That’s What Friends Are For

Formed in 1978 in Derry, a Republican city in Northern Ireland, power-pop-punk trio the Moondogs mixed the energy of the Clash with the melodic bent of the Beatles. Gigs with the Undertones led to a 45 for Good Vibrations, plus a few more for Real Records, and by the time they cut debut LP That’s What Friends Are For in New York with Todd Rundgren for Sire, they were at their most accomplished; somehow, the band split mid-way through its creation, rendering the album a frozen moment in time, rather than a leg-up to world domination. A great listen and another missing piece of Northern Ireland’s punk puzzle.