Ирландиялық рок тобы - The Saw Doctors

Irish rock band

The Saw Doctors are an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway, they have achieved eighteen Top 30 singles in the Republic of Ireland including three number ones. Their first number one, "I Useta Lover," topped the Irish charts for nine consecutive weeks in 1990 and holds the record for the country's all time biggest selling single. On 15 February 2008, they received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Meteor Ireland Music Awards. Their main influences include Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sex Pistols, The Undertones and John Prine.

The Saw Doctors were formed in 1986 by Leo Moran (formerly a member of defunct Tuam reggae band, Too Much for the White Man), Davy Carton (formerly a songwriter and guitarist with short lived Tuam punk band Blaze X), and local vocalist Mary O'Connor. The trio got their start playing small gigs in local venues such as Tuam's Imperial Hotel. O'Connor left the group the following year to emigrate to London. Carton and Moran added other musicians and carried on with the band. Moran and Carton have been the only constant presences in the Saw Doctors' ever shifting line up. Past members have included musical artist, producer and co producer of the band's debut album, John "Turps" Burke '87 to '93; bass player Pearse Doherty; keyboard and accordion player Tony Lambert; keyboard player and guitarist Derek Murray; and drummers Padraig Stevens, John Donnelly, Jimi Higgins, and Fran Breen. The fluidity of the band's line up in part accounts for the variety of musical influences, including pop, punk, rock and roll, and traditional Irish, that make up the band's signature sound. As of 2016, the Saw Doctors are Leo Moran (vocals, guitar), Davy Carton (vocals, guitar), Kieran Duddy (keyboards), Anthony Thistlethwaite (saxophone), Will Merrigan (bass) and Rickie O'Neill (drums).

The Saw Doctors rose to national attention during 1987 and 1988 as they toured in support of popular Irish bands such as the Hothouse Flowers and The Stunning. They also proved to be a success when they played at the 1988 Galway Arts Festival. In the spring of 1988, when The Saw Doctors were playing a six week residency at the Quays Bar in Galway, their live show attracted the attention of The Waterboys, who were then recording their Fisherman's Blues album in nearby Spiddal. Pub sessions and budding friendships among the two groups would prove fruitful for the Saw Doctors' future and would see eventual crossovers between the two groups. The band's current saxophonist, Anthony Thistlethwaite, and former drummer, Fran Breen, have both been members of The Waterboys. In the autumn of 1988, The Saw Doctors filmed a rockumentary on a flat bed truck while driving between Galway and Salthill, a parody of U2's newly released Rattle and Hum film, in which U2 played Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" from a flat bed truck in San Francisco, The Saw Doctors' Crackle and Buzz had its world premiere at the Claddagh Palace Cinema in Galway. The Saw Doctors played live from the cinema's balcony, caricaturing the short acoustic set U2 played atop the Savoy Cinema on O'Connell Street when Rattle and Hum premiered there on 27 October 1988. Footage from the tongue in cheek stunt was featured on RTÉ's main evening news. In late 1988 and early 1989, The Saw Doctors accompanied The Waterboys on tours of Ireland and Great Britain. Their tour of the UK and Ireland scheduled for the Autumn and Winter of 2016 was put on hold, as Davy Carton was recovering from a throat operation. The dates were rescheduled to take place in the Spring of 2017. When the Ireland and UK tour finally took place towards the end of 2017, it was a triumphant success. Subsequently, it was announced that Carton and Moran were writing material for a planned new album. After a 5 year break from touring, in March 2022, The Saw Doctors announced a 4 date UK Tour for November and December 2022. This tour will consist of dates in Glasgow, London, Leeds and Manchester Apollo. The Saw Doctors continued their revival in 2023 with shows across Ireland and the U. K. In March, after much speculation, they announced they would play 2 shows in the United States; one in New York City and one in Boston. Tickets for those shows went on sale on April 4th and sold out almost immediately. These were their only US shows of 2023. The New York City show took place on July 7th at the Hammerstein Ballroom and the Boston show took place July 8th at the MGM Music Hall.

Although the Saw Doctors have released a number of studio albums over their career, their live shows have brought them international renown. In 2004, the band recorded its show before a crowd at the Black Box Theatre, Galway, and released a live audio CD and a concert DVD, both titled Live in Galway. The DVD also contained a 50 minute documentary, "A Different Kind of World," following the Saw Doctors around their favourite locales in the West of Ireland (including a trip to Clare Island) and showing them on tour in Brooklyn, New York. A follow up live album, New Year's Day, again featured the band in the Black Box Theatre, this time on New Year's Day 2005. The band donated profits from this album to victims of 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The band performed three songs at Celtic Park, Glasgow on 21 November 2006 before Celtic's UEFA Champions League match with Manchester United.

The Saw Doctors' song "She Says" is used as the theme song to the BBC Northern Ireland comedy series Give My Head Peace. Under the name "The Folk Footballers," Leo Moran and former Saw Doctor Padraig Stevens released The First Fifteen, a collection of songs featuring local artists that celebrated the Galway football team in the wake of its success in the 1998 All Ireland Senior Football Championship. Re released in 2001, when Galway again won the All Ireland football championship. Further collaborations brought a self titled album by another side project band, The Shambles. Guinness used the Saw Doctors song "Never Mind the Strangers" in an advertisement campaign for Harp Lager in the US. The Saw Doctors made an appearance in The Tavern and "Same Oul' Town" was featured in the film. The Saw Doctors appeared on the 2007 Killinascully Christmas special. The band reappeared in 2010 Killinascully Christmas special. In 1994 the single "Spanish Lady" was released by Dustin the Turkey and went to No.1 in the Irish Singles Chart on 18 November and stayed there for 4 weeks. Proceeds of the single's sale were in aid of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland. It featured Ronnie Drew and The Saw Doctors. Although not mentioned on the cover sleeve The Saw Doctors are clearly identified during the comic number when Dustin sings "Hey Ronnie is that the Saw Doctors? Is it? Who let yous into the studio? Hey eh Leo outta here this is a Dublin Song, meself and Ronnie." The Saw Doctors proceed to sing a rap verse about cooking turkey and to provide backing vocals until the end of the number. Man United Man sung by Men United was another Saw Doctor inspired Irish chart topper. Written by Leo Moran and Davy Carton the single's proceeds raised money for the RTÉ telethon appeal, People in Need. It reached the peak on 4 May 1996 and remained there for four weeks. During the Saw Doctors' break from touring in 2013 three members (Moran, Thistlethwaite and O'Neill) formed a band with fellow Galway musicians called The Cabin Collective. Moran and Thistlethwaite also tour and record as a duo, Leo and Anto.

In April 1993, the Saw Doctors' keyboard and accordion player Tony Lambert, who had previously played with Bonnie Tyler and Alex Harvey, won IR£852,000 (2023: approx. €2 million) when he won the jackpot in the Irish National Lottery's Lotto game. He died on 29 April 2018 in Thailand after a long battle with heart disease.