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Ten Mins With...Leo Moran
Ten Mins With...Leo Moran

Irish Post

time5 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Irish Post

Ten Mins With...Leo Moran

LEO MORAN, guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of The Saw Doctors, was born in Tuam, County Galway. In 1986, he co-founded The Saw Doctors with Davy Carton, blending rock with Irish storytelling and humour. Known for hits like I Useta Lover and N17 , Moran's jangly guitar style and stage presence helped define the band's energetic sound. The Saw Doctors will be playing at the Páirc Summers Series on the big Bank Holiday weekend at the end of this month. The event takes place on August 23 & 24 at the King's Heath Irish Centre, Birmingham. Ahead of the festival, Moran took time out to talk to the Irish Post... The Saw Doctors' Leo Moran is on the line up for this month's Páirc Summers Series Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine? That Summer Feeling by Jonathan Richman. Somehow he's able to create an atmosphere and images that go beyond the words and music he uses, like many other great songs, that touch something within our subconscious. My favourite tune is Ar Éireann Ní Neosainn Cé Hí. I love loads of Irish slow airs with their beautifully evocative melodies but this one is my favourite. Which musician or singer has most influenced you? Probably Bruce Springsteen. He's got it all – powerful songwriting and arranging, committed, emotional singing and exceptionally entertaining performance skills. We've borrowed a good few bits from him along the way. What's on your smartphone playlist at the minute? Audiobooks. I must've been in the humour for some crime because one was The Westies: Inside New York's Irish Mob and the other was The Cocaine Diaries: A Venezuelan Prison Nightmare. The last song I just played there was Pray For Me Mama (I'm A Gypsy Now) by Jason And The Scorchers, great favourites of ours when we were getting The Saw Doctors together. I've been listening quite a bit to Carsie Blanton – I think she's got the best songs of our current era and we were delighted to get to play a few gigs with her and her band last year and this year. What are your favourite lyrics? Depends on the day and the mood. Off the top of my head though here's one I love: 'Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge / Drinking warm beer in the soft Summer rain' from Jungleland by Bruce Springsteen What is your favourite place in Ireland? I love all the West coast of course, Inis Oírr is my favourite island and I would love to explore Donegal a bit more, so beautiful and unspoiled with so many pristine beaches. But I could go on…… What music did you listen to growing up? The albums are still in the sitting room. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Songs For Little Cowboy', Abba, The Bay City Rollers, Christmas albums. What has been your favourite venue? In Britain you can't beat The Hammersmith Apollo, The Manchester Apollo, The Glasgow Barrowland to name but three. Dublin's Olympia is another and the venues we just played last week in the US were exceptional. We're very lucky. I also love the German rock clubs we played in the last couple of Summers. For atmosphere and energy they're as good as anywhere. All that said, you can have an exceptional night in a less expected place. What are you looking forward to about coming to Páirc Summer Series 2025? I've heard great things about the festival and I'm sure we'll see and meet plenty of familiar and friendly faces of people who have come to see us in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and beyond, over the years. It's always great to get out on a stage in front of people who haven't seen you before as well and I expect there's be a good few of them and I'd imagine there'll be a good percentage of younger music fans at the Páirc. And it's also another chance to get to see one of our great influences over the years, The Undertones. The Páirc Summer Series 2025 takes place on August 23 & 24 at the Kings Heath Irish Centre, 205 Wheelers Lane, King's Heath, Birmingham B13 0ST. For tickets click here. See More: Birmingham, Leo Moran, Páirc Summers Series, The Saw Doctors

Birmingham gears up for a mighty weekend of music and craic
Birmingham gears up for a mighty weekend of music and craic

Irish Post

time5 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Irish Post

Birmingham gears up for a mighty weekend of music and craic

INDEPENDENT Birmingham Irish festival Páirc Summers Series are gearing up for the big August Bank Holiday weekend. The two-day outdoor festival is set to be the biggest celebration of Irish music and culture in the UK. The action takes place on August 23 & 24 at the King's Heath Irish Centre grounds on 205 Wheelers Lane, King's Heath, Birmingham. Headliners include The Sharon Shannon Big Band, The Saw Doctors and Nathan Carter, The Undertones as well as The High Kings, Tumbling Paddies, Fin Furey, The Young Wolfe Tones and many local Irish bands including The Pogue Traders, The Father Teds, Lampa and One For The Road. Ciaran Healy, co-owner of the festival said: 'We can't wait to be back at King's Heath this August Bank Holiday. A big thank you to everyone who has already bought a ticket to the show. "We can't wait for The Saw Doctors to come to Birmingham - this year is shaping up to be a very special edition of Páirc!' Sharon Shannon is on the line up Celebrating the historical link between Birmingham and Ireland, gig-goers will enjoy a range of music, entertainment and activities across the festival's street food village, Irish dance school, and market stalls (celebrating local makers and traditional Irish produce), plus real ale bars, Guinness on tap, and locally sourced beers. Saturday acts The Saw Doctors The Undertones Fin Furey Ryan McMullan Pogue Traders Father Teds Sunday acts Sharon Shannon Big Band with special guests Liam Ó Maonlai (Hothouse Flowers), Mundy, Cait O'Riordan and Camille O'Sullivan (The Pogues) Nathan Carter The High Kings Tumbling Paddies Young Wolfe Tones Lampa Páirc Summer Series 2025 runs on August 23 & 24, at 205 Wheelers Lane, King's Heath, Birmingham B13 0ST. Click here for tickets. See More: Birmingham, Irish Music, Kings Heath, Páirc Summer Series 2025

