The Blizzards
Skatalite town: There are a lot of local bands signing record deals right now, but this skankin' five-piece from Mullingar could be an advance well spent. They've been brewing up a storm wherever they play, getting crowds jumping to their manic mix of The Specials, Madness, The Clash and Kaiser Chiefs, and grabbing plaudits for their debut single, First Girl to Leave Town, and their current dance-hall ditty Trouble, a song about a girl you wish would leave town. The B-side, which tackles one foible about women that men will never, ever fathom, is called Why Do You Fancy Scumbags?
Snowband: The Blizzards may hail from the hometown of Joe Dolan, but from the start they were determined not to cower in the shadow of the great man. Bressie, Lynchy, Anthony and Dec hooked up while still in school and became a tight-knit, two-tone loving gang of four. They played lots of local gigs, but try as they might they couldn't topple the mighty Joe from his throne. They did, however, meet a rude boy from London named Justin, who had gone to school with one of the band's biggest heroes, Chas Smash from Madness. "Justin joining is what turned us from a good band into one that can go into any venue and tear the roof off," says Bressie.
Full-time: With the line-up complete, The Blizzards decided to go hell for leather, which meant that Bressie had to quit his regular gig playing rugby with the Leinster team. His sports agent was a good sport about it, and even passed on the Blizzards EP War of the Words to a guy he knew: Oasis manager Marcus Russell. Within a few days Russell was skanking along at one of the band's gigs, and it wasn't much later that The Blizzards were playing Oxegen in Punchestown, the V Festivals in the UK, and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, the place where Oasis first caught Alan McGee's eye. The band also went on tour with fellow hotly tipped Irish acts The Marshals, Director and Republic of Loose. "The camaraderie was brilliant, and proves that bands don't have to be at each other's throats all the time," says Bressie.
One step beyond: Joe Dolan may have classic songs such as Good Looking Woman and Make Me an Island, but The Blizzards have Culture Clash F*** Team, a song about friends who cross the line from mates to mating, and Miss Fantasia Preaches, about a sex shop being targeted by religious protesters. "I only write about things I've seen or done myself," says Bressie. The band will release their debut album in autumn, and they're currently on tour with Director and Cowboy X.
