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The Saw Doctors are an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam,
County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...
, they have achieved eighteen
Top 30 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...
singles in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...
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.


Career


Origins and line-up

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 London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. 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).


Rise to fame

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 Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel, and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People'' (1988), was the most successf ...
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 The Waterboys are a folk rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1983 by Scottish musician Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Mike Scott has remained ...
, who were then recording their ''
Fisherman's Blues ''Fisherman's Blues'' is a 1988 album by The Waterboys. The album marked a change in the band's sound, with them abandoning their earlier grandiose rock sound for a mixture of traditional Irish music, traditional Scottish music, country music, ...
'' album in nearby
Spiddal Spiddal ( ga, An Spidéal , meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is west of Galway city, on the R336 road. It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) an ...
. 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 A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...
on a flat-bed truck while driving between
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
and Salthill, a parody of U2's newly released ''
Rattle and Hum ''Rattle and Hum'' is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distributed by ...
'' film, in which U2 played
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's " All Along the Watchtower" from a flat-bed truck in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
, 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 O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry S ...
when ''Rattle and Hum'' premiered there on 27 October 1988. Footage from the tongue-in-cheek stunt was featured on
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...
's main evening news. In late 1988 and early 1989, The Saw Doctors accompanied The Waterboys on tours of Ireland and
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. In August 1989, The Waterboys' frontman Mike Scott produced the band's first single, "N17," a song about an Irish emigrant longing to be driving on the N17 national route which connects Galway with Co. Mayo and Co. Sligo, passing through the Saw Doctors' hometown of Tuam. Although "N17" did not chart upon its original release, the band's appearance at the inaugural 1990 Féile music festival in Thurles,
County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...
, cemented their reputation as a live act. The song became known as the band's anthem. Following their success at Féile, the band released their second single, " I Useta Lover," a humorously off-colour paean to an ex-girlfriend. The single topped the Irish charts in September 1990 and spent nine weeks at number one, becoming Ireland's all-time best-selling single. A re-released "N17" reached number one in the Irish charts at Christmas 1990, and the following year, the band's debut album '' If This Is Rock and Roll, I Want My Old Job Back'' entered the Irish albums chart at number one. In 1992, the band released their second Album '' All The Way From Tuam'', which included live favourites "Green & Red of Mayo", "Exhilarating Sadness" and "You Got Me on the Run" as well as the singles "Wake Up Sleeping", "Pied Piper", "Never Mind The Strangers", "Me Heart Is Living in the Sixties Still" and their next number one hit, "Hay Wrap". After the release of ''All The Way From Tuam'', the band parted company with Warner Music and formed their own
record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...
, Shamtown Records. The first release under their new Shamtown label was the "Small Bit of Love" EP which gained them their first Top 30 hit in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top ...
and an appearance on
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 1 ...
's ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of ...
''. The band released their third studio album '' Same Oul' Town'' in February 1996. It went on to peak at number six in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. It included the
hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
s "World of Good", "To Win Just Once" and the double A-side "Clare Island" / "Everyday". The band's subsequent work did not reach the same success of ''Same Oul' Town'', and many line-up changes happened over the next few years. However, they had successful British and US
tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metrop ...
, and appeared at the
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contempo ...
and Oxegen. In October 1998, their fourth album ''Songs From Sun Street'' was released, which included tracks that had been part of the live show for the previous few years including "Galway & Mayo", "Tommy K" & "I'll Be on My Way". They also appeared in the 1999 Walter Foote
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
''The Tavern'' as well as contributing songs to its
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
. The fifth studio album '' Villains?'' was released in 2001 and contained the minor hit "This Is Me". Entertainment.ie said in its review "to many music fans they're a novelty act that's long since passed its sell-by date. It would be a shame, however, if their dodgy image obscured the music, since Villains? is by some distance the best album they've ever made." Pearse Doherty left the band after the touring of ''Villains?'' was completed leaving only Carton and Moran as members from the early days. The line-up changed to include Anthony Thistlethwaite on bass guitar. Thistlethwaite had been playing saxophone on and off with the band since the late 1980s, even playing on their first single "N17". ''Live in Galway'' was released on CD and DVD in 2004. Another
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
, ''Live on News Years Day'' as well as the sixth studio album ''The Cure'' followed. Their career was giving a boost when at the 2008 Meteor Irish Music Awards, The Saw Doctors received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The week before the Meteor Awards the band appeared on the ''Podge & Rodge Show'' on
RTÉ Television RTÉ Television is a department of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Republic of Ireland's state controlled national broadcaster. Its first channel was Teilifís Éireann, which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961. Since the 1960s, R ...
. When on the show they covered the
Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes release ...
song " About You Now", and later decided to release the track as a single. In October 2008 "About You Now" reached number one in the Irish chart, some seventeen years since their last chart-topping feat. They followed this with the release of another live album and DVD, ''Live at the Melody Tent'', recorded in
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
in the summer of 2008. "She Loves Me" charted at number two. In 2009 after six studio albums, Universal Music released ''To Win Just Once – The Best of The Saw Doctors''. The
compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...
featured twenty two of their tracks, and went
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platin ...
within weeks of release. During 2010, the band played a number of
music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...
appearances, including playing at the 40th anniversary of the Glastonbury Festival. September 2010 saw the release of their seventh album, '' The Further Adventures of... The Saw Doctors''. In spring 2013, the Saw Doctors announced a break from touring, initially for a year. In 2016, the band made the announcement that they would be back in the studio, and during the spring and summer of that year, they toured for the first time in over four years. The band toured Ireland, the UK and US and made an appearance on Ireland's '' The Late Late Show''. 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 Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
and Manchester Apollo.


