Fatima Mansions, The

This Irish art rock group was formed in August 1989 by Cork singer Cathal Coughlan, fresh from his stint with Microdisney. The inspiration for the name came from a decrepit Dublin public housing estate of the same name.

Against Nature was released in September 1989 to almost universal critical acclaim. The NME commented that the album was “staggering in its weight of ideas” and “never loses its capacity to suddenly stun you.” Andrías Ó Grúama’s guitar work contributed much to the final results.

This was followed by the single Blues for Ceausescu (1990), a fire and brimstone political tirade which held prophetic warnings of East European tragedy. Its operatic tilt was at once hysterical, comic and sinister, and Coughlan became established in the press as a delicious anti-hero and mischief-maker.

Bugs Fucking Bunny was dropped as the title of the second album in favour of the comparatively non-descript Viva Dead Ponies (1990). This time, Coughlan’s lyrics were totally submerged in vitriol and hysterical observations on the absurdities of living in the UK.

The title track, for instance, considered the case of Jesus being reincarnated as a Jewish shopkeeper. As ever, a particular vehemence was reserved for British imperialism. It prompted the Guardian newspaper to call Coughlan “the most underrated lyricist in pop today”. DJ John Peel said he could “listen to Cathal Coughlan sing the phone book”.

Further paranoia, bile and doses of his rich Irish voice were poured into the mini-album Bertie’s Brochures (1991), notable for the chainsaw massacre of REM‘s Shiny Happy People. The title track refers to an Irish artist wrongly imprisoned for terrorism, coinciding with highly topical real-life events.

Cathal Coughlan died in hospital on 18 May 2022 after a long illness. He was 61.

Cathal Coughlan
Vocals, keyboards
Andrías Ó Grúama
Guitar
Hugh Bunker
Bass
Nick Allum
Drums
Zak Woolhouse
Keyboards
Nick Bunker
Keyboards

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