Cormac Battle

Early life

Battle is a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, having moved from Bromley, UK at an early age. He spent the summer of 1990 working fifteen-hour shifts as a security guard in South London, making the daily commute via tube from his North London abode. To get him through the experience he listened to the Sonic Youth song "Dirty Boots", saying it made him feel like Travis Bickle.

Things changed around dramatically in 1991, when he began working in a cafe in Clapham. The hours were considerably shorter, and he was able to get the bus. In spite of this change, he continued to listen to "Dirty Boots", as well as beginning to frequently watch action films.

Music

In 1991 Battle, along with school friends Darragh Butler (drums), Colin Fennelly (bass) and Billy Dalton (guitar) formed a heavy metal band called Rollercoaster before changing the name permanently to Kerbdog. Following two quickfire demo cassettes recorded in Dublin and a short support slot to Therapy? in 1992, the band was signed to Vertigo Records in London. The group released their self-titled album, produced by legendary grunge icon Jack Endino, in 1994. A second album entitled On The Turn was recorded in 1996, produced by GGGarth, but the album's release was delayed for almost a year indicating troublesome times for the band with their record company. Kerbdog were soon dropped and eventually split up in 1998.

Battle and Butler immediately formed another band, along with bassist Mick Murphy, called Wilt. Their music was more pop-rock than heavy metal. Following the release of two albums, Bastinado and My Medicine on Infectious Records, Wilt split up in 2003 following limited success.

At this point, Battle began to seriously focus on his DJ career and abandoned his musical pursuits. However, in 2005 Kerbdog reformed for a series of one-off shows. The band is still currently active on a part-time basis and have no plans to write or record new material. His favourite Oxegen memory is playing the festival with Kerbdog in 2005.

Broadcasting

Battle began life at Phantom FM before being snatched along with colleagues Jenny Huston and Dan Hegarty in 2003. Battle's late night show features new and alternative music from acts around the world as well as the 2fm sessions, live recordings, band interviews as well as from other sources. The Wireless is a supporter of the IMRO Showcase Tour. He also offered his voice to the narration of popular live music programme 2fm Live, which was broadcast on Saturday nights between 20:00 and 23:00 before it was axed and reformatted as 2fm XtrAlive. Battle is regularly wheeled out for live coverage of important musical events such as Electric Picnic and Oxegen, as well as being sent around the country to present the 2fm 2moro 2our. In 2008 Battle was sent to The Music Show to distribute advice. He has appeared on BBC Introducing to discuss the state of the Irish music industry. He also contributes to television programmes in Ireland.

Personal expenses

Battle was given a Citroen 2CV by his brother, Greg, in 1998 to deliver Chinese Food. The car lasted just a few weeks because of his overzealous driving around Rathmines, Dublin. He had an SSIA but when his band fell apart he invested it in an education at Dublin City University. His favourite purchase is his Vespa scooter. Battle bought his home in 2005, for €312,000. He describes it as "the worst buy ever", saying he could have bought a "five-bedroom villa in Sardinia" for the same price. He spends his excess money on first-class train tickets, blaming the Kilkenny train for its "hen party express".