Engine Alley
| Engine Alley | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kilkenny/Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Rock, indie rock, psychedelic pop, power pop, glam rock, art rock |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Mother Records, Island Records, Polydor Ltd. |
| Associated acts |
Hothouse Flowers Pugwash Preachers Son |
| Members | Eamonn Byrne Brian Kenealy Canice Kenealy Paul O'Byrne |
| Past members | Emmaline Duffy-Fallon Kenneth Rice Jerry Fehily Gary Sullivan Mark Murphy |
Engine Alley are a rock band from Kilkenny, Ireland, active since the 1990s. Their biggest success came in the early 90s, with many television appearances and successful singles. They have toured the UK, United States and Europe and continue to play live shows every year.
The band was formed in 1989 in Dublin by brothers Canice (vocals/guitar) and Brian Kenealy (guitar), along with childhood friend Eamonn Byrne (bass). Having grown up in Kilkenny, the band would relocate to Dublin in the 1980s; with Brian having moved there as early as 1983. This core line-up would continue to the present day, making up the band's chief songwriting team. The band took their name from a laneway in The Liberties, an old part of Dublin's south inner-city. Having moved to Dublin, the band met drummer Emmaline Duffy-Fallon, who joined the band while still in school. The band made a demo, which was followed quickly by an appearance on national television. This led to the band doing a session with Dave Fanning.
A key figure in the early development of the band, Pete Holidai (of The Radiators from Space) discovered the band around this time, having heard the band's Fanning Session and subsequently attending one of their shows. With growing interest from record labels, Holidai helped the band cut more demos and he would later become their manager. Following on from these demos the band signed a record contract with U2's Mother Records later that year. In 1991 the band added classically trained violin player Kenneth Rice from County Kerry, who also doubled up as keyboard player. The band had quickly built up a following; largely due to their colourful and energetic live performances, in tandem with their 70s glam-inspired image. With the band making numerous appearances on prominent chat and music television programmes in Ireland, October 1992 saw the release of their full-length debut album A Sonic Holiday, produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, Peter Gabriel, The Rolling Stones). The record would win the Best Irish Album accolade that year, awarded by Ireland's leading music magazine Hot Press. The album featured many successful singles, notable of which is Song For Someone which featured Lillywhite's then-wife Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals.
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