The Revs
Encyclopedia
The Revs were an indie rock band from Kilcar
, Donegal
, Ireland
. The group consists of three childhood friends: Rory Gallagher (named after the famous blues guitarist Rory Gallagher
and who had previously released the album 20th Century at the age of 18) on bass guitar
and vocals
, John McIntyre (guitar
, vocals) and Michael O' Donnell (drums
, percussion
). They formed on the eve of the millennium with an aim to "change the face of Irish music".
(the svengali
behind Westlife
and Boyzone
, amongst others). Their debut album SonicTonic achieved gold status, despite being a low-budget and independent live release.
They followed this up with the stand-alone singles "Tuesday, Monday" and "Loaded" before the debut studio album Suck in February 2003. This album (recorded in Trackmix Studios, Clonsilla
, Dublin) entered the charts gaining them many new fans, as well as pleasing the ones who had assembled en masse due to their constant touring across Ireland and the UK
. The songs are an eclectic mix of punk rock
, surf guitars, pop-rock and indie
, similar to Pixies, Radiohead
and Muse
, with paranoid lyrics (influenced by Bill Hicks
) expressing their conflicting love and distaste with the world.They were voted 3rd in the Hotpress readers poll behind U2
and The Frames in 2003. They are one of the few Irish bands to ever play in Slane Castle
.
In March 2004 they had a top 30 hit in Australia
with the single "Death of a Dj". They had a short 2 week coast to coast tour and received rave reviews from the Australian music press.
Taking a lengthy break during which they decided upon a change of direction, wrote dozens of songs and roadtested them in small venues around Ireland, they returned in November 2004 with a sample of the music that was to come: a new single "Broken?", backed with "Ode to Saint Susie, Patron Saint Of Supermarkets". They now sounded more like The Flaming Lips
, Big Star or The Smiths
, with their love of Radiohead still shining through, and this release confused the public who had dismissed them. During the months that opened up 2005, they recorded their third album, The Revs, in Malmö
, Sweden
with Tore Johansson
, the producer behind Franz Ferdinand
and The Cardigans
.
This LP was released on October 14, 2005, following the single "Time Slippin'" in September. Despite being their most critically acclaimed release to date, it was their least commercially successful album in Ireland. A successful European tour of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France followed in 2006, alongside the well received European release of The Revs.
In January 2007 Rory Gallagher of the Revs announced on the band's official forum that they were taking a break of "indefinite" length. In July 2007, the band played a short tour of Ireland which is widely believed to have been their last, with speculation abound of a definite split or name change.
Two songs from the bands self-titled album - "Take It All Back" and "Streets" - appeared on the soundtrack of the Blockbuster movie P.S. I Love You
http://www.muse.ie/music-ireland-music_news-irish_news/the-revs-announce-comeback-tour/spId/87969CEC-BD83-98C5-86141FA8C01FD899.html
Rory is currently a resident musician in "Charlies" and the "Craic n Ceol" in Puerto del Carmen
, Lanzarote
.
Rory released a solo album in Sept 2008 called 'God Bless The Big Bang'. It received some great press reaction in Ireland with Hotpress magazine declaring it a "Triumphant return, 4 Stars" but it failed to chart.
In 2010 Rory had a strange online hit which was in a fact a leaked comedy demo recording called "Ryanair Blues". It broke through to national daytime radio in Ireland in Nov 2010 and went to number 1 in the download charts the following day as it was released for free. It will not feature on his forthcoming solo album to be released in 2011.
Rory will release a new single called 'Colours' feat. Sharon Shannon in May 2011 under the name of Rory and the Island. http://hotpress.com/Rory%20Gallagher/news/ExRevs-man-releases-new-single/7731658.html
Rory and the Island played an exclusive solo and acoustic show at the Workman's Club in Dublin at the end of April 2011.
http://www.theworkmansclub.com/2011/04/14/rory-and-the-island-300411/
highest chart position No. 5
Suck
2003
highest chart position No.3
The Revs 2005
highest chart position No. 25
Kilcar
Cill Charthaigh is a small Gaeltacht village on the R263 regional road in the south west of County Donegal, Ireland.-The Village:...
, Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The group consists of three childhood friends: Rory Gallagher (named after the famous blues guitarist Rory Gallagher
Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher, ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995, was an Irish blues-rock multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader. Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, and raised in Cork, Gallagher recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, after forming the band Taste...
and who had previously released the album 20th Century at the age of 18) on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, John McIntyre (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals) and Michael O' Donnell (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
). They formed on the eve of the millennium with an aim to "change the face of Irish music".
History
Early on, The Revs music courted controversy because of their attacks on manufactured pop. For example, the group's single "Louis Walsh" targeted Louis WalshLouis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
(the svengali
Svengali
Svengali is a fictional character of George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby. Svengali "would either fawn or bully and could be grossly impertinent. He had a kind of cynical humour that was more offensive than amusing and always laughed at the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong place...
behind Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
and Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
, amongst others). Their debut album SonicTonic achieved gold status, despite being a low-budget and independent live release.
