The Revs

The Revs were an indie rock band from Kilcar, County Donegal in Ireland. The group consisted of three childhood friends: Rory Gallagher (named after the famous blues guitarist Rory Gallagher and who had previously released the album 20th Century at the age of 18) on bass guitar and vocals, John McIntyre (guitar, vocals) and Michael O' Donnell (drums, percussion).

History

The Revs formed on the eve of the 2000 millennium with an aim to "change the face of Irish music".

The Revs released their debut "Sonictonic" in 2002, a live album recorded at Temple Bar Music Centre in Dublin (Now the Button Factory). Early on, the band's music courted controversy with its attacks on manufactured pop; for example, the group's single "Louis Walsh" targeted Louis Walsh (the svengali behind Westlife and Boyzone amongst others).

They followed this up with the stand-alone singles "Tuesday, Monday" and "Loaded" before the debut studio album Suck in February 2003. This album (recorded in Trackmix Studios, Clonsilla, Dublin) entered the charts gaining them many new fans, as well as pleasing the ones who had assembled en masse due to their constant touring across Ireland and the UK. The songs are an eclectic mix of punk rock, surf guitars, pop-rock and indie, similar to Pixies, Radiohead and Muse, with paranoid lyrics (influenced by Bill Hicks) expressing their conflicting love and distaste with the world.They were voted 3rd in the Hot Press readers poll behind U2 and The Frames in 2003. They are one of the few Irish bands to ever play in Slane Castle. In March 2004, they had a top 30 hit in Australia with the single "Death of a Dj". They embarked on a short two-week coast to coast tour and received rave reviews from the Australian music press.