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‘The Meath band have been compared to the Pixies and American indie darlings Joyzipper, thanks to the compelling guy-girl vocals.’
‘5 to watch’, John Meagher Irish Independent,

‘Very Impressive demo from Kells band Ham Sandwich. It sounds like a cross between early Smashing Pumpkins and Blondie but maybe a change of name might be in order.’
‘ONSOUND’ Alan Corr RTE Guide,

‘Ham Sandwich make a really strong mainstream rock noise, the contrasting male and female voices sounding particularly good. They’ve structured ‘Sad Songs’ so well that the changes keep your interest right to the end. They know not only how to build up tension but release it as well, with plenty of light and shade. However it’s length may well work against it if they try to get it played on the non-specialist radio programs in it’s present arrangement. ‘Anything But this’ is a very energetic thrash, but while it’s an enjoyable bunch of punky noise it owes too many debts to other bands (including chiming U2 chord changes, not to mention a few Blondie-isms). The spirited ‘Pints of Guinness’ is a kind of Pogues with Hank Marvin on guitar on a Johnny Cash song sung by Nick Cave. Terrific fun though making Ham Sandwich potentially serious contenders.
Jackie Hayden, Hot Press

‘What a shit name’

‘We called ourselves Ham Sandwich, not because we like sandwiches or because of the sexual innuendo or to get away from the ubiquitous-prefix-followed-by-esoteric-noun formula that most bands follow but because we couldn’t give a fuck what our gang is called, the stupider the better. It’s a bit of a blessing I guess, no-one ever forgets the name and it makes us work harder. It is always going to be next to impossible to market a band called ‘Ham Sandwich’ because the name’s not cool, sexy or arty which means we’ve got to produce really good pop songs, play really good live and kick our own arses to get any success. Then it’s funny when we’re reading things about us or being played on the radio cause we know that the DJ or reviewer saw the name probably laughed their bollox off expecting a novelty record, played it, liked it and gave us a good review or aired our record. I guess we’re experiencing the anguish of an early Engelbert Humperdick.’ Niamh, Ham Sandwich

Ham Sandwich are Podge McNamee, Niamh Farrell, John Moore, Darcy and Ollie Murphy. Moore put the idea of playing together forward at a crucifixion party on Good Friday, 2003. He had known extrovert frontman Podge since they were toddlers, met Darcy in English class where they shared the same teacher credited with inspiring Tommy Tiernan, Dylan Moran and Hector. Drummer Ollie Murphy he met during a bizarre accident involving a thumb ring and a fire engine and the stunning Niamh he befriended soon after she returned to Dublin after 8 years in Glasgow.

Their songs are mostly inspired by relationships deteriorating to the point of blossoming with someone else and many early ideas for songs such as ‘Sad Songs’ and ‘Heartbreaker’ were penned while Moore worked the graveyard shift in a dilapidated psychiatric hospital. Their unique sound is built around the dovetail vocals of Niamh and Podge flying against a sky cloudy with catchy yet intricate guitars.

Recent Reviews

IRISH INDEPENDENT - 27th January 2006 - By Ed Power

When it comes to band names, rock audiences have recently suffered such lumpen, ugly monikers as Dr Dog and - oh dear- Test Icicles. Now come Ham Sandwich, who are from Meath but whose laconic indie-pop might sound right at home on the OC.

Thankfully, Ham Sandwich's music is far sweeter on the ears than their name. Breezy guitars and wispy boy/girl vocals are the 5 pieces calling card. At full tilt they bring to mind an angst free Pixies breathlessly covering Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra.

Since the release last Autumn of their debut single, a ditzy slice of power pop called Sad Songs, the group would appear to have touched a chord.

Few unsigned bands can hope to draw a full house for a concert marking the unveiling of their second single. Yet not alone have Ham Sandwich managed to pack Whelan's: many in the audience seem to know the words to every song and sing along passionately. Somehow, the group is in the process of cultivating its very own underground.