They followed this up with the stand-alone singles "Tuesday, Monday" and "Loaded" before the debut studio album Suck in February 2003. This album (recorded in Trackmix Studios, Clonsilla
Clonsilla
Clonsilla is a suburb of Dublin in the district of Fingal, Ireland.-Location and access:Originally a small village in its own right, Clonsilla is now a large residential suburban area, with Ongar and other localities developing their own subsidiary identities...
, Dublin) entered the charts gaining them many new fans, as well as pleasing the ones who had assembled en masse due to their constant touring across Ireland and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The songs are an eclectic mix of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, surf guitars, pop-rock and indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
, similar to Pixies, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, with paranoid lyrics (influenced by Bill Hicks
Bill Hicks
William Melvin "Bill" Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material largely consisted of general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy, and personal issues. Hicks' material was often controversial and steeped in dark comedy...
) expressing their conflicting love and distaste with the world.They were voted 3rd in the Hotpress readers poll behind U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and The Frames in 2003. They are one of the few Irish bands to ever play in Slane Castle
Slane Castle
Slane Castle is located in the town of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Ireland. The castle has been the family home of the Conyngham Marquessate since the 18th century....
.
In March 2004 they had a top 30 hit in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with the single "Death of a Dj". They had a short 2 week coast to coast tour and received rave reviews from the Australian music press.
Taking a lengthy break during which they decided upon a change of direction, wrote dozens of songs and roadtested them in small venues around Ireland, they returned in November 2004 with a sample of the music that was to come: a new single "Broken?", backed with "Ode to Saint Susie, Patron Saint Of Supermarkets". They now sounded more like The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
, Big Star or The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, with their love of Radiohead still shining through, and this release confused the public who had dismissed them. During the months that opened up 2005, they recorded their third album, The Revs, in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
with Tore Johansson
Tore Johansson
Tore Johansson is a Swedish record producer, composer and musician based in Malmö, Sweden.-Biography:In an interview with HitQuarters, Johansson claimed that the main impetus for his becoming a music producer was the lack of good recording studios in the Malmö area at that time in which to record...
, the producer behind Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
and The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
.
This LP was released on October 14, 2005, following the single "Time Slippin'" in September. Despite being their most critically acclaimed release to date, it was their least commercially successful album in Ireland. A successful European tour of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France followed in 2006, alongside the well received European release of The Revs.
In January 2007 Rory Gallagher of the Revs announced on the band's official forum that they were taking a break of "indefinite" length. In July 2007, the band played a short tour of Ireland which is widely believed to have been their last, with speculation abound of a definite split or name change.
Two songs from the bands self-titled album - "Take It All Back" and "Streets" - appeared on the soundtrack of the Blockbuster movie P.S. I Love You
P.S. I Love You (film)
P.S. I Love You is a 2007 American drama film directed by Richard LaGravenese. The screenplay by LaGravenese and Steven Rogers is based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Cecelia Ahern. The film is dedicated to the memory of producer Molly Smith's sister Windland Smith Rice.-Plot:Holly and Gerry...
http://www.muse.ie/music-ireland-music_news-irish_news/the-revs-announce-comeback-tour/spId/87969CEC-BD83-98C5-86141FA8C01FD899.html
Rory is currently a resident musician in "Charlies" and the "Craic n Ceol" in Puerto del Carmen
Puerto del Carmen
Puerto del Carmen is the main tourist town on the island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. It is part of the municipality of Tías. Most of Lanzarote's over 1 million visitors per year choose this town as their destination...
, Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
.
Rory released a solo album in Sept 2008 called 'God Bless The Big Bang'. It received some great press reaction in Ireland with Hotpress magazine declaring it a "Triumphant return, 4 Stars" but it failed to chart.
In 2010 Rory had a strange online hit which was in a fact a leaked comedy demo recording called "Ryanair Blues". It broke through to national daytime radio in Ireland in Nov 2010 and went to number 1 in the download charts the following day as it was released for free. It will not feature on his forthcoming solo album to be released in 2011.
Rory will release a new single called 'Colours' feat. Sharon Shannon in May 2011 under the name of Rory and the Island. http://hotpress.com/Rory%20Gallagher/news/ExRevs-man-releases-new-single/7731658.html
Rory and the Island played an exclusive solo and acoustic show at the Workman's Club in Dublin at the end of April 2011.
http://www.theworkmansclub.com/2011/04/14/rory-and-the-island-300411/
Albums
SonicTonic 2002highest chart position No. 5
Suck
Suck
Suck may refer to:* Suction, the creation of a partial vacuum or region of low pressure* River Suck, a river in IrelandIn media:* Suck , a 2009 vampire musical-comedy* Suck.com, a satire and editorial web site...
2003
highest chart position No.3
The Revs 2005
highest chart position No. 25
Singles/EPs
| Release date | Title | Label | Chart position Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Wired to the Moon | Treasure Island | 17 |
| Alone With You | 14 | ||
| 2002 | Tuesday Monday/Turnin' Japanese | 2 | |
| Loaded | 21 | ||
| 2003 | Death of a DJ | 26 | |
| 2004 | Broken? | Evelyn | 44 |
| 2005 | Time Slippin | Evelyn/Haldern Pop | no chart |
| 2006 | Every Monkey | Haldern Pop | no chart |