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The Blades are an Irish new wave band who formed in the late 1970s in the South Dublin neighbourhood of Ringsend, with Paul Cleary on bass and vocals, his brother Laurence on guitar and friend Pat Larkin on drums. The original line-up released two seven inch singles: "Hot For You" and "Ghost of a Chance", the latter of which they performed on The Late Late Show in 1981.

History

Origins (1977–81)

The Blades began in the summer of 1977 when five friends got together to play a gig in the Catholic Young Mens Society hall in Ringsend. The lineup was whittled down to three: Paul Cleary (born 9 September 1959) on bass and vocals, his brother Lar (born 21 June 1957) on guitar and friend Pat Larkin (born 25 November 1956) on drums.

The band regularly played in Dublin's famous venues like The Magnet on Pearse Street, McGonagle's on South Anne Street and The Baggot Inn on Lower Baggot Street, where they did a six-week residency with U2, with whom they would have a rivalry which would dominate discussion of the group. Although U2 were from the Northside and the Blades were Southsiders, the Blades were considered to have a more working class following.

Their first single, "Hot For You", was released on Energy Rekords in 1980, followed by "Ghost Of A Chance" in 1981 which they played on The Late Late Show. The record producer John Porter produced their first album, Last Man in Europe, but due to personnel changes at the record company, it never got released in England.

Reshuffle (1981–86)

Pat left the band in March 1981, to be replaced by Jake Reilly on drums, the new lineup of Paul, Larry and Jake played first gig in The Magnet on Pearse Street on 18 July 1981, later that summer Paul switched to guitar, bringing in bassist Brian Foley (formerly of The Vipers) and added a brass section including Frank Duff (formerly of the Mod-ls). Larry left in 1982.

The band signed to Irish label Reekus, and a double A-sided single, "The Bride Wore White" / "Animation" was released in March 1982. In the Hot Press National Poll, "The Bride Wore White" was voted best single while The Blades were voted 'the most promising act in Ireland' and Paul Cleary beat Van Morrison and Bono to the 'best Irish songwriter'. However, by this stage they had been eclipsed critically and commercially by their rivals U2.

"U2 and The Blades joined up in the summer of 1979 for a double- header six-week residency at the Baggot Inn. The result was a culture clash of sounds and styles that left no one the wiser about which way the A&R fairy godmother would point her wand. U2 went on to meet Brian Eno, buy some Stetsons and get on the cover of Time magazine. The Blades were flung from record company pillar to post but never lost their knack for three-minute pop-soul classics – not least Hot for You and Ghost of a Chance." Brian Boyd, The Irish Times

In 1985, The Blades released the album The Last Man In Europe.

Post break-up

Paul Cleary continued with a band The Partisans, and later led an eight-piece pub rock band called The Cajun Kings. He also released solo material. In 2001, Reekus records released a double CD boxset, Those were the Days, which included both The Last Man in Europe and Raytown Revisited.

In Roddy Doyle's novel The Commitments the Blades are mentioned when Jimmy Rabbitte remarks that he recognises people in the audience as having been at Blades' gigs years earlier. The implication was that Blades fans were working class and knew their music, but were also slightly older than other Dublin gig-goers.

Reunion And Smalltime EP (2013–present)

The Blades reformed in 2013 for some live performances in Dublin including an appearance on The Late Late Show in November 2013. In November 2015, they released their first new music as The Blades since 1985 with a 4-track EP entitled Smalltime, including the single "Harder Times" which received positive reviews. In January 2024, they reunited for a performance on RTE's The Tommy Tiernan Show.

Discography

Studio albums

• Modernised (2016)

CD - Raytown Records - RAYCD 2 LP - Raytown Records - RAYLP 1

• The Last Man In Europe (1985)

LP - Reekus Records - RKLP1 - IRL - 1985 - matte B&W cover +inner; distributed by WEA Ireland LP - Reekus Records - RKLP1 - UK - 1985 - slick colour front cover adds "featuring Paul Cleary"; different back cover LP - Disc AZ/Reekus Records - 509 - France - 1987 - shiny textured sleeve +inner; slightly different from UK cover w/ red logo +2 bonus tracks CD - Reekus Records - RK CD1 - 2000

• Raytown Revisited 1980-85 (1985)

LP - Reekus Records - RKLP3 - IRL - 1985 CD - Reekus Records - RK CD2 - 2000 - with three bonus tracks (including two 1979 demos)

Compilation albums

• Those Were The Days (2000)

2xCD - Reekus Records - RK BOXCD1 - 2000 - box/slipcase Two-CD set in slipcase consisting of RKCD1 + RKCD2

• Too Late To Stop Now: Reekus Records 30th Anniversary Compilation (2011)

2xCD - Reekus Records - RKBOXCD1 - 2011 - box/slipcase

• RTÉ Radio 2 Presents In Concert (1985)

LP - RTÉ Records - RTÉ 92 - IRL - 1985

Singles

• "Hot For You" / "The Reunion" (1980)

7" - Energy/Polygram Records - NRG-3 - IRL - PS paper labels 7" - Energy Records - NRG-3 - UK - PS plastic labels

• "Ghost of a Chance" / "Real Emotion" (1981)

7" - Energy/Polygram Records - NRG-5 - IRL - PS paper labels 7" - Energy Records - NRG-5 - UK - PS plastic labels

• "The Bride Wore White" / "Animation" (1982)

7" - Reekus Records - RKS005 - IRL - PS +insert

• "Revelations of Heartbreak" / "Rules of Love" (1982)

7" - Reekus Records - RKS007 - IRL - PS

• "Downmarket" / "You Never Ask" (1983)

7" - Reekus Records - RKS010 - IRL - PS

• "Last Man In Europe" / "Sadlands" (1984)

7" - Reekus Records - RKS013 - IRL - PS

• "Those Were The Days" / "Stand By Me Now" (Paul Cleary) (1985)

7" - Reekus Records 7" - Reekus Records - picture disc CD "Smalltime" EP-Reekus Records RKCD 157 (2015) CD Raytown Records RAYCD1

• "The Great Wall of America" / "Kingfisher Blue" (2016)

CD Raytown Records RAYCD 2

• "Modernised" (2016)

References

1. "♫ Raytown Revisited - The Blades. Listen @cdbaby". Store.cdbaby.com.
3. Power, Ed (11 December 2013). "Cutting edge Blades still looking good long after U2 rivalry". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
4. ^ Boyd, Brian. "Blades of glory: it's payback time for one-time U2 rivals who missed the cut". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
5. Boyd, Brian. "Blades of glory: it's payback time for one-time U2 rivals who missed the cut". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
6. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 66–67. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
7. Doyle, Roddy (1989). The Commitments (1st Vintage contemporaries ed.). New York, N.Y.: Vintage Books. ISBN 9780307833082. OCLC 645322420.
8. "Reekus Records". Facebook.com.
9. "The Blades - Downmarket | The Late Late Show | RTÉ One". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
10. "LISTEN: Brand new Blades track". Hotpress.com. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
11. White, Stephen (15 October 2015). "Listen | The Blades return with new single 'Harder Times'". Thelastmixedtape.com.
12. "Music: The Blades of glory - Raytowners back for more". Independent.ie. November 2015.
13. "Tommy Tiernan cracks up former dominatrix with mobile phone question". JOE.ie. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
14. "The Blades | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

• Irish new wave musical groups
• Musical groups from Dublin (city)