullaby he's gonna make you feel all right when your soul is as black as a 100 Midnights ... lalalalalalalal!....
The Mighty Stef is something of an anomaly on the current indie-wasteland that is the Irish music scene. His Dublin roots are ever prevalent in his songs' subject matter, and his gravel-raked twang, so reminiscent of Luke Kelly or Shane MacGowan, belies his tender youth. His last album, The Sins of Sainte Catherine, saw Stef channelling his inner seaman with swashbuckling pirate-punk ballads that stirred up excitement in the soul and made you want to take to the open seas with your wench in tow.....
Stef's latest endeavour, 100 Midnights upon first listen might feel a touch too polished for fans of his original incarnation. Mixed and mastered in Philadelphia, the album certainly flirts with genres outside of his comfortable patriotic beginnings. But when you realise that the bubbly, banjo-tinged Sunshine Serenade is, in fact, a paradoxical plea to a junkie friend that commences with the lines "You can stick that dirty needle in your last responsive vein, but don't let it steal the sunshine from your eyes", you realise how much Stefan Murphy's songwriting skills have matured. The ease with which he flits between corny country music and Clash-inspired punk, dusting them with a thick layer of vivid storytelling, almost audibly hears him laugh, 'Haahaaa... look what I can do!', but his genuine attentiveness towards his subject matter means that the album stops short of becoming a cocky shrine to his accomplishments. The title track to 100 Midnights is a poignant French lament to the deceased son of a 'drunken, old French brothel-keeper' that could easily have been written while lingering mournfully at the gates to the Per Lachaise.....
Safe At Home, a passionate duet with Cait O'Riordan that beautifully displays the raw extremities between Stef's gritty drawl and Cait's haunting lilt, is easily the standout track on the album. Add to this his collaboration with Shane MacGowan (on Waitin' Round To Die) and his imminent appearance at SXSW in March and it's clear to see that The Mighty Stef is no longer a songwriting nipper - he's playing in the big leagues now.....
....
IRISH TIMES....
100 Midnights RMG Chart ***....
There’s a glorious sneering quality to The Mighty Stef’s debut. Stefan Murphy wears his acting credentials on his sleeve (with nods in the direction of Nick Cave and Johnny Cash), and it’s precisely this posturing that’s so refreshing in an era of over-emoting You’re a Star wannabes. Truth is, the straight-up blues riffs of Golden Gloves are brightly reminiscent of Mick Jagger at his luscious lipcurling best. Cáit Ó Riordáin brings flighty vocals to Safe at Home . However, it’s Murphy’s nicotine-soaked duet with Shane MacGowan’s stumbling vocals (and Philip Donnelly’s forbidding electric guitar) on a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s Waitin’ Round to Die that sums up The Mighty Stef: a mess of swaggering braggadocio. Exactly what we need in these dark times.....
....
STATE MAGAZINE ....
Nick Cave is obsessed by it. Shane MacGowan appears immune to it. Johnny Cash’s fascination with death and mortality came to define his legend and followed him, fittingly, all the way to the grave. Death, too, is a lingering theme through 100 Midnights, the second full-length record from Dubliner the Mighty Stef (né Stefan Murphy).....
Keeping with a macabre theme, 100 Midnights follows the release last May of the Death Threats EP, a mostly acoustic effort. That EP marked the last ever recorded performance of Ronnie Drew, on a cover of Pete St. John’s lesser-known classic ‘The Mero,’ before he too succumbed to the allure of the grave. The Irish folk tradition is not as pronounced here as on the EP, with the full-band arrangements tending to take it closer to his Cash and proto-punk influences than anything, but Stef’s meaty Dublin brogue is unmistakable. Like an Irish Iggy Pop, he is: loud, brash but ultimately far more subtle than you’ll ever realise.....
Opening track ‘Downtown’ is an obvious choice for a lead single, an energetic rocker in the Springsteen mould, but it’s merely a springboard for the rest of the album. ‘Safe At Home’ is a duet with former Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan and wears the influence of that band proudly, shifting seamlessly between a sparse, mournful verse (sung by O’Riordan) and Stef’s thunderous, organ-assisted garage rock chorus. The title track and ‘I Swear I Have No Feelings For That Girl,’ sea shanties both, see Stef adopt a smoky tone that’s eerily reminiscent of the late Drew, while ‘Golden Gloves’ is the most unlikely love song imaginable, as Stef howls out blue lines on top of fuzzy 12-bar riffs and boogie woogie piano: “come rain down fire on me baby / hit me with your golden gloves.”....
