The Rogues were formed in Apr.2002. It all started with a drink. Ok a few drinks. Now that I think of it they started with a barrel load of drink. Shite I’d better start again. The Rogues started with two friends getting plastered drunk one night after an all night party in Dundalk. Just as the next day was dawning and sleep was calling another friend came in through the door proclaiming that it was his birthday and that no one would sleep until together they had drank every drop of wine in the house (Thanks Flick we owe ya one). Not wanting to turn down the man on his birthday (or the free drink) the two friends decided it would take some wild and unruly music to get the party started back up again. Flicking through the extensive music collection on display, they decided that only one cd would do the job. The two friends were Eoin “Mac D†MacDomhnaill and Fearghal “Stony†Malone and that cd was The Pogues Greatest Hits. In the midst of singing(or slobbering depending on your point of view) and dancing(if that’s what you would call two buck mad lunatics bouncing off every wall in the house) along to all the songs they hit upon the idea that someday they would like to play in a band playing the music of The Pogues. The next day whilst in the pub having the hair of the dog (an old ancient Irish hangover cure which entails drinking twice as much beer and/or spirits as you did the night before) the lads were recapping the events of the night before to two more of their mates Peter Baldwin and Benny Malone(this included by the way our friend’s proclamation that no one would be falling asleep until all before us was drank and who then promptly fell asleep after two mouthfuls). They told them of the idea and everyone agreed that it would indeed be a great laugh to play the music of the Pogues and that we should form a band, play all over the country, tour Europe and America and generally become the biggest band in the world! I think everyone saw the idea for exactly what it was, a load of shite talk with your mates on a Sunday in the pub. But not all of us did. A week later (or was it two? Looking back its all a bit of a blur and to be perfectly honest I can barely remember to put me cacks on the right way round every morning, never mind four feckin years ago) Benny Malone arrived off the train from Dublin with the idea still on his mind. Whilst studying at college down in Carlow one of Benny’s housemates had taught him how to play “A Pair of Brown Eyesâ€. He, in turn, passed the song on to Stony and the very next night they played it at a party in Seatown. About half way through they were joined by Mac D on guitar and Pete singing harmony and by the end of the song everybody in the house was joining in. By this stage the idea was gathering serious momentum and on a trip to Galway the following week Pete, Benny and Mac D came up with the idea of forming Ireland’s first Pogues tribute band with Pete on bass, Benny playing drums, Mac D on rhythm guitar and Stony singing. The lads started practising up in the Bakehaus studio above The Home Bakery in Dundalk (Big thank you to the Keelans especially to Deirdre who came up with the name The Rogues) After learning a few of The Pogues songs the next challenge that faced the lads was where to find the people that would make up the “Melody Men†of the band. Thankfully they had a ready made mad man at hand. A musician of long standing, (he likes to stand for long periods) Brendan “Bee†Malone (Stony and Benny’s Da) was a man born to play in a Pogues tribute band. The Lads roped Bee into playing mandolin in the band and so added another piece to the growing Rogues jigsaw. Around this time came a major turning point for the band. This happened when the lads headed to see The Pogues up in the R.D.S. in Dublin. Also travelling on the same bus were two people who would change The Rogues from being a few lads jamming songs into a proper gigging band. The two people were Daniel Doyle, a virtuoso tin whistle and flute player and William “Dixie†Dixon the owner of the Celtic Bar in Dundalk. When asked, Daniel jumped at the chance to play in the band and Dixie gave them their first date for a gig, on the 17 August. After practising like crazy for a couple of weeks the lads played a blistering set in the Celtic bar and haven’t looked back since. Ciaran Rafferty joined the band later on in the year, Andrew O’Cleary joined in 2004 and last but not least Stephen Murray joined in 2005. They continue to tour the length and breath of the country bringing their brand of good time madness and mayhem wherever they go. The band would like to thank everybody who has been involved in making them what they are today. We would like to thank all the band members past and present who have been involved especially founder members Peter Baldwin and Eoin Mac D who left in 2004, David “Bunce†Byrne, Ruari “Fiendâ€Kinnane, Damien McShane and Ian Baldwin. We would also like to thank Aoife and Dee for their tireless work in promoting and managing the affairs of the band, James Thornton who all through the lifespan of the band so far has provided us with impeccable sound from our first days up in Bakehaus studios to the present day at gigs, Deirdre Keelan and Jackie Moran for getting up on stage and giving Stony a few singing lessons!, Derek Turner and Mark Dearey from the Spirit Store, Ian Coogan from The Argus, Jim Mc Quillan who helped get us round the country and a big thank you to all our loyal supporters the length and breath of the country especially the Moran and Myers families who have been there from our very first gig and to all our families and friends who have supported us through the good times and the bad. There are far too many of you to mention individually but you all know who you are, Thanks Folks!
Myspace Layouts - Myspace Editor - Image Hosting
