The Blades (band)
| °The Blades | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Ringsend, Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | New wave, power pop |
| Years active | 1977–1981, 1982–1986, 2013-current |
| Labels | Raytown Records, Reekus Records |
| Members | Paul Cleary Brian Foley Jake Reilly Conor Brady Pat Fitzpatrick Frank Duff Paul Grimes |
| Past members | Pat Larkin Laurence Cleary |
Not to be confused with the Blackpool group which was a forerunner of Jethro Tull.
The Blades - Paul Cleary, Brian Foley and Jake Reilly - are an Irish new wave band who formed in the late 1970s in the South Dublin neighbourhood of Ringsend, with Paul Cleary on bass and vocals, his brother Lar on guitar and mutual friend Pat Larkin on drums.
As uncompromising as they were gifted as pop songwriters, the original line-up released two seven inch singles: Hot For You and Ghost of a Chance, the latter of which they performed on The Late Late Show in 1981.
The Blades began in the summer of 1977 when five friends got together to play a gig in the Catholic Young Mens Society hall in Ringsend.
The lineup was whittled down to three: Paul Cleary (born 9 September 1959) on bass and vocals, his brother Lar (born 2 June 1957) on guitar and friend Pat Larkin (born 25 November 1956) on drums.
Even from that early stage, the band's unashamed working-class origins and integrity marked them out from the more elliptical art rock being pioneered by U2 and The Atrix.
The band regularly played in Dublin's infamous venues like The Magnet on Pearse Street, McGonagle's on South Anne Street and The Baggot Inn on Lower Baggot Street, where they did a six-week residency with U2. Many in the crowd left after The Blades set and it was The Blades rather than U2 who were tipped for stardom.
Their first single Hot For You was released on Energy Records in 1980, followed by Ghost Of A Chance in 1981 which they played on The Late Late Show. The legendary producer John Porter produced their first album Last Man in Europe but due to personnel changes at the record company never got released in England.
Pat left the band in March 1981, to be replaced by Jake Reilly on drums, the new lineup of Paul, Larry and Jake Played first gig in The Magnet on Pearse Street on 18 July 1981, later that summer Paul switched to guitar bringing in bassist Brian Foley (ex. The Vipers) and added a brass section including Frank Duff( ex.<The Mod-ls>. Larry left in 1982.
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