‘Sunshine Serenade’ is a deceptive title for a cautionary tale about drug-taking and child mortality, and the upbeat, Memphis-country arrangement is just as misleading, but it turns out to be the most moving track on the album, hinging on the chorus line: “you will not leave this hospital until you give me your word: don’t let it steal the sunshine from your eyes.” ‘Russian Roulette’ is a dreamy tribute to Johnny Ace, the original rock n’ roll suicide case, but the duet with Shane MacGowan, a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Waiting Round To Die,’ is just downright discomforting considering the parallels between the lives of MacGowan and its authors. Well, nobody said it would be easy to digest.....
....
IRISH MUSIC TELEVISION....
Since the release of his Death Threats EP last year, The Mighty Stef has been appearing more and more on the music radar both here at home and in the States. The release of 100 Midnights has hyped that blip on the radar to a big fracas, and more importantly it’s showcasing just how far The Mighty Stef (aka Stefan Murphy) has grown.....
The Dubliner has kept the macabre theme, mostly of death and mortality to his work that was apparent in his early days. But Stef has progressed his music and added greatly to it by upgrading his mainly acoustic sound and brought in a full band to heighten the senses that each track instills. The Mighty Stef began his music days with a successful take on the Irish folk sound, but 100 Midnights has progressed his trademark sound with his gypsy/celtic influence into the punk genre, while retaining those gritty Dublin vocals.....
100 Midnights conveys a varied version of The Mighty Stefs musical talents, and also shows how he has grown to accept the different ways he makes his music while being true to himself and his lyrics. ‘Downtown’ is the opener of the album and bursts through your speakers with its edgy, raw rock energy – a perfect opener for any album. Stef recognises, if not salutes the influence and comparisons between his work and that of The Pogues by included duets with two band members. ‘Safe at Home’ is the first of these duets to appear with former Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan. The track is a dark tune, with a haunting vibe provided by O’Riordan’s vocals in comparison with the rawness of Stefs inclusions. The frontman himself, Shane MacGowan joins Stef for a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Waitin’ Around To Die’. True to MacGowan’s nature and lifestyle the track is a down and dirty drinking tune, and firmly plants Stef as Ireland’s modern version of MacGowan’s lyrical talent and raw vocals.....
Stef goes back to his sea shanty influences throughout 100 Midnights, particularly in ‘Nelligan Guts’ and in the albums title track. ‘Golden Gloves’ is another track from the album that stands out for me as it varies Stef’s sound even further to a bluesy, rock ‘n’ roll tone.....
100 Midnights is an impressive offering from The Mighty Stef and has firmly set his place at the table of Irish music talent. With an big fanbase growing further and further in the USA, Stef is up and coming in a rare genre, and in time, he’s bound to be up their with the likes of Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan.....
....
PUNKMUSIC.ABOUT.COM....
So far this year, I’ve caught the Mighty Stef twice - once opening for Flogging Molly on a big stage, and once for the Tossers in a small club – and while the band’s sound (and hometown of Dublin) do readily compliment the Celtic punk sounds of both bands, the music of the Mighty Stef is really nothing at all like that easily recognized sound.....
And vocalist Stef Murphy, the actual Mighty Stef himself, is as much a aural chameleon as the band bearing his name, with a voice that wanders across the spectrum, drawing influence from as wide and powerful an array of sources like Tom Waits, Shane MacGowan and Nick Cave, with a little Neal Diamond and even some Joey Ramone.....
On 100 Midnights, the Mighty Stef takes you on a tour of all their varied sounds. Starting with the moment the record opens with the raw rock of “Downtown” , it’s never obvious where the record will go next, although it is always fun, even though it seems to simultaneously be mildly macabre.....
“Nelligan Guts” find Stef going for his best Shane MacGowan, and cranking through a song that is equal parts Celtic and full-blown "Gypsy punk, with just a dose of sea shanty added. In fact, the this blend of sound reappears more than once on the record, always with a tune that makes you want to dance, like on the album’s title track), and on “A Pretend Sailor’s Goodbye”.....
This isn’t the extent of Stef’s sound, though. “Golden Gloves” is a raw, bluesy rock track and much of the rest of record dabbles in his emotional style of pub rock that tinkers with punk, a little country and simple, smooth rock and roll.....
Despite the fact that it doesn’t strictly subscribe to the Celtic punk sound, 100 Midnights gains further credibility from that scene by the inclusion of a few members of the Pogues dueting on tracks. Former Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan appears on “Safe At Home,” a dark tune that waltzes between the thereal and the raw , and the legendary Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan duets with the Mighty Stef on a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Waitin’ Around To Die, with the resulting track being a melancholy drinking tune.....