Swaddled in wistful melodies, Ham Sandwich's songs often take the form of a call-and-response duet between guitarist Podge McNamee and vocalist Niamh Farrell. Both are quirkily charismatic. In a scene dominated by severe young men from the English Provinces, the pair's giggly flirtatiousness feels like fizzy pop splashed in your face. You could mistake Ham Sandwich for the complete package, were it not for the occasional lapses in their song craft. The cracks are exemplified by the new single: St. Christopher lurches from a fantastically downbeat, almost profound verse into a wet, self-pitying chorus."

HOT PRESS 12th August 2005

Ham Sandwich make a really strong mainstream rock noise, the contracting male and female voices sound particularly good. They've structured 'Sad Songs' so well that the changes keep your interest right to the end. They not only know how to build up tension but can release it as well, with plenty of light and shade. However the length may well work against them if they try to get it played on non-specialist radio programmes in it's present arrangement. 'Heart, Break Her' is a neat contrast, more restrained with sparkling vocals, plus big fat chords, a relentless throbbing rhythm and an intriguing arrangement. 'Anything But This' is a very energetic thrash, but while it's an enjoyable bunch of punky noise it owes too many debts to other bands, (including U2 chord changes, not to mention a few Blondie-isms) The spirited 'Pints of Guinness' is a kind of Pogues with Hank Marvin on Guitar on a Johnny Cash song sung by Nick Cave. Terrific fun though, making Ham Sandwich serious contenders.

CLUAS.COM Saturday 16th July 2005 - by Daire Hall

HAM SANDWICH, WHELAN'S:

Review Snapshot:

Another night at Whelan's, another nutcase in a thong. Apart from the aforementioned figure of terror peeping out from the stage, Ham Sandwich do a pretty good job at putting on a show, especially with forlorn lyrics of pain, abandonment and closure; just add some punchy guitars and you can't go wrong.

Full review:

After first hearing their debut, 'Sad Songs' last summer when Phantom FM was still on the air, I was very impressed with what I had heard. The morose opening chords that blaze into a distortion of promise reminding you of the efficiency that the whole loud/quiet system can have on a listener. Coupled with the heartbroken/breaking lyrics which seem to be their trademark they really stand out from today's drudgery of whining confessors that frequent these doors.

Tonight they are in good form despite a ropey start, but that's all in the can by the third song. Guitar chicks are very much in fashion these days as the sultry presence of singer Niamh Farrell adds some much needed female sexuality to the gig (she comes complete with "prom dress" as a middle aged American punter tells me), she shines on 'Click... Click... Boom!' and the joint vocals of Farrell and male singer/guitarist Podge work well together. Comparisons to Sons & Daughters are plausible, especially with songs such as 'This Screaming Silence' and the harmonizing on 'Heart Break Her' is the stuff good pop- rock songs are made of. Podge has a good Nick Cave drone without the outbursts of morbid vehemence and Farrell's vocals can switch from honey-kissed to hollering from verse to chorus.

Despite the great performance and on-stage antics of the near-naked Podge, the audience still chats amongst themselves, much like every other crowd in Ireland these days. Despite paying €10 in to see a gig, you'd think that they'd at least give the band the attention they deserve, but at some times during the gig the murmur of the audience is competing with the band; and the band are pretty loud.

But all in all they're a fully confident young band and they win the murmuring mob over. They have the guitar pop songs that would go down well with trendies, musos, and the general-music loving public. They have the hot rock chick singer (who I was afraid to dance with afterwards, it was like being 13 again), the crazy lead guitarist and a rhythm guitarist who reminds me of the son from the cannibal family in 'The 'Burbs' for some reason. The bassist does a cool ROCK-ON performance while holding some sort of quiet dignity and the drummer is does his job with some great thrashing.

Having read a review from the bands appearance at last year's Hard Working Class Heroes, it seems as if their behaviour hasn't changed (not that that's a bad thing), though I would recommend that Podge maintain his ridiculous golf trousers rather than his even more ridiculous thong (it's actually nice to go to Whelan's and find something more interesting than a man preaching his self doubt to an audience of wannabe preachers).

They manage to have the crowd bopping by the finale, and 'Sad Songs' is a rather good song for finishing a set. It reminds me of a Snow Patrol song, 'When it's all over we still have to clear up', so that can't be a bad thing in my opinion, just as long as they don't sell out if they make it. And they should make it!