In Tua Nua
Encyclopedia
In Tua Nua was an Irish
rock group who achieved a modicum of fame and success in both Ireland
and Europe
throughout the late 1980s.
, Jack Dublin, Vinny Kilduff, Ivan O'Shea, Martin Clancy, Paul Byrne and Steve Wickham
in the early 1980s. Although the group's focus and pretensions were an early Roxy Music
-style rock, it combined this aspiration with ersatz folk
and traditional Irish music in the form of uillean pipes and acoustic guitar
s, laced together with raw vocals
and electronic violin. The latter instrumentation was at times was little more than a pastiche of the playing of Eddie Jobson
on Roxy Music
's Country Life album
.
In 1984, the band were the first to sign to U2
's Mother label
and released their first single
"Coming Thru". Shortly afterwards Island Records
signed the band. A number of singles were released and a debut album
recorded. The first Island single was the critically acclaimed "Take My Hand", co-written by a young Sinéad O'Connor
. This was followed by a second single, a cover of Jefferson Airplane
's hit "Somebody to Love
".
In 1985, Steve Wickham left to join forces with The Waterboys
and Island dropped the band. The album recorded for Island remains unreleased. A compilation album
of singles and b-sides
was released in Italy
under the title Somebody to Love.
Vinnie Kilduff also departed from the band around this time. The remaining members recruited replacements - Aingeala de Burca on violin and Brian O'Briain on uilleann pipes.
In 1986, the new look In Tua Nua played the Self Aid
concert. Newly signed to Virgin Records
the band released "Seven Into the Sea", one of their most popular recordings
. An album Vaudeville was released in early 1987.
After touring to promote the album the band reconvened to record a follow-up. Shortly after the recording was completed both de Burca and O'Shea decided to leave. Two new recruits were found - Lovely Previn on violin and Matt Spalding on bass - and The Long Acre was released in 1988. It spawned two radio
hits
"All I Wanted" and "Don't Fear Me Now". "All I Wanted" peaked at #69 in the UK Singles Chart
in May 1988. A third single from the album, "Wheel Of Evil", was also released.
The band went to Los Angeles
, California
to record a third album for Virgin. After the recording was finished the band split, and Virgin did not immediately release the finished product. Both Vaudeville and The Long Acre were made available on iTunes
in 2006, and the unreleased third album called When Night Came Down on Sunset was eventually released through iTunes in September 2007.
Although officially disbanded in 1990, some original members reformed in 2004 to occasionally play live together again. In 2010 M.P. & Records, Italy released Vaudeville and The Long Acre re-mastered with bonus tracks on CD (5 bonus tracks on "Vaudeville" and 3 bonus tracks on "The Long Acre"). Both albums are distributed by G.T. Music Distribution.
Leslie Dowdall continues to perform, be it solo
or guesting with other Irish and international singers. She released two well-received solo albums in the 1990s; No Guilt, No Guile and Out There.
Paul Byrne and Jack Dublin still play together as the rhythm section in Rocky de Valera and The Gravediggers. Byrne manages the Irish band, Von Shakes, while Dublin is the main songwriter for the Dublin band, Audiokiss. In the fall of 2010, they also played several shows as part of a band backing Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan
, and will be recording an album with him as part of 'Shane's Gang'.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
rock group who achieved a modicum of fame and success in both Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
throughout the late 1980s.
Biography
The group was formed by Leslie DowdallLeslie Dowdall
Leslie Dowdall is an Irish singer-songwriter from Howth, County Dublin. She was the singer intrad/rock group In Tua Nua in the 1980s and released several solo albums in the late 1990s to critical acclaim.-External links:* * *...
, Jack Dublin, Vinny Kilduff, Ivan O'Shea, Martin Clancy, Paul Byrne and Steve Wickham
Steve Wickham
Steve Wickham is an Irish musician described by Mike Scott as "the world's greatest rock fiddle player" and by New Musical Express as a "fiddling legend." Originally from Marino, Dublin, but calling Sligo home, Wickham has appeared on recordings by Elvis Costello, the Hothouse Flowers, Sinéad...
in the early 1980s. Although the group's focus and pretensions were an early Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
-style rock, it combined this aspiration with ersatz folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and traditional Irish music in the form of uillean pipes and acoustic guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, laced together with raw vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
and electronic violin. The latter instrumentation was at times was little more than a pastiche of the playing of Eddie Jobson
Eddie Jobson
Edwin "Eddie" Jobson is an English keyboardist and violinist noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K., and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976-77...
on Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
's Country Life album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
.
In 1984, the band were the first to sign to U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's Mother label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and released their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Coming Thru". Shortly afterwards Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
signed the band. A number of singles were released and a debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
recorded. The first Island single was the critically acclaimed "Take My Hand", co-written by a young Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
. This was followed by a second single, a cover of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
's hit "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane song)
"Somebody to Love" is a rock song that was written by Darby Slick and originally recorded by 1960s folk rock band The Great Society and later by the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane...
".
In 1985, Steve Wickham left to join forces with The Waterboys
The Waterboys
The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...
and Island dropped the band. The album recorded for Island remains unreleased. A compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of singles and b-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
was released in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
under the title Somebody to Love.
Vinnie Kilduff also departed from the band around this time. The remaining members recruited replacements - Aingeala de Burca on violin and Brian O'Briain on uilleann pipes.
In 1986, the new look In Tua Nua played the Self Aid
Self Aid
Self Aid was a benefit concert held in Dublin, Ireland on 17 May 1986. The concert performances were primarily by Irish musicians, although Elvis Costello and Chris Rea were designated "honorary Irishmen" for the day; the event was promoted by Jim Aiken...
concert. Newly signed to Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
the band released "Seven Into the Sea", one of their most popular recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
. An album Vaudeville was released in early 1987.
After touring to promote the album the band reconvened to record a follow-up. Shortly after the recording was completed both de Burca and O'Shea decided to leave. Two new recruits were found - Lovely Previn on violin and Matt Spalding on bass - and The Long Acre was released in 1988. It spawned two radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"All I Wanted" and "Don't Fear Me Now". "All I Wanted" peaked at #69 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in May 1988. A third single from the album, "Wheel Of Evil", was also released.
The band went to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to record a third album for Virgin. After the recording was finished the band split, and Virgin did not immediately release the finished product. Both Vaudeville and The Long Acre were made available on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in 2006, and the unreleased third album called When Night Came Down on Sunset was eventually released through iTunes in September 2007.
Although officially disbanded in 1990, some original members reformed in 2004 to occasionally play live together again. In 2010 M.P. & Records, Italy released Vaudeville and The Long Acre re-mastered with bonus tracks on CD (5 bonus tracks on "Vaudeville" and 3 bonus tracks on "The Long Acre"). Both albums are distributed by G.T. Music Distribution.
Leslie Dowdall continues to perform, be it solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
or guesting with other Irish and international singers. She released two well-received solo albums in the 1990s; No Guilt, No Guile and Out There.
Paul Byrne and Jack Dublin still play together as the rhythm section in Rocky de Valera and The Gravediggers. Byrne manages the Irish band, Von Shakes, while Dublin is the main songwriter for the Dublin band, Audiokiss. In the fall of 2010, they also played several shows as part of a band backing Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan
Shane MacGowan
Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan is an Irish musician and singer, best known as the original singer and songwriter of The Pogues.-History:...
, and will be recording an album with him as part of 'Shane's Gang'.