Based on the power I’ve seen of Stef’s live shows, on small stages and large, and on the complexity and talent exhibited on 100 Midnights, I expect that the Mighty Stef will probably be around for quite some time, and if he gets noticed, is due for the sort of cult following that musicians like Tom Waits and Nick Cave get, the notice that is due to equal parts musical talent, raw charisma and innovation of sound.....
....
DAILY MUSIC GUIDE....
100 Midnights is the second album from Dubliner The Mighty Stef. The LP contains an impressive array of songs which draw from a great many genres, and are expertly arranged and constructed. ....
The album manages to coherently mash a variety of styles and influences such as rockabilly and punk together with great ease, and begins in roaring fashion with ‘Downtown’; a brash rock tune complete with raspy gruff vocals - a perfect launch pad for the rest of the album. ....
The title track has a real sea shanty feel to it through its simple beat and use of a squeeze box, and then the listener is taken inland in the form of ‘Sunshine Serenade’; a folk inspired country tune dealing with the murky issue of urban drug use. ‘Golden Gloves’ is lively affair evoking memories of 50’s rockabilly with a swinging melody and coarse vocals.....
Two of the major high points are the duets, first off being with The Pogues bassist Cait O'Riordan. The track switches from her sweet and tender vocals to Stef’s angry and aggressive retorts, backed by frantic garage rock. The second duet continues with The Pogues connection, this time with the legendary Shane MacGowan, who takes the microphone for the re-worked version of ‘Waiting Around To Die’ - an aptly chosen song for a man who is seemingly immune to death. ....
The album closes with ‘A Pretend Sailor's Goodbye’ - a beautifully crafted song with a stirring and sentimental sing-along chorus. In itself the song demonstrates his versatility, vocal power and ability. ....
There is a sense of real boldness from this record, not only in terms of successful genre fusion, but also the lyrical content, often dealing with dark and murky issues such as death and drug addiction. This record has a unique and distinctly Irish sound, whilst successfully managing to harness influences from across the globe. 100 Midnights is an achievement, and the genre-hopping style makes it an interesting journey from start to finish.....
Rating: 4/5....
....
DROP - D MAGAZINE....
The Mighty Stef's second studio album is the same mixture of folk and folklore that makes Stefan Murphy an artist that really stands out from the crowd. His storytelling techniques which have been likened to Nick Cave have continued developing since his 2006 debut The Sins of Saint Catherine and last year's Death Threats EP which saw appearances from folk legend Ronnie Drew and a couple of punks from Flogging Molly. 100 Midnights continues in the same vein fusing noise, country and folk together with a raw Irish-ness in the delivery that steadily places Stefan Murphy along the same lines as Phil Lynott.....
The album, recorded in Dublin and co-produced by Frank Murray (Thin Lizzy, Joe Strummer) with Stefan Murphy, showcases this artists diverse songwriting ability from paranoid duets with Cait O'Riordain to “the most romantic song in the history of romance" to drunken lullabies. The unique thing about Stef is that he really can't be pigeonholed into any particular genre and the combination of influences and dark themes played with a subtle grace makes this more than something you'd expect a booze-hound musician to start banging out after a few jars, down in the local.....
The album opens with a haunting Downtown that works as a soundtrack to the recession beginning nine to five is eating us alive. Hound Dogs of Love is a beautiful from-the-heart love ballad. Sunshine Serenade is a cheery sounding song with enough with an infectious rhythm that can make you forget the lyrics which deal with injecting heroin, stealing from your family, losing all your friends but no matter what happens Don't let it steal the sunshine from your eyes. Shane McGowan lends his vocals to the cover of Townes Van Zandt's Waitin' Round to Die giving the song a discomforting feel. The album closes with a late night goodbye from Stef and his band A Pretend Sailors Goodbye recorded with high spirits at 3am bidding a fond farewell singing “It's time to go to sea but I'll be back to you real soon."....
....
TUNERAKER.COM....
