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Officially the best band in Ireland!  Shell-shocked.
That was the reaction of Aslan when they were voted the best band in Ireland
in 2008. It had been a worthwhile struggle to claw their way back to the
very top.
In the ’90s they were at the peak of their fame but their partying
lifestyle and hedonistic behaviour brought about their downfall. Sharon
Ní Chonchúir speaks to the band about their ups and downs.
Here’s a humdinger of a question for you: Who do you regard as
the best band in Ireland?
With so many to choose from, it’s a tough decision to make.
But at the recent Meteor Ireland Music Awards the Irish public made their
choice and it proved to be an unexpected one.
Up against the likes of popular acts such as Ash and hotly-tipped newcomers
such as Delorentos, the band that won were a renegade bunch, a fiercely
independent group that have always done things their own way.
They’re Dubliners to the core — true blue Dubs in both their
Northside accents and working-class attitudes.
Cue drum roll.
The best band in Ireland in 