Live shows and recordings

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 Clare Island ( or ''Oileán Chliara''), also historically Inishcleer, is a mountainous island guarding the entrance to Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. Historically part of the kingdom of Umhaill, it is famous as the home of the 15th century ...
) and showing them on tour in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, beh ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
. 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 An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
. The band performed three songs at
Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is al ...
,
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
on 21 November 2006 before Celtic's
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
match with
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
.


Other projects

The Saw Doctors' song "She Says" is used as the
theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances a ...
to the
BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland ( ga, BBC Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ''BBC Norlin Airlan'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of I ...
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 The 1998 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 112th edition of the GAA's premier Gaelic football competition. The championship began on 3 May 1998 and ended on 27 September 1998. Galway's 1-14 to 1-10 victory over ...
. 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 Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in o ...
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 Dustin the Turkey, a character performed by John Morrison is a former star of RTÉ television's ''The Den'' between 1989 and 2010 and from 2020. He has been described as "the most subversive comedy force on Irish television". A turkey-vulture w ...
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 Joseph Ronald Drew (16 September 1934 – 16 August 2008) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He is most recognised for his lead vocals on the s ...
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.


Lottery win

In April 1993, the Saw Doctors' keyboard and accordion player Tony Lambert, who had previously played with
Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' ...
and Alex Harvey, won IR£852,000 (2017: approx. €1.7 million) when he won the jackpot in the Irish National Lottery's Lotto game. Lambert, who at the time was living in a converted bus that he had driven from his native
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
to Galway and parked just off the N17 road, had purchased his winning ticket in a local
Claregalway Baile Chláir or Baile Chláir na Gaillimhe (anglicized Claregalway) is a Gaeltacht village about 10 km north of Galway city in County Galway, Ireland. Claregalway was founded on the banks of the River Clare, hence the derivation of its ...
shop. After his win, he left the band and settled in
County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...
, where he restored an old house and built his own recording studio. Coincidentally, the Saw Doctors' song "To Win Just Once" was written and recorded shortly before Lambert hit the Lotto jackpot. It is the only song on the ''Same Oul' Town'' album featuring him. He died on 29 April 2018 in Thailand after a long battle with heart disease.


Discography


Albums

* '' If This Is Rock and Roll, I Want My Old Job Back'' (1991) * '' All the Way from Tuam'' (1992) * '' Same Oul' Town'' (1996) * ''Sing A Powerful Song'' ( compilation) (1997) * '' Songs from Sun Street'' (1998) * '' Villains?'' (2001) * ''Play It Again, Sham!'' ompilation(2002) * ''Live in Galway'' ive(2004) * ''New Year's Day'' ive(2005) * ''
The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...
'' (2006) * ''That Takes the Biscuit'' (2007) * ''Live at the Melody Tent'' ive(2008) * ''To Win Just Once / The Best of the Saw Doctors'' ompilation(2009) * '' The Further Adventures of... The Saw Doctors'' (2010) * ''25:25'' ompilation(2012)


Discontinued releases

* "Friends Demos B-Sides" ontained other artists(1994) * "Somewhere Far Away" (1999) * "Live on New Year's Day" imited to 1000 copies, then re-released as "New Year's Day"(2005)


Irish singles chart


UK singles chart


Music samples


References


External links


The Saw Doctors' Official websiteFans Of The Saw Doctors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saw Doctors, The Irish rock music groups Music in Galway (city) Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups from County Galway