You heard U2, now it is time for some FRESH, NEW talent from Ireland: Meet Dublin’s blue collar rock bard The Mighty Stef.The Mighty Stef, aka Stefan Murphy, is part Punk rocker and part bohemian. His new album ‘100 Midnights’ shows both sides at work, sounding like the result of a session with Johnny Thunders and Scott Walker in the back room of a pub.When it comes to music, Stef’s heart beats for rock ‘n’ roll. His sound incorporates a big dollop of New York Punk with the flamboyance of Johnny Thunders and a pinch of blue collar rock a la Springsteen. Stef’s lyrics have a dry humour and his put-downs are cutting.100 Midnights’, his second album to date, focuses on the bohemian side of Stef. The selection of songs favours downtempo numbers and the arrangements smell of seedy dive bars.The best tracks on the album remind me of Scott Walker’s interpretations of songs by Belgian chansonnier Jacques Brel. They are bawdy ballads bursting with life, raucous and sad at the same time. Start with the title track ‘100 Midnights’, then check out ‘I Swear I Have No Feeling For That Girl’ and ‘Kings Of New York’ if you like that style. Stef enlisted the help of some famous friends in the making of this album. Two members of legendary London-Irish hellraisers The Pogues appear as guest vocalists. Original Pogues frontman Shane McGowan duets with Shane on a cover of ‘Waitin Around To Die’, a song written by leftfield Country singer Townes Van Zandt. And Cait O’Riordain, the original Pogues bass player, duets with Stef on the track ‘Safe At Home’.The rock ‘n’ roll animal that regularly graces Dublin stages for a bit of impromptu mayhem is largely missing from the album. Try ‘Safe At Home’ with Cait O’Riordain for a taster or the ace bubblegum Punk ballad, ‘Downtown’, that would have made Joey Ramone proud. This is real sing-a-long, fists in the air stuff.‘100 Midnights’ is a great after hours listening album that captures that elegantly wasted feeling like no other.Stef and his band are currently on tour in the US. They are due to hit the stage of the Mercury Lounge in New York on 7th March and will play three gigs at the prestigious ‘what’s hot in alternative music’ festival SXSW in Austin, Texas, between 19-21st March.....
....
BACK TO MONO [TRANSLATED FROM GREEK..FUNNY]....
A fantastic irlandezikos baralogismos says that the devil was a life learned to say the best prayers, and when a soul was black as midnight one hundred gathered, he always came to his pariah amathito few tears and spartarontas inside a filthy apartment to the sigopsithyrisei the right words making it a bit and this poor guy to roll the rest of the night imeromenos than thoughts. The price was always his own!....
Brought up in the pubs of Dublin with red noses and pints of porter to the unsteady truths Stefan Murphy, (singer and basically the same as Mighty Stef), heard many stories drunk, drank with the whistle, impoverished girls in love for an evening and end as is usually always with them taking up guitar in the hands decided to tell all those who make an ass to sit over one hundred midnight on a stool waiting for just the wonderful big thing.....
So after a propersino immature album which recounted the sins of Saint Catherine (The Sins Of Sainte Catherine, 2007), and a last year's EP (Death Threats), with the homonymous threat of death dancing on barodies, the Stefan Murphy gathered for first time a solid band and took the hundred of Midnight stealing performances in various locations, opening the concerts of other compatriots of Flogging Molly.....
As the album opens with the Downtown are fully confident that everything that you read on Irish ancestry go straight to the bottom of a basin. Resembling your composition that sprang from years ago Gang Of Losers The Dears of Downtown is a massive rock composition that flows like a train down to city watching all the innocent «tribe» will take part in 100 Midnights. The not-so-innocent bassist of the Pogues, Cait O 'Riordan, begins to sing the next Safe at Home consciousness as a dream until you get the angry spitting Stefan minds and words in the air determined ruining everything as it does to him stand again just before the end of the praa voice Cait. So far so good, because after this inaugural Turning to unravel the pieces «singles», the Stef says to turn the sign that says «the cool pubs opened».....
It serves all the Kings of New York, (Kings of New York), the city where once lost all his belongings and left without even a sentsi the pocket and then drink the health of all those on a proud man's ballad not pull for anything . The Golden Gloves once in a dirty blouzorokia vrachniazei in rock 'n roll-unfairly tables zechnontas barila to come the Hound Dogs of Love, where you get up to dance the most decadent and wife shop to tell a fake in I love the ear. The dance continues but with the pathiariki form and glasses in hand Come over to the darkside, chest to chest and breaths you the most real thing. However priority are always on-call friends from the ephemeral and women because, as we said we are dealing with a male disc, the title track of the album 100 Midnights transforms into a devil telling the Balalaika at the next head lowered. The Sunshine Serenade brings the conversation to a great Johnny Cash and the rhythm of coming to tread on the Sam Hall of the black man. As I swear I have no feelings for that girl, the love story is hatred and disgust and a chorus of drunken singing from behind the waltz of decline. While in Nelligan Guts all irlandeziki Pagana rock tradition comes to party for the wreck of the famous story of the island that reads: Little kokkinomouris sirloin go to his mother who does not want anything to go by sea to become a sailor like achairefto her husband who ate rum t 'the saltiness.....
