From Aces to Angels

Showband Days: An Analysis

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In my introduction to this book I pointed out that this was not the definitive history of showbands, but because I played in so many, I'd like now to say a few words on this subject. 
  As you're probably aware by now, the late fifties and early sixties were my formative years musically. I played in various groups and bands playing various styles of music ranging from skiffle, folk, to country and blues.
  Then I graduated to the showbands of course who were split into two main camps, the ones who played mostly pop and the other who concentrated mainly on country 'n' Irish.' The former usually hailed from the cities and larger towns, while the latter emerged from the small towns and rural areas.
  The Showbands were largely the preserve of the male species (except for the occasional lead singer) with very few female bands. The only all girl band in Derry that I was aware of was a band called 'The Cheries,' and they arrived late in the day, 1969.
  Whilst most bands in the main, consisted of competent and versatile musicians, the whole showband scene was at times the butt of jokes, especially by the 'beat' groups across the water, and unfortunately by some of our home grown groups. They considered the showbands corny, and just a bunch of gombeen men playing culchie music. To a certain degree the criticism was justified, mainly on a couple of counts. Firstly, some of the older hands who had been brought up in an environment of jazz and swing music found it difficult to adapt to the modern trends. As a result, their rendering of current pop songs was inclined to sound a bit dated, although this didn't     detract from their musicianship.   
  Secondly, while a lot of the bands had reasonable titles, some of the names the showbands used were almost laughable, e.g. 'Chris Tyme and The Watchmakers' to mention only one. As a rule, a corny name usually indicated a corny band but in some cases a silly name could belie their musical capabilities. Thirdly, and more importantly, I've heard some embarrassing showbands, especially some of the ones who appeared regularly in England with a repertoire consisting almost entirely of the 'old grey haired mother/take me home to Ireland,' type tunes.
  Now in principle, I've nothing against tunes about old grey haired ladies. One of the better songs I've heard in this category is 'A Mother's love's a Blessing.' Now this is a simple song but it has pathos and effectively conveys without too much syrupy sentimentality the love a mother has for her children and how it feels to lose her.
  I also have no problems with songs depicting the scourge of forced emigration (I've written a few myself), as long as they're written sensibly and with the minimum of schmaltz. I have no objections to weepy songs generally, but musically and lyrically, some of the ones that I'm referring to, were diabolical. Despite all the foregoing, I still feel that the majority of showbands were quite good   and the Showband era a necessary stage in the development of the whole Irish music scene.
  It has to be remembered (something apparently lost on the beat groups, especially the Irish variety) that the groups themselves would probably not have come into existence without the showbands that preceded them. A lot of the fathers (and mothers) of people in groups today    played in showbands. Even some of those who are now considered the leaders in the music scene served their time in the showbands. A couple that immediately spring to mind are Rory Gallaher and Phil Lynott. On the local front we have men like Phil Coulter and Rob Strong (who, incidentally strummed with me in Springtown Camp and whose son Andrew was the star of the film 'The Commitments').                                                                                                                                   Besides inferior showbands, I've also heard some poor beat groups in my time, not least some                                                                                                                                 
of the 'supergroups' of today whose spokesmen are now the showbands' fiercest critics. Two that immediately spring to mind are Bono and Bob Geldof. It appears to me that they have very little understanding of the historical aspects of music at all and the best Bob had to offer in his drawling Dublin accent was his uncompromising  'all showbands are shoite' comment. Like everybody else, Bob and Bono are perfectly entitled to their opinions, ill thought out and all as they are. All I'm saying is, if you want to criticise something then at least try and let your views be considered ones.
  I would like to point out that my critisicm is mainly from a musical perspective, although on a personal level, despite the fact that I've never met either man, they come across as both egotistic and arrogant.
  I must admit that as far as originality was concerned (e.g. writing their own material etc.), the showbands fell down badly, so I won't try to defend them from that perspective. Still, quite a few good songwriters emerged from the showband scene, people like the Swarbrigg brothers, Billy Brown of the Freshmen and many more too numerous to mention. I actually considered including myself in that category but modesty forbids me from doing so.
