Latest news with #ThinLizzy
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Musical celebration to mark 40 years of the Luke Kelly bridge this weekend
The celebration on Saturday, May 31, is being organised in association with Dublin City Council and will mark the bridge's connection to the folk musician. The Luke Kelly bridge spans the Tolka River and links Fairview to the city. On May 31, 1985, it was officially renamed from the Ballybough bridge. The renaming was backed by the late Tony Gregory TD, and its official opening was attended by then-Taoiseach Charlie Haughey, the Dubliners, Bertie Ahern and Michael D. Higgins. Musician and Luke Kelly tribute act, Chris Kavanagh, said: 'It's hard to believe it's been 40 years since they named a bridge after Luke. 'There is so much respect that people have for Luke that it's a real honour to be involved in the celebrations. 'Luke has not only been a huge inspiration to me, but to musicians everywhere,' he added. This weekend's musical celebration will be followed by a history talk with Sean Deegan of the Irish Tenement Museum and a prize giving ceremony to children. Luke's niece, Niamh Kelly, said the renaming of the bridge was a poignant tribute to her late uncle. 'As his niece, it is a great honour that Dublin is still celebrating the legacy of Luke, his music and how his voice and the songs he sang have crossed many generations, many seas and many oceans,' she said. The bridge is among a number of tributes to the Dubliner which are dotted around the city, including two statues positioned on both sides of the Liffey. The southside bronze statue is a lifesize, seated Luke Kelly, positioned on South King's Street. The second, a portrait head of the musician, is located beside the Royal Canal near his former Sheriff Street home. Both statues were unveiled in 2019. A Luke Kelly commemorative coin was also released in 2022, joining other iconic musicians including Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott and guitarist Rory Gallagher. The 40th anniversary celebration of the bridge comes off the back of the third year of the Luke Kelly festival, a free family event celebrating his life and legacy which took place in Smithfield Square. The festivities to mark 40 years since the renaming of Luke Kelly bridge will begin at 11.30am sharp on Saturday, May 31
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Classic Rock Guitarist, 74, Reveals He ‘Actually Died' During Recent Operation
The rock world nearly lost Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham. Gorham, who joined Phil Lynott's band in 1974, is recuperating after nearly dying on the operating table. "I had a health issue scare about a year ago with a kidney that had to be removed, and I got sepsis from it," Gorham said on the May 21 episode of Darren Paltrowitz's Paltrocast podcast. "And the second surgeon said I actually died on the operating table and all that. And I was, like, 'Really, man? What the hell is all that about?'" Though Gorham wasn't a founding member, he's considered an essential part of Thin Lizzy. He was one of the band's "twin lead guitarists" and Scott played on albums like Nightlife, Fighting and Jailbreak (which featured the band's biggest U.S. hit, "The Boys Are Back In Town"). Gorham reformed Thin Lizzy in 1996, 13 years after the band broke up and a decade after Lynott's death. He also played in the Thin Lizzy spin-off band, Black Star Riders, before departing in 2021 to focus strictly on Thin Lizzy. In November, Gorham discussed putting together "just an absolute kick-[explicative] Thin Lizzy band" together for a tour, but he told Paltrocast that he's not ready to get back on the road. "And now I had a third operation, and [my doctor] said, 'Maybe you should take some time out and just kind of rehabilitate and all that, get your strength back and all that.' So that's what I'm doing," said Gorham. "And in the meantime, I've got the drawing to keep me occupied," he said. Last year, Gorham revealed his secret passion as an artist and held his first art exhibition in London. "[Drawing] is the new thing for me," said Gorham. "It's something that I thought I'd never really do as a constant thing. So I'm kind of enjoying this kind of break from the music right now and going into this little bit of a different direction." This doesn't mean his music career is over. Scott said that he hopes to "get my buns back out on the road" sometime Rock Guitarist, 74, Reveals He 'Actually Died' During Recent Operation first appeared on Parade on May 23, 2025
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Hairy Biker Si King's Honest Playlist: ‘Led Zeppelin is perfect for when you're speeding along'
The first single I bought I Don't Like Mondays by the Boomtown Rats from Sounds Nice on Birtley High Street, when I was in my teens. I know it was about a school shooting, but at the time, I thought: I have a visceral reaction to Mondays as well. The first song I fell in love with Still in Love With You from Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous album. I was learning to play drums and Brian Downey, Thin Lizzy's drummer, used to do this wonderful shuffle beat because it's a relatively slow track, and his playing is beautiful. I still play the drums. I've never stopped being a musician. The song I secretly like There's a couple of Eagles tracks, like Desperado, mainly for that bit where Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski gets in the cab and says: 'I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man!' I probably shouldn't say that because as well as sessioning with a band called Groove Train, who are great, I've just been asked to play percussion for the Bootleg Eagles. The song I do karaoke The Royal Mile and Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty and Take the Money and Run by the Steve Miller Band are just about in my range. But I'm not a regular karaoke-er, man. The song I inexplicably know every lyric to I was sat in the park listening to some music and China in Your Hand by T'Pau and I Want to Be Free by Toyah Willcox came on. I mustn't have heard them for 30 years and I still remembered the lyrics. I've just got that sort of brain. I'm the same with telephone numbers. I can still remember my mates' mams and dads' telephone numbers. The song that changed my life John Bonham's drums on When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin are nothing short of epic. Apparently they recorded them in a stairwell. That changed my life because I then wanted to be John Bonham. The song I can no longer listen toThe First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack because it reminds me of lost love. The song that gets me up in the morning Gimme Some Lovin' by the Spencer Davis Group. The best song to play at a partyAin't Nobody by Rufus and Chaka Khan, because it's great. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion The song that makes me cry On the Wire by Troy Cassar-Daley is a narrative of losing your way, your sense of place and home and just living on the wire. It's about love and comfort and fundamentally a reflection of how lonely the modern world can be. The best song to motorcycle to Kashmir by Led Zeppelin. What a track to have in your head when you're speeding. The Hairy Bikers: Our Family Favourites is available from the Guardian Bookshop.