After the most humane musical Russian roulette (Russian Roulette) played on the trigger that keeps the ghost of Lanegan and the Dream Syndicate, is the ultimate autobiographical piece about a man who drank it all and did not even put anything down. Ladies and gentlemen, the Stefan Murphy would like to invite on stage the great Shane MacGowan to say with the Waitin 'Around to die the other great Townes Van Zandt! feet cut and their hands trembling, everything is serious business and the devil laughs from a corner of their only son. Aneipioti execution.....
Finally, all geronaftikoi sing together, pints of porter to make endless pollen, red noses even more, the women giggle with red eyes and rotten teeth, the sun goes to a xemytisei next morning, the Mighty Stef downloaded from Having finished the stage with A Pretend Sailors Goodbye, and somewhere on the edge before bringing the number of one hundred and first mesanychtias the devil says a prayer and disappear!....
Hush little soldier don't you cry the devil's gonna sing you a lullaby he's gonna make you feel all right when your soul is as black as a 100 Midnights ... lalalalalalalal!....
SINS OF SAINT CATHERINE AVAILABLE NOW FROM ALL GOOD RECORD SHOPS [IRE] AND USUAL DIGITAL OUTLETS WORLDWIDE buy now!
"Idiosyncratic Punk Rock Sea-Shanties"
THE SUNDAY TIMES
"Channelling the ghost of Johhny Cash Through the Devil-Boned-Blues Of Jack White, The Mighty Stef is Dublin's finest unsung hero"
NME
"At Times The Mighty One even flirts with genius. His bluesey Tom Waits endebted rock n roll is pretty much as elemental as it gets, Stefs resping voice rings out like a deep south death-row prisoner that isnt going down without a fight."
NME
One part country, One part Noise, The Mighty Stef lands somewhere in between Nick Cave and Tom Waits, a touch more on the upbeat side than either though"
WWW.DROP-D.IE
"Whisper The Mighty Stef's name in certain quarters and you'll hear him proclaimed as something of a genius, a pivotal figure within Dublin's psycho rock scene, hes been threatening something special for some time, and praise be, The Sins Of Sainte Catherine is a fine representation of his considerable talent."
HOTPRESS MAGAZINE
"This charismatic Dublin troubadour's bolshy blend of garage, rock, blues and good ol' broken hearted drunken laments will put fire in your belly."
THE STAR NEWSPAPER
"There is a maturity to stefs songwriting that echoes Nick Cave, but he manages to maintain an individualistic streak that gets better as the album winds down. The Themes of his songs are more realistic than optimistic, there are sparse moments when hope filters through in the disguise of tender harmonies. Do yourself a favour and add this album to your collection."
TOTALLY DUBLIN MAGAZINE
"With the sleazy swagger and sauce of a whole crew of sailors, the Mighty Stef is actually just one man."
UK MORNING STAR
"Idiosyncratic Punk Rock Sea-Shanties"
THE SUNDAY TIMES
"Channelling the ghost of Johhny Cash Through the Devil-Boned-Blues Of Jack White, The Mighty Stef is Dublin's finest unsung hero"
NME
"At Times The Mighty One even flirts with genius. His bluesey Tom Waits endebted rock n roll is pretty much as elemental as it gets, Stefs resping voice rings out like a deep south death-row prisoner that isnt going down without a fight."
NME
One part country, One part Noise, The Mighty Stef lands somewhere in between Nick Cave and Tom Waits, a touch more on the upbeat side than either though"
WWW.DROP-D.IE
"Whisper The Mighty Stef's name in certain quarters and you'll hear him proclaimed as something of a genius, a pivotal figure within Dublin's psycho rock scene, hes been threatening something special for some time, and praise be, The Sins Of Sainte Catherine is a fine representation of his considerable talent."
HOTPRESS MAGAZINE
"This charismatic Dublin troubadour's bolshy blend of garage, rock, blues and good ol' broken hearted drunken laments will put fire in your belly."
THE STAR NEWSPAPER
"There is a maturity to stefs songwriting that echoes Nick Cave, but he manages to maintain an individualistic streak that gets better as the album winds down. The Themes of his songs are more realistic than optimistic, there are sparse moments when hope filters through in the disguise of tender harmonies. Do yourself a favour and add this album to your collection."
TOTALLY DUBLIN MAGAZINE
"With the sleazy swagger and sauce of a whole crew of sailors, the Mighty Stef is actually just one man."
UK MORNING STAR