The Chalets caused quite a stir in the Irish music scene, winning rave reviews and packing out venues. Formed in late 2001, the line-up consisted of; Chris Judge – lead bass, Caoimhe “Pony” Derwin – singer, Dylan Roche – bongos, Enda Loughman – guitar and Paula “Peepee” Cullen – singer and songwriter. Together they made infectiously catchy songs that offered a unique, quirky and gritty angle on pop.
Named after their joyful, cider ridden stay in All Tomorrow’s Parties’ cosy dwellings, the band released a limited edition, immaculately packaged, double a-side 7” featuring the tracks ‘The Theme From Chalets’ and ‘Sexy Mistake’. Both tracks,which tell the tale of inebriated play hating and school playground weekend flirting seen in every suburb worth it’s salt, were produced and mixed by Tom ‘trixton’ Rixton and were released on Nasty Pop/Setanta.
September 2005 saw the Irish release of their debut album, “Check In”. The UK release arrived in October. The Belfast Telegraph described them as ” A revelation…if the B-52’s and Le Tigre married and had babies The Chalets would probably be the result.”
The Chalets announced their break-up in February 2008. It came as a shock to many fans, who regard their music as something of an overlooked treasure. |