  Nevertheless, the fact that the showbands didn't play their own material doesn't necessarily mean that they weren't talented. Lots of top acts don't write their own material but that didn't stop them becoming famous in their own right.  
  Conversely, lots of bands become big names and have millions of fans even though in reality they're mediocre. A perfect case in point are the aforementioned Bono and Geldof. In my opinion, for what it's worth, they've gotten away with murder churning out the musical trivia they have over the years. I'm sorry if I've offended all you Boomtown Rats and U2 fans but I'm afraid that I'm entitled to my opinion too. But to be fair, in spite of the fact that I don't like their music, I have to give them a grudging respect insofar as they write their own material.
  The sad thing about it is, at the time, the self same groups that criticised the showbands weren't entirely original themselves, for in the main they also did cover versions. But because they imagined that they were playing a better class of cover version, they considered themselves to be superior to the showbands.
  I must confess, that even among the showbands themselves, at times there was a little bit of snootiness, for some pop bands reckoned that they were musically a cut above country 'n' Irish' orientated outfits. And it wasn't all one sided either, for quite a few country bands considered pop music as rubbish.
  However, in spite of the fact that at times there was little compromise in both types of bands, many showbands were expected to, and did, cover the popular tunes of the day regardless of whether these songs were pop, country or ethnic jungle music. As individuals, they mostly were experienced and accomplished musicians. Collectively, and from a commercial point of view, they were lively and entertaining. So, within the context of  the age in which they operated, they were to an extent an original concept.
  Looking back on it now, even I have to admit that wearing nice little mohair stage suits and us all moving sideways and back, backwards and forwards in unison seems a bit corny, but in those days that was cool man. Don't forget we didn't have any personal tailors or choreographers like the bands today.
  There was another strange phenomenon that didn't exactly smack of originality, and that was the 'Ireland's answer to' syndrome. In the showband heyday there was Ireland's answer to Elvis, Jim Reeves, Connie Francis and a whole plethora of other 'Ireland's answers to.' I think at one stage there might have even been an Ireland's answer to God. The groups weren't left out either. There was Ireland's answer to the Beach Boys, The Beatles, Glenn Miller and a host of others.
  To be fair, in the majority of cases, this was more of a publicity stunt by the band managers than the musicians themselves attempting to achieve some sort of musical immortality. It hasn't exactly gone away completely today you know, for every now and again the odd 'Ireland's answer to' still rears its ugly head.
  It has to be said that the 'Ireland's answer to' phenomenon wasn't unique. There is also what in my opinion is the modern equivalent and that is the twin scourges of 'the Impersonator' and the 'Tribute Band.' I've heard a few of these pretend celebrities, and while some of them are quite good at what they're doing, some of them are very bad.
  Good or bad, it's the whole concept that I think is a bit pathetic and just an excuse for not being willing to work at their own individual styles. Yet perhaps I'm being a bit harsh here for I suppose that in a way they're helping to keep the memory of the original artists alive (assuming that the original artists are no longer performing of course). At one stage it was just dead pop stars who were imitated but now it's live ones as well.
  Now I don't claim (nor as far as I know do any other showband folk) that the showbands started a musical revolution. That's not what they were about. What they did do was start a revolution of another sort, a kind of social revolution. In those days the young people wanted to dance and at the same time be entertained. The showbands were able to supply both commodities.
  Ironically, one of the main criticisms levelled at them  at the time was the use of a brass section, a feature of pop music which is completely acceptable, and sometimes necessary, today (notwithstanding the fact that it's frequently sampled or synthesized). Derry at that time was considered to be the mecca of the showband world and for me at any rate it's an era I'll always remember.
  I'd often heard the more mature musicians refer to the music business as 'the rat race,' but to be honest, at the time I was so enamoured by the whole scene I didn't see it in those terms.
  In later years, after a few bitter experiences, the details of which I won't go into, I had to admit that there was a fair grain of truth in what they had said. Although the vast majority of musicians that I worked with were decent and honourable people, there's no doubt that the music business has its fair share of con men, rip-off merchants and charlatans in both the playing and managerial spheres. Even people you've worked with for years and considered close friends, for a few extra bob will sell you down the river.