Stereophonics' blistering Isle of Wight Festival Saturday set PHOTOS
Stereophonics' blistering Isle of Wight Festival Saturday set PHOTOS

Yahoo

time23-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

Stereophonics' blistering Isle of Wight Festival Saturday set PHOTOS

From mass singalongs to blistering drum solos, Stereophonics gave it their all at the Isle of Wight Festival 2025 as they closed the Main Stage on Saturday (June 21). The Welsh rock band, performing at the festival for the first time since 2016, drew a sizeable crowd in Seaclose Park. Stopping off at the festival as part of a huge stadium tour, the band opened with Vegas Two Times, before dropping Have A Nice Day to thousands of revellers. A career spanning set saw frontman Kelly Jones play I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio on the ukulele. Read more: Stereophonics drummer Jamie Morrison is ready for Isle of Wight Festival 2025 The Saw Doctors draw joyous crowd for Isle of Wight Festival debut PHOTOS Stereophonics drummer Jamie Morrison brought impactful drumming flair to the performance, with solos throughout the set. The band closed with C'est la vie, releasing balloons into the arena, before The Bartender and the Thief, which Kelly Jones interpolated Motorhead's Ace of Spades. Finally, Stereophonics closed with Dakota, which saw the band home to rapturous applause. Follow the County Press' live coverage of the Isle of Wight Festival throughout the weekend.

The Saw Doctors review: Fans got everything they came for and more
The Saw Doctors review: Fans got everything they came for and more

Irish Examiner

time14-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Irish Examiner

The Saw Doctors review: Fans got everything they came for and more

Rain, you say? What rain? It was biblical on and off all day and then it turns Balearic just in time for a blistering show from The Saw Doctors in Virgin Media Park (Musgrave Park). Earlier in the afternoon, who'd have bet on the sun Gods smiling down on us? Not a drop. All we saw was a thunderstorm of emotion for The Saw Doctors from a stadium full of fans who got everything they came for and more. "It's great to be back in Cork, it's been too long,' says Leo Moran. 'When they asked us to play, we said we'd do it as long as we could have Damien Dempsey here with us. He's celebrating a big birthday this week.' The whole crowd sings Happy Birthday to Damo'. Davy Carton of The Saw Doctors on stage in concert at Virgin Media Park, (Musgrave park) on Saturday. Picture: Eddie O'Hare And we're off, wth gems like 'Tommy K' and 'To Win Just Once'. They kick off at 8:30 sharp and we're bouncing from the get-go. There's a chaotic joy to a Saturday night Saw Docs gig that's really only comparable to, say, a singalong soiree with a mega-hit band like The Pet Shop Boys. Unlikely bedfellows perhaps, but these two acts have a pair of powerful weapons in common. They both have around 18 chart-topping hits, coupled with a dedicated army of devotees who love nothing better than an excuse to reach deep into the closet for their most colourful carnival costumes, fizzing up a Rio vibe that explodes like a musical rainbow. "We came down to Cork last night to get tuned in," says Leo. "So we had a couple of pints in the Castle Inn. We'll have to warn ye about the snuff. Don't do too much of it. It's very addictive stuff altogether.' Leo Moran of The Saw Doctors on stage in concert at Virgin Media Park, (Musgrave park) on Saturday. Picture: Eddie O'Hare In the Mecca of rugby that is Musgrave Park, it seems more than a little rock 'n' roll for the Saw Docs fans, many decked out in GAA shirts, singing along to hits like 'What Do Ya Think A That?' and 'The Green and Red of Mayo'. The emotional fires are also stoked up by the enduring bond between joint lead singers Davy Carton and Leo Moran. It's unusual in a touring band to have two people steering the bus, but these lads never once skid off track. The Saw Docs have seen their share of lineup changes over the years, but this enduring pair of schoolmates have a Springer-O'Gara rapport that quietly weaves its way through the evening, inspiring a bonhomie that unites the ramshackle and the regal, the Primark and the Canterbury, for a night of bonding as heartwarming as a WWI Christmas ceasefire in the trenches. They played a bagful of hits. With the classics 'I Useta Love Her', 'N17' and 'Red Cortina', along with gems like 'Joyce Country Ceili Band', 'Clare Island' and 'Howya Julia', our voices were literally gone from singing along. Fans enjoying The Saw Doctors concert at Virgin Media Park, (Musgrave park) on Saturday. Picture: Eddie O'Hare The set finished at a little after 10pm. Not one person headed for the gate. Encores galore, rolling on towards 10:30pm when the first droplets of rain threaten to spit, but just about mind their manners. And, they even cover 'After All' by the Cork legends Frank & Walters. What more could you want? Tonight the Gods are from Tuam. Joyfully exhausted, elated, thankfully we have the Sunday off to squeeze out our shirts (thankfully and surprisingly, not our socks), plenty of time to get ready for a fresh dose of reality, with a jukebox of West Coast coolness rattling around in what remains of our sobering minds. Read More Review: A homecoming for Macklemore as he shares Cork family links

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