The Revs
Cyprus Avenue
Fri 10 Dec 2004
Doors: 9:00 pm
€10
Since forming in mid-2000 The Revs have enjoyed a breathtaking run by any standards. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, from the word go they were on the road four or five nights a week. Their third gig ever was in Vicar Street, which saw them win the Spirit Battle Of the Bands competition out of which they signed to management and independent record label Treasure Island. Through constant touring The Revs built a massive fan base, and fast earned the reputation as one of the hardest working and most dynamic live bands in the country.
The first single ' Wired to The Moon' entered the national charts at number 16 - It remained in the top twenty for 9 weeks and has since gone gold, thus launching The Revs as real contenders. A second single followed and brought the Revs even higher chart positions and an even busier touring schedule. With dates booked to 2002 and The Revs packing venues to the rafters - it seemed perfectly logical that the debut album should be a live one.
'Sonic Tonic' was recorded over two shows at Dublin's Temple Bar Music Centre and was released in Jan 2002. The album sped into the charts at number 5 and went on to reach platinum status. This saw the band achieve Main Stage status at the Witnness Festival, support slots with Muse and the Hives in Dublin and allowed them a prestigious Slane Castle slot. T
he Revs were the 2002 winners of the two Irish "Best Newcomer awards" from both Meteor /IRMA (where they managed to beat the hot tips Bellefire and Damien Rice) and Hot Press. On top of that their album "Sonic Tonic" was awarded the best album of 2002 at the Irish Entertainments awards in Belfast. Amidst huge success domestically in 2002 the band also managed to fit a mini world tour into their schedule taking in the States, Where they played some prestigious venues such as the Viper room and the Troubador in Los Angeles and Australia, where they recorded a single on their day off!.
The single 'Tuesday Monday' entered the top ten and was followed up with another tour. After signing a licensing deal with SINE (Sony Independent Network Europe) for Europe and Asia The Revs came off the road for eight weeks to write and record their debut studio album 'Suck' which they decided to produce themselves. 'Suck' was released in late February to rave reviews (Hot Press 8.5 out of 10, 2FM Album of the week) and was preceded by one single a week earlier.
The single ' Death Of A DJ' went top ten and the album entered the charts at number 4. By this stage the band were mid - Atlantic heading stateside for dates in New York, Austin, LA and San Diego. They had to take the long way home as they whistle stopped in Oz for a few shows in Sydney and Melbourne, Where they even managed to play as a session band on world champion surfer Tom Curran's E.P. On their return the band had time to do a few shows before they left for an intensive UK tour.
With the likes of the NME popping up at some of the gigs they began racking up great live reviews, and receiving airplay on student and specialist shows and winning over their audiences creating a great buzz about them. Back home again to play the Festival circuit, claim another Irish music Industry award and take to the Main Stage at Witnness, while 'Death Of A DJ' began receiving rave reviews (Kerrang "single of the week" and The Fly : "F***ing brilliant!") and good airplay, the video was also being aired on Kerrang TV and MTV 2.
The Revs embarked on the second UK tour in the summer of 2003, this tour saw them take the stage at both the Reading and Leeds Festivals and play to over 10,000 people at the Richmond Castle festival in Yorkshire. They returned from the UK and began work on a video for a radio only release of single 'I'm A Bomb', which was supported by a full nation wide college tour. In the 2003 Hot Press voters poll the Revs came third behind U2 and The Frames in best Irish band category. In October 2003 the Revs split with management and record label and went on to sign a management deal for Australia and Asia and to sign a licensing deal for Oz with Smash Music/Rough trade.
'Suck' was released in Australia in February and when the band arrived there in March for a nationwide tour, Death Of A DJ was receiving blanket airplay on Triple J radio (It stayed in the net 50 for 9 weeks), the video was being played on MTV Australia and the bands faces were on the front covers of the four main music magazines there.
After a highly successful Australian Tour, The Revs began to concentrate on writing new material. For the first time in three and a half years they made time to take time and despite a gig here or there to road test new songs they remained off the road. The break was invaluable as it gave them opportunity to take everything they had learned over the past few years and use them to develop as songwriters and musicians. Nick Seymour (Crowded House) produced the new E-single "Broken" with the band in Dublin, with newly converted fan Dave Fanning calling it "by far their best work to date".
Recording is scheduled to continue after an Irish and UK tour in Nov / Dec.
