Those Nervous Animals

Those Nervous Animals is an Irish rock band from Sligo, Ireland. Formed in 1981, the original membership consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Barry Brennan, guitarist Padraig Meehan, bassist Eddie Lee and percussionist Cathal Hayden.

The band released six singles in the 1980’s/early 90’s, and (in 1985) a mini-album, ''Hyperspace!''. A new album of material recorded over four decades, ''The Mission Sessions'', was released in 2021. A number of songs from this were released as singles.

History

Formation and early years

Those Nervous Animals were formed in 1976 when Pádraig Meehan met Barry Brennan as students in Sligo art college and they decided they'd form a band. They met bassist Eddie Lee sometime after, as Lee remembers playing a lunchtime gig with the duo in the theatre of the Regional College, Sligo (later known as the Institute of Technology) circa 1979-80. It was the first time Lee had ever performed in public, and lacking a bass, played a 4-stringed guitar.

The band were named following a word-play game in a Sligo restaurant. The band's songs combined funky, radio-friendly pop tunes, with quirky and ironic material. The band was originally managed and produced by Riverdance composer Bill Whelan. At the peak of their success, Those Nervous Animals were a major draw in Ireland, filling the Baggot Inn, Dublin, regularly on a Thursday night residency, and performing at the Self Aid concert in 1986. They performed shows across Ireland, including events in the late 1980's in the National Stadium and Frances Xavier Hall. Those Nervous Animals never played or released records outside Ireland.

To celebrate the release of ''The Mission Sessions'' in March 2021, the band held an online album launch over Zoom (owing to COVID-19 restrictions), during which they reminisced about the writing and recording process of songs on the album. Bassist Eddie Lee revealed that the bassline on the song ''Just What The Sucker Wanted'' was influenced by Luther Vandross's 1981 track '' Never Too Much''. Lee as well as other band members agreed that it was one of their only songs, or "maybe even the only track, that really sounds 80s still" due to the presence of a gated snare drum sound and gated synth, which were in common use at the time.

Lee recalled that after their performance at Self Aid in 1986, the organisers were subsequently compiling an album of all the acts who had performed that day and it was found that Pádraig Meehan's guitar part had somehow "disappeared in the mix (..) and somebody had to be called in Dublin to come in and play guitar on it.."

The band were supported in concert by Cry Before Dawn in Wexford on a number of occasions.

Singles released by the band included ''Just What the Sucker Wanted'', '' The Business Enterprise (My Friend John)'', ''How Does the Shopper Feel?'' and ''Damien''. They worked with a number of notable producers, including Bill Whelan, and Donal Lunny. The early singles were released on their own Dead Fly label. Some of these songs are included (remastered) on the ''Hyperspace!'' mini-album.
The record label name "Dead Fly" comes from a Sligo town expression meaning smart, or street wise.

Band reunion

The three core TNA members Pádraig Meehan, Eddie Lee and Barry Brennan steered the band through a number of personnel changes over the years. This trio also contributed the songs that characterised the Animals style. Guitarist Seamie McGowan played on many of the recordings and toured with the band. Among the performers associated with the band is Clonmel keyboard player John Tobin, who played the jazz solo on ''How does the Shopper Feel?'' and the French percussionist (now deceased) Pascale Benadjoud. Susan Rowland regularly provided vocals; at various times Helen Walsh, Flo McSweeney and Maura O'Connell performed vocal backing with TNA. The band had strong associations with the Sligo pub, Hennigans of Wine Street, where they played and socialised in the 1980s.

Having toured in Ireland for a number of years the group disbanded in 1988, but since 1993 they have performed together regularly on a part-time basis.
Those Nervous Animals returned with a tour and a CD Single, ''Rocket Ship'', in 1994, on Danceline Records.
In 2002 Tom Dunne of Today FM put the song ''The Business Enterprise (My Friend John)'' on his ''Top 30 Irish Hits Volume 2'' collection. Today FM listeners voted the song number 16 among the best Irish singles of all time. In 2003 Those Nervous Animals contributed a new track - ''Polar Bear'' - to the ''Simpatico'' album, in honour of the late Finn Corrigan, musician and sound engineer. The song ''Hyperspace'' was featured on the album ''Quare Groove Vol.1'' released in 2018 by ''All City Records''.

The band released their first full-length album, ''The Mission Sessions'', on March 26, 2021. It included a 50-50 mix of remasters of older material and material recorded in the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns.

In an interview with Pádraig Meehan in late 2020, Bill Whelan noted that despite the intervening decades in which the band had taken a hiatus, "Those Nervous Animals... still feels alive to me as a concept, as a uniting flag over a particular kind of creativity".

Personnel

Current members

*Vocals, guitar, keyboards – Barry Brennan
*Vocals, Susan Rowland
*Guitar, keyboards – Padraig Meehan
*Bass, keyboards – Eddie Lee
*Drums – Tom Jamieson

Discography

Mini-album

Album

Singles

References

External links

Sligo Arts webpage
- Artist profile on Those Nervous Animals

Homepage

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Irish rock music groups
Musical groups from County Sligo
Musical groups established in 1976
Musical groups established in 1981
1981 establishments in Ireland
1980s in Irish music
1990s in Irish music
2000s in Irish music
2010s in Irish music
2020s in Irish music