Vice City

Vice city are an underground Limerick indie band, based in Adare, Co. Limerick who are signed to Balls of Iron Records. They consist of Patrick Bourke on drums, Tom Murphy on bass and Darren O'Halloran and Niall O'Connor on vocals and guitars. They were formerly "Scorsese", a more catchy pop band. Some of these songs have survived the transition including "Little Hanover Street"(available to download for free at www.myspace.com/vicecity14). After Niall and Tom left, the remaining members of Scorsese decided to form Vice City. They played regularly on the Limerick scene and this prompted bassist Tom to rejoin. Vice City's social commentary was clearly evident in their excellent self titled EP, which was produced by Mark O'Connor. The highlight of this being "Fast Eddies", a scathing attack on Cork's monotonous nightlife. This prompted an attempt to shut the band down, the police were called to various Vice City sessions and legal action was considered. Lyricist Patrick Bourke has been described in various publications as a "Star"(The Weekly Observer). Bourke, like all songwriters, calls on his personal experiences to inspire his music. "When she was bad", is an accurate reflection of the dycotomy that can be evident in many relationships as they plateau. Bourke is a History student in UCC and historical issues have permeated Vice City songs. "East Germany 1982" is an example of where Bourke has used Historical comparisons to capture the prevailing zeitgeist of modern Irish culture. After a storming performance in Cypress Avenue, Vice City's activity reduced. Bourke joined "The Vagabonds", Niall O'Connor joined "Pio" and Tom Murphy took time out from his music to discover himself spiritually. O'Halloran worked on his producing. After "the vagabonds" failed commercially due to a lack of organisation and the difficulties of having a band based partly in Waterford and partly in Limerick, Bourke took time out from music and along with O'Halloran went to New York, the bastian of many artists looking to discover themselves. This relationship has always been crucial to the band. Like Marr and Morrissey, they form the nucleus of any Vice City music, O'Halloran's catchy guitar riffs and Bourke's lyrics raise a good band to new heights.Reforming the band They attempted to reform the band with new members Noel Mullane on bass and Paul O'Connor on guitar and vocals. They brought songs such as "Bucky", "Weekend" and "I didn't like her anyway". These songs were more rock orientated and never really replicated Bourke's ability to distance himself from Society in order to examine it in a Kavanagh esque manner. Mullane and O'Connor decided to leave the band and formed "Cellar door". Having returned from New York, Bourke and O'Halloran put their experiences in gritty Brooklyn's Sunset Park and Manhattan's everchanging Hell's kitchen, to use, writing new songs and rejuvinating some classics. Murphy and Niall O'Connor were also crucial here as they added the lessons learned from their own musical ventures to create a new departure for Vice City. "Brooklyn Bridge" is a post punk classic which shows just how far the band have come. "Alternative" is a good example of how the band have been influenced by various other forms of music including hip hop, which shows how the band are flexible and have many varied influences and have influenced many varied artists.Influences Vice City count "The Strokes", "The Cure", "The Smiths", "Muse", "Arctic Monkeys", "Queen", "Interpol", "Thin Lizzy" and "Kings of Leon" as some of their many influences. Vice City's ability to appeal to both the masses and the Indie elite has lead to their continued survival. They gig regularly in the Underground, at Baker's Place and Dolans. They also feature regularly on "Green and Live" on Limerick's 95fm This profile was made at Whateverlife.com! :)also our e-mail and msn is fastbucky@hotmail. com Available for download is the Scorsese classic, Little Hanover St., from old days of glory. Hope you enjoy