Goats Don't Shave | |
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Goats Don't Shave performing at Féile Earthcore on 17 July 2011 in Gweedore, Co. Donegal.
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Background information | |
Origin | County Donegal, Ireland |
Genres | Celtic rock, folk rock |
Years active | 1990 | –1998, 2003 ,2011 - Present
Labels | Cooking Vinyl |
Website | https://www.facebook.com/GoatsDontShave |
Past members | Pat Gallagher Charlie Logue Declan Quinn Gerry Coyle Seán Doherty Michael Gallagher Jason Philbin |
Goats Don't Shave are a Irish folk rock band formed in 1990. Formed in Dungloe, County Donegal, the group was fronted by singer-songwriter Pat Gallagher and backed by musicians, Charlie Logue (keyboards), Declan Quinn (whistle), Gerry Coyle (bass), Seán Doherty (acoustic guitar), Jason Philbin (fiddle) and Michael Gallagher (drums).
The group released two albums together, The Rusty Razor (1992) and Out in the Open (1994). After a sabbatical which has lasted from 1995 onwards, a third album Tór was released in 1998 containing material from both Pat Gallagher and Goats Don't Shave. They are probably most well known for their songs "Let the World Keep on Turning" and "Las Vegas (In the Hills of Donegal)", both taken from their debut album The Rusty Razor.
Their name comes from a pub incident in which a tipsy local character was told to stop acting the goat and have a shave and clean himself up - his response was to walk away muttering the words Goats Don't Shave!! Since their formation back in the summer of 1990, Goats Don't Shave have risen to become one of the most popular bands Ireland has produced.
They began performing their Celtic folk-rock in between their day jobs; which included a few fishermen, at which point the lads started to pick up regular Gigs. Next they recorded their first EP. There were five songs on it, and began to sell them locally.the sales were so good that record companies started calling and so did RTÉ and the late late show. Led by singer/songwriter Pat Gallagher, the Goats became one of Ireland’s most outstanding bands in the early 1990s with top ten singles and a platinum selling album. Formed around 1989, the Goats’ initial success came with their singles:“Las Vegas in the Hills of Donegal” and “Let the World Keep on Turning”, both which subsequently featured on their debut album, “The Rusty Razor”. The Goats soldout concert venues the length and breadth of the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America. They played both Glastonbury and Finsbury Park Fleadh whilst also being voted Best Band of 1993 by Time Out, one of London’s leading listings magazine.
By the time of the 1994 release of their second album:“Out in the Open”, the Goats’ heavy touring schedule had undoubtedly refined their performance.All the songs on both albums were composed by Pat Gallagher.
In 1992, the Goats released their first album through Cooking Vinyl, The Rusty Razor. This fiery mix of folk, traditional music and rock was hailed by critics as an absolute classic, and the album went gold in Ireland. Following such success they released a second album in 1994, Out in the Open, a rockier, much rounder piece which maintained their well earned reputation as a band capable of great things.