Front page	From the Event Guide archive! This article refers to an event which took place on, or until, 23 July 2004 Music Interview - Andy Irvine / Mozaik Saint and Singer  Not content with being remembered as the Mexican Pets’ mainman, Pat Clafferty has just released his solo record, 'A Prayer To Saint Jude'. The album will soon be launched at The Hub, marking Clafferty’s first gig in five years. Before all that, Úna Mullally caught up with him.  "To summarise, I suppose my main memories are predominantly the camaraderie of a band. It was about being able, for the first time, to come out with tunes that people liked. Putting out records was a goal that I had that was at last achieved." Comebacks are all about memory lane, but reminding people of who you once were can often eclipse what you are now doing. Fortunately for Pat Clafferty, he is about to release an album of such a sublime calibre that it looks to overshadow anything he has done before it — in a good way.  The craft of song writing has always been a valued one to Clafferty, which is indicative of his suitability as a solo artist rather than a guy in a band. "I don’t want to be in a band again," he says with conviction. "Now I would find it hard to let go of the songwriting control. Becoming a solo artist wasn’t that difficult a transition. I was doing my own thing for film and TV, and I became quite multi-instrumental, although not that I’m extremely adept. I began thinking like an orchestra, if that makes sense, and I applied that to being a solo artist. It was kind of a funny experience because you do go through self-doubt. Y’know...there’s no one else in the studio giving you feedback, it’s just you."  Since The Pets died, Clafferty took a break and started writing music for TV and film, bringing us, among other things, Rats’ 'Celtic Rap' in ‘Paths To Freedom’. And he’s currently working on the score for a new RTE comedy, ‘Stew’. But in between all that, he was still writing songs. "I built up about 15 songs and, when the time was right, I just launched back into it. Now I’m at the point where I’ve got another album ready to do".  Mexican Pets were stalwarts of the Dublin scene way back when, but then DJs and decks stole the limelight, much to Clafferty’s disapproval, "At our time, the Dublin scene was just starting off in ‘91 or ’92. It was the first emergence of a real alternative scene. Now, I suppose, there’s a re-emergence of that, but I suppose it died off at the end of the '90s. A lot of good bands finished up, like Pet Lamb. Some of the DJs had something to do with that. Rock became unfashionable, and there was all this introverted and self-knowing twiddling of knobs. I wasn’t interested in becoming a part of that. There are, of course, some great instrumental bands, but very few."  And Clafferty certainly seems to be happy about things coming full circle. "Songwriters are reappearing in bands. Look at The Frames doing so well, compared to even five years ago. When I was bitter and twisted I could be cynical of those bands, but at this stage, if anyone can make a living from music, I’ll shake their hand."  With another record in the pipeline, Clafferty certainly is a fast mover. "I’ve got the launch of the album at The Hub, some nationwide gigs, and I’m willing to play support to good bands. I want to get back to hanging out with people in bands. I’m gonna record the new album in September. I’m not gonna hang around this time."  Pat Clafferty launches his new album, 'A Prayer To St. Jude' (Purdy Records) at The Hub, on Dublin's Eustace Street, on Friday 23rd July. Support comes in the shape of Crumb. Doors 9pm, admission €5. www.patclafferty.com / www.thehubmezz.com