We are giving away a pair of tickets to see The Stunning at Connolly’s on November 5, courtesy of our friend Anita from Daly Communication.
Here is the press release for The Stunning:
1990 was a pivotal year in Ireland. The national football team had done the country proud in the World Cup in Italy and Ireland had her first lady president. There was also a new soundtrack to that summer, the debut album by a young band from the west of Ireland. Coming out of Galway city, The Stunning took Ireland by storm, and shifted the focus from a Dublin-centric rock scene to the provinces, paving the way for many more artists to come. They released a string of hit singles and 2 number one albums and toured relentlessly, building up a following that would make them one of the most successful Irish bands ever. Their debut album ‘Paradise In The Picturehouse’ spent five weeks at number one in 1990 and became one of the best-selling Irish albums of all time. Two years later, the follow up ‘Once Around The World’ also hit the number one spot, and the band went on to sell over 100,000 albums in Ireland alone. They toured the US and the UK with the likes of Bob Dylan and the B52’s.
“Brewing Up A Storm” has become an anthem of sorts – a rallying call at football internationals and a guaranteed floor-filler in pubs and clubs around the country. This year the songs featured on the official commercial for the UEFA Euro 2016 football championships, boosting the bands popularity even further. Songs such as “Half Past Two”, “Romeo’s on Fire”, and “Everything that Rises” have become part of the Irish music canon, featuring in movies, on numerous ‘Best of Irish rock’ compilations and regularly on airwaves. Even the current President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins is a fan. He performed one of his poems on the band’s live album ‘Tightrope’.
Breaking up and making up – Despite two number one albums, winning major music awards and a huge fanbase, the band split in 1994. They eventually reformed in 2003 for the re-release of their debut album ”Paradise in the Picturehouse’’ and the subsequent run of dates turned out to be one of the highest grossing tours in Ireland that year. In 2012 around 30,000 people turned out to see them play a concert in their old hometown of Galway city.
Things have changed dramatically since their early days of constant touring – now the band have their fingers in several pies and the challenge is to find the time to gig – lead singer Steve Wall is also an actor, appearing in shows such as Vikings (MGM/History), Sile nt Witness (BBC), Crossing Lines (Netflix) and Moone Boy (SKY/Hulu); Joe Wall teaches in BIMM – Dublin’s ‘school of rock’; Jim Higgins is a much-in-demand bodhrán player, touring with folk-legend Christy Moore; Derek Murray works as a sound engineer with Tommy Tiernan, one of Irelands finest comedians, and Cormac Dunne plays with practically everybody west of the Shannon.
Tickets available on their web site
Website: Photos, info, etc: TheStunning.net
Facebook: /thestunning
Twitter: @TheStunningBand
YouTube: TheStunningTV
