Fun tops the agenda

The nominations for this year’s Choice Music Prize have thrown up a diverse bunch of acts: the intricate sounds of Adrian Crowley, Róisín Murphy’s tweaking with disco or the full on Indie of The Flaws.Trying to define what’s going on in Super Extra Bonus Party’s debut album is another matter but it can be summed up in one word: fun. The group is a collective of Cormac and Mick on programming on synths, Gav on guitars and drums, Rodrigo on vocals, bassist Steve and Niall and Sean in the background looking after production and visuals. They play a free showin the Róisín Dubh this Saturday, February 23.Gav, recuperating from a flu, explains how one of the country’s most eccentric bands got started. “Most of us are from Newbridge [in Kildare] and we all went to the same school,” he says. “I’m the youngest in the band at 22 and the lads are only a couple of years older than me. I always used to think Mick and Cormac were great because they were always making electronic music. I was still really into guitar music and used to look up to them quite a bit.”Cormac and Mick, along with bassist Steve, formed Super Extra Bonus Party in 2005. Gav sat in with his friends when they practised and was soon asked to come on board as their guitarist. The band needed an extra kick, however, something that would add an extra spark to their sound. It came one night at party, when Mick met a Brazilian who happened to be an MC. Rodrigo joined the band and Super Extra Bonus Party were ready to roll. “He really puts his stamp on everything,” Gav says about their vocalist. “We hit it off from the start.” A kicking live show is the heart of.....................