RTÉ News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Brian Kennedy to play Oscar Wilde in Phil Lynott stage musical
Belfast singer Brian Kennedy says he is "beyond thrilled" to be joining rock-theatre show Moonlight: The Philip Lynott Enigma to play the role of Irish wit and playwright Oscar Wilde. The production, which opened in Dublin's Vicar Street in April, tells the story of the late Thin Lizzy front man and is set to return to Vicar Steet on 20 and 21 and has also announced a show in UCH Limerick on 24 June. Dublin actor Peter M. Smith plays Lynott in Moonlight, which charts the early life of Lynott, portraying him not just as a rock legend but as a literary figure worthy of standing alongside Wilde and Brendan Behan, both of whom make ghostly appearances in the musical. The show blends live music, including Thin Lizzy classics and original compositions, with theatrical storytelling to explore Lynott's formative years in Dublin and London during the late 1960s and early '70s. Speaking about playing Wilde in the show, Kennedy, whose songs include Captured and You Raise Me Up, says: "I'm beyond thrilled to be part of Moonlight and of course to bring something new to the legend of Oscar! I feel like I have finally met Phil Lynott and Brendan Behan."
Extra.ie
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
On this day in 1971: Thin Lizzy released their self-titled debut album
On April 30, 1971, Thin Lizzy – then made up of Philip Lynott, Brian Downey and Eric Bell – released their self-titled debut album via Decca Records. To celebrate, we're sharing Brian Downey's reflections on the early days of the band, taken from a 2024 interview with Will Russell. [In 1969,] Phil had joined Skid Row. But at some stage, he went off to Manchester to get his tonsils out, and when he came back, he discovered he wasn't needed! So, we got together and formed a band called Orphanage – Phil, myself, Terry Woods for a while, Joe Staunton on guitar, Pat Quigley on bass. Phil was singing; he wasn't playing bass. We had a gig in the Countdown Club, off Mary Street, and Eric Bell turned up with Eric Wrixon. During the interval, they both came into the dressing room. Eric Bell said, 'Man, it sounds really great. I'd like to have a chat with you guys after the gig'. I said, 'What about?' He replied, 'Well, I intend to form a band, I'm just wondering are you guys available?' So, we played the rest of the gig. Later, Eric was back in the dressing room and told us, 'I just dropped a tab of acid before the gig, you sounded really brilliant!' Phil enquired, 'You're tripping at the minute?' Eric goes, 'Yeah, I'm pretty out of it, but I'm really interested in getting together with you guys. The band sound amazing'. I said, 'I'm not surprised!' We didn't know what Eric was like playing guitar. He'd played with Van Morrison's Them, but he wasn't on any of the albums or singles. When we started to rehearse, we discovered Eric was a brilliant player. Phil wanted to play bass, but Eric had an idea that somebody else was playing bass. When Phil announced it, he said, 'I have my bass here' and Eric said, 'Let's play and see what happens'. Phil took the bass out – an old Fender Jazz that he bought off Bobby Ballagh, who was playing with The Chessmen Showband at the time. It was later stolen out of our van when we played The Marquee Club in London. We jammed some blues numbers. Phil had told me he was practising five hours a day on the bass – Pat Quigley and Brush Shiels were giving him lessons – so Phil really held his own, jamming through those numbers. I was really surprised, because we'd never played together before. Eric was also pleased, so we had a band together. Eric Wrixon played keyboards – the original Thin Lizzy was a four-piece. We got a set together with Hendrix and Deep Purple covers. Then Phil said he'd a few original tunes. He played them on the acoustic guitar, and some of them ended up on our first album. We were getting some publicity, especially from New Spotlight magazine. We were regarded as a supergroup because I came from Sugar Shack, Phil from Skid Row, Eric Bell from Them and Eric Wrixon from The Trixons. Reaction to the gigs was good, and the band recorded a single, 'The Farmer', at Trend Studios with John D'Ardis. Lizzy's manager, Brian Tuite, persuaded Decca to come to Dublin to listen to the band, after which they were offered an album deal and took the boat to England, sans Eric Wrixon. They were now a trio. We recorded our first album, Thin Lizzy, in five days. It was mixed in two days, but we weren't allowed into the mix. Back then, you weren't – they were still in white coats in Decca Studios. Nick Tauber was the guy who mixed our albums, and he became our producer for Vagabonds, but we never met him.
