| The Sultans of Ping FC | |
|---|---|
Niall O'Flaherty at the Savoy, Cork, 30 December 2006 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Cork, Ireland |
| Genres | Punk |
| Years active | 1988–1996 Reformed 2005 |
| Website | Link |
| Members | |
| Niall O'Flaherty Pat O'Connell Ian Olney Morty McCarthy Sammy Stieger |
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The Sultans of Ping FC are an Irish band formed in 1988 by Niall O'Flaherty, Pat O'Connell, Paul Fennelly and Ger Lyons. The band's name is a play on the Dire Straits song "Sultans of Swing", dating from a time when "it was sacrilege to say anything whatsoever funny or nasty about Dire Straits".[1]
Following a number of line up changes the band came to the attention of the UK and Irish music press, when the humorous pop-punk song "Where's Me Jumper" was released. After several other independently released singles, the band signed to Epic Records, through a deal organised by Rhythm King Records's Martin Heath.
With Epic, the band released their debut album Casual Sex In The Cineplex, and its follow up Teenage Drug. Already a cult hit in the UK, by this time The Sultans Of Ping were also becoming popular in Japan, with many tracks gaining release in that market only. The latter album was called Teenage Planet Sexy War in Japan, and included the single "Michiko".
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After dropping both the FC and the Ping (and the of) from the band's name, The Sultans returned in 1996, with their third album Good Year For Trouble. However, the album cover's artwork caused problems, as major record chains like HMV and Virgin decided that the display of bondage and S&M was too explicit. By this time, Rhythm King had been absorbed into Arista Records, as Martin Heath became the head of the department. The record label released the band from their recording contract.
Following a split 1996, McCarthy joined the band Pharmacy, O'Flaherty was involved in producing the Japanese girl band Mika Bomb, while McFeely formed the rock and roll band, Sister, and later recruited a former member of The Young Offenders Steve Hackett. McCarthy moved to Stockholm where he taught English.
The band reformed as The Sultans of Ping in 2005, and played a number of gigs with Jim Bob, from the band Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine. In 2006, the group played a show with Radio 2's Mark Radcliffe, and his band The Family Mahone, as part of Manchester's yearly Irish Festival. The band played several subsequent gigs in 2007, at the Brixton Academy in London (with Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine), in Glasgow, and in Roscommon.
They have played a number of gigs in 2008 including Southend, London and Cork.
Drummer Morty McCarthy has written a book on Cork slang entitled Dowtcha Boy. The title of the song "Give Him a Ball and a Yard of Grass", which appeared on their first album, is a quote from the renowned soccer coach Brian Clough about Nottingham Forest player John Robertson, and the song contains several more of his sayings in its lyrics. This was given away free with a Nottingham Forest Fanzine as a one track flexi-disk.
The band have been announced as the support act for Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine's 'Norf and Sarf' show at London's Brixton Academy in November 2011. The band were keen to play the Manchester leg too, but unresolvable scheduling conflicts prevented this.
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