Those Nervous Animals
Encyclopedia
Those Nervous Animals are an Irish rock
band from Sligo
, Ireland
, Formed in 1981, the original membership consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Barry Brennan, guitarist Padraig Meehan, bassist Eddie Lee and percussionist Cathal Hayden.
Though the band were unsigned until their break-up and remain unsigned after their reunion they released six singles, including their only EP
Hyperspace which was releaesed in 1985. The band currently come together to do sporadic gigs.
. The band was originally managed and produced by Riverdance composer, Bill Whelan
. At their peak in Ireland Those Nervous Animals were a major draw, filling the Baggot Inn regularly on a Thursday night and performing on the bill at Self Aid
in 1986. They also played The Stadium, the SFX and venues all around the country. There was hype about the band at that time. Those Nervous Animals never played or released records outside Ireland.
The band released six singles, including "Just What the Sucker Wanted", "The Business Enterprise (My Friend John)", "How Does the Shopper Feel?" and "Damian". The early singles were on their own Dead Fly label. Some of these are included on their one EP, entitled Hyperspace released on Tara Records.
In 2001 Tom Dunne
of Today FM
put the song "The Business Enterprise (My Friend John)" on his Top 30 Irish Hits Volume 2. Christmas 2004 saw this album topping in the Irish charts, and one of the most requested tracks was the aforementioned Nervous Animals song. Today FM listeners voted the song number 16 among the best Irish singles of all time. My Friend John received a fair amount of plays on local radio in the Dublin stations and nationwide. In December 2002 the Animals performed in The Olympia Theatre as part of a benefit for the Children’s Hospital. They contributed a new track - "Polar Bear" - to the Simpatico album, in honour of the late Finn Corrigan, musician and sound engineer. The album Simpatico is available from the Dervish
website.
All the band members are involved in different projects nowadays, but come together regularly to perform. In 2006 Those Nervous Animals played a number of gigs in the Sportsmans Inn (Kielys of Mount Merrion, Dublin).
Core TNA members Pádraig Meehan (guitar), Eddie Lee (bass) and Barry Brennan (vocals and guitar) have steered the band through a number of personnel changes over the years. This trio also contributed the songs that characterised the Animals style. The current band features Susan Rowland on vocals, Ken McDonald on drums and Trevor Knight on keyboards. At various times Flo McSweeney, Maura O’Connell and Helen Walshe performed vocal backing with TNA. The band had strong associations with the Sligo pub, Hennigans of Wine Street, where they played and socialised in the 1980s. One individual who contributed greatly to the music of Those Nervous Animals was the late Pascale Benajour, percussionist.
Vocals, guitar, keyboards– Barry Brennan
Guitar – Padraig Meehan
Bass – Eddie Lee
Drums – Christy Behan
Percussion – Cathal Hayden
Irish rock
Rock and roll has been a part of the music of Ireland since the 1960s, when the British Invasion brought British blues, psychedelic rock and other styles to the island...
band from Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, 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...
, Formed in 1981, the original membership consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Barry Brennan, guitarist Padraig Meehan, bassist Eddie Lee and percussionist Cathal Hayden.
Though the band were unsigned until their break-up and remain unsigned after their reunion they released six singles, including their only EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Hyperspace which was releaesed in 1985. The band currently come together to do sporadic gigs.
Formation and early years
Although the group disbanded in 1988, since 1994 they perform together regularly on a part-time basis. The band's original songs are a mixture of funky, radio friendly pop tunes, and a selection of quirky material with an ironic or humorous twist. Their material may have been influenced by Talking HeadsTalking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
. The band was originally managed and produced by Riverdance composer, Bill Whelan
Bill Whelan
Bill Whelan, is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The end result, Riverdance, was a seven-minute display of traditional Irish dancing that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze...
. At their peak in Ireland Those Nervous Animals were a major draw, filling the Baggot Inn regularly on a Thursday night and performing on the bill at Self Aid
Self Aid
Self Aid was a benefit concert held in Dublin, Ireland on 17 May 1986. The concert performances were primarily by Irish musicians, although Elvis Costello and Chris Rea were designated "honorary Irishmen" for the day; the event was promoted by Jim Aiken...
in 1986. They also played The Stadium, the SFX and venues all around the country. There was hype about the band at that time. Those Nervous Animals never played or released records outside Ireland.
The band released six singles, including "Just What the Sucker Wanted", "The Business Enterprise (My Friend John)", "How Does the Shopper Feel?" and "Damian". The early singles were on their own Dead Fly label. Some of these are included on their one EP, entitled Hyperspace released on Tara Records.
Band reunion
Although the band called it a day in 1989, they returned with a tour and a CD Single, "Rocket Ship" in 1994, on Danceline Records.In 2001 Tom Dunne
Tom Dunne
Thomas 'Tom' Dunne is an Irish radio broadcaster with Newstalk. He presents The Tom Dunne Show on weekday mornings between 10:00am and midday. He used to have a show called Pet Sounds on Today FM but gave it up...
of Today FM
Today FM
Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
put the song "The Business Enterprise (My Friend John)" on his Top 30 Irish Hits Volume 2. Christmas 2004 saw this album topping in the Irish charts, and one of the most requested tracks was the aforementioned Nervous Animals song. Today FM listeners voted the song number 16 among the best Irish singles of all time. My Friend John received a fair amount of plays on local radio in the Dublin stations and nationwide. In December 2002 the Animals performed in The Olympia Theatre as part of a benefit for the Children’s Hospital. They contributed a new track - "Polar Bear" - to the Simpatico album, in honour of the late Finn Corrigan, musician and sound engineer. The album Simpatico is available from the Dervish
Dervish (band)
Dervish are a traditional Irish music group from County Sligo, Ireland. They were formed in 1989 by Liam Kelly, Shane Mitchell, Martin McGinley, Brian McDonagh and Michael Holmes. The band was originally formed to record an album of local music which was later released as “The Boys of Sligo”. They...
website.
All the band members are involved in different projects nowadays, but come together regularly to perform. In 2006 Those Nervous Animals played a number of gigs in the Sportsmans Inn (Kielys of Mount Merrion, Dublin).
Core TNA members Pádraig Meehan (guitar), Eddie Lee (bass) and Barry Brennan (vocals and guitar) have steered the band through a number of personnel changes over the years. This trio also contributed the songs that characterised the Animals style. The current band features Susan Rowland on vocals, Ken McDonald on drums and Trevor Knight on keyboards. At various times Flo McSweeney, Maura O’Connell and Helen Walshe performed vocal backing with TNA. The band had strong associations with the Sligo pub, Hennigans of Wine Street, where they played and socialised in the 1980s. One individual who contributed greatly to the music of Those Nervous Animals was the late Pascale Benajour, percussionist.
Original Members (1981-83)
Vocals, guitar, keyboards– Barry Brennan
Guitar – Padraig Meehan
Bass – Eddie Lee
Drums – Christy Behan
Percussion – Cathal Hayden
Extended plays
| Year | EP details |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Hyperspace
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
IRE Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
NLD | NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
US Alt. | ||||||
| 1983 | "Just What the Sucker Wanted" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1984 | "The Business Enterprise (My Friend John)" | - | 9 | — | — | — | ||||
| 1986 | "How Does the Shopper Feel?" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Damien" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1994 | "Rocket Ship" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
External links
- Sligo Arts webpage - Artist profile on Those Nervous Animals