7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Cry Before Dawn: New awakening as veteran Wexford band hit the road again
The biggest song in Ireland in the summer of 1987 was a Springsteen-esque anthem belted out by a former champion tin whistle player, which had one of its first public airings in a Wexford town furniture store. The tune was Gone Forever by Cry Before Dawn, who, for a few surreal months 38 years ago, looked like they might be as big as U2.
'U2 attracted a lot of interest. And then those record companies focused on Ireland. We had all the biggest record companies in the world coming down to see us in a furniture store. That's where we used to rehearse. Dominic Kiernan's furniture store' recalls singer Brendan Wade, who today lives in Switzerland. 'I don't know what they thought when they came down to see us. CBS UK eventually offered us a very big deal.'
Despite CBS's high hopes, Cry Before Dawn never broke through internationally. But they were already accustomed to being outsiders – coming from Wexford, they had always felt removed from the Irish music scene, which was centred on Dublin at that time.
'It would have seemed like we came from nowhere. We weren't very big in Dublin and places like that,' says Wade. 'But we had played our dues. To get an international deal like from a place like Wexford. As much as we love it, it's a small town in the south east Ireland.'
Cry Before Dawn petered out after two albums, and the musicians went their separate ways. Wade lives in the Zurich suburb of Winterthur with his Swiss wife and is deeply involved in the vibrant local trad scene (he has come full circle, having started out playing tin whistle and uilleann pipes). However, the band remain beloved and they were surprised by the warm reception they received when they reunited in 2011. They've continued to tour on and off ever since – and are now releasing their first new music since the 1980s with the heartfelt EP, Open Water, released on August 1.
They've already shared the upbeat title track, the lyrics to which came to Wade when he was watching television one night. 'There was a documentary about a young girl who was having a lot of problems in her life. She was interviewed by a BBC correspondent. At one point he said, 'it looks to me like your life has turned around a bit. What has changed?' She'd had a baby. Her answer is, 'now I have something to lose'. That line is in the song – it's the inspiration. It's about someone who has turned their life around and is looking into open water – all obstacles and heartbreak left behind.'
Back in the 1980s, Cry Before Dawn were regarded as something of a novelty – at least in Dublin. People from Wexford with guitars – whatever next? In fact, the South East had a vibrant music scene, Wade recalls. He namechecks Waterford synth three-piece Neuro, who supported Echo and the Bunnyman and Simple Minds, and ran an artists' collective in their home city.
Wexford, meanwhile, had both Cry Before Dawn and Zerra One, an art-punk band who would play across Europe with The Cure during their famously dysfunctional Pornography shows in 1982. With The Cure falling apart, at one point it was suggested that Zerra One masquerade as singer Robert Smith's bandmates so to see out the tour (a suggestion Smith sensibly rejected).
Zerra One's guitarist, Aindrias Ó Gruama, would later play with critically lauded post-punks Fatima Mansions with Cork songwriter Cathal Coughlan. Singer Paul Bell, meanwhile, was a friend of Wade: in 1996, they paid tribute to Wexford's newly crowned All-Ireland winning team when, recording as The Wild Swans, they released the song Dancing at the Crossroads.
'The thing in Wexford was, there was no internet. There was nothing to do. A lot of young fellas joined bands. There were about 13 bands in Wexford. I'm sure it was the same in other parts of Ireland. There were some really talented musicians. Paul was best mates with Robert Smith, after that tour. Zerra One were on the brink of making something big too – but it just didn't happen. Just one of those things.'
He is looking forward to going back out on the road with the rest of the band for a new tour and record store events to support the EP.
'We hadn't played together from about 20 years. We got back together in 2011. From there on in, we've hit it in stops and starts. In the last three years we've given it a serious lash. The amount of love for the band surprised us. We can't explain it. We said we can't keep coming back playing the same old stuff. We wanted to bring out something new – only if it's as good as the old material. That's what motivated it. I know we're all auld lads now. But when you put your foot on the stage you're back where you were years ago – it's an amazing feeling.'
The
Open Water EP is out now. Cry Before Dawn's upcoming live events include Crane Lane, Cork, Tues, Aug 5; Whelan's Dublin, Aug 6; Electric Avenue, Waterford, Aug 8