   By the early seventies the showbands had all but disappeared, and so had most of the old ballrooms they played in. A few of the old halls survived into the late seventies, and even one or two were still functioning into the early eighties. Some of the actual buildings are still standing today, but sadly no longer the citadels of the slow foxtrot and the quickstep.
  The Golden Seven (and other bands) played a lot in Donegal, and even to this day when I pass buildings as diverse as the old Borderland Ballroom (now a furniture store) and Derrybeg Hall (still going as a bingo hall), I feel a tug on the old heartstrings. These, along with dozens of other concrete relics dotted around the country, are now just mute and poignant reminders of a particular moment in time and space. Travelling through that beautiful county, I sometimes get a pungent whiff of burning turf and it evokes memories of those long gone salad days on the road.
  Of course the struggle for survival of the showbands (and at this stage, all other travelling bands), wasn't helped by the horrible murder and mayhem which pertained, especially during the dark days of the seventies when being on the road late at night was a total nightmare. This point was driven home when the massacre of the Miami Showband took place on 31/7/75. After that, a lot of bands developed a state of acute paranoia and refused to go out at night at all. In a way this incident helped to hasten the inevitable death of the showbands.
  I, personally, was involved with different bands in a series of incidents including a couple of serious ones. The worst of these by far was being blown up by a bomb on Clady bridge near Strabane. Fortunately on this occasion, nobody was seriously hurt, at least physically, but it left a few mental scars.
  Despite overwhelming odds, a handful of bands bravely soldiered on long after the showband heydey, albeit dropping the tag, 'Showband.' At time of writing, 2001, there are attempts being made to resurrect the showbands. There are stage shows on the road organized by people like George Jones of 'Clubsound' fame, and T.V. shows about the showband era. Oddly enough I've noticed very few representatives from the Derry Showband scene on these shows (perhaps just an oversight George?). There are even a couple of actual showbands doing the rounds. By all accounts these bands are reported to be very entertaining and doing all right financially.
  But are these attempts in vain? Will these new showbands just remain a novelty or will they give rise to a full scale Showband renaissance? Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) I don't think they will, for a few years back the Miami were reformed but disbanded again a short time later. I think  there'll always be the odd showband about just like there'll always be the odd Skiffle group or Barber Shop quartet doing the rounds, but realistically, no return to their heydays.
  Still, in spite of everything, perhaps they'll prove me wrong. If they do, maybe now that I'm getting a bit past it, I'll be offered a job in one, assuming of course that they have room in the wagon for my Zimmer frame! I'd say that the Showbands will still be debated in another hundred years time, and love them or loathe them, they were a phenomenon that swept Ireland like wildfire, the likes of which we're unlikely to see again.
  The question is often asked (sometimes unfortunately, in a spirit of ridicule) as to why people, especially those getting on a bit, feel so nostalgic about things like the showband era. Well the answer is simple and there's no mystery. It just seems to be part and parcel of the human condition and not reserved solely for showbands (nor confined to the older generation).
  I've often come across Rachael (who I remind the reader is only sixteen) mooning over photographs of her and her friends taken a few years previously. Some people hanker for the days of their childhood, the big bands, the Beatles and a hundred and one other bygone eras. I suppose in one sense it's an escape from a present they find dull and unfulfilling.
  Now a word of warning. Nostalgia itself, like peer pressure, can be a powerful force, so strive to keep it in check. Yet this same force, if controlled, may even help to smoothe out the wrinkles and soothe the rheumy eyes. Unfortunately, contrary to reports and regrettably for me, nostalgia even in large doses won't regenerate disappearing follicles. I once heard a man say that if you keep looking            back the only thing you get is a stiff neck. Perhaps he's right, but personally, and I  make no apologies for it, I look back fondly to those days and most of the old heads I interviewed agreed whole-heartedly (ah... blissful reverie). Good or bad musically speaking, I feel there was a magic about playing in a showband, a magic I think is lacking today.
  So, by way of my final words on the subject, I say to you now like we always said to the heaving crowds at the end of each dance (I must confess at times with tongue in cheek), 'Good night, God bless, and safe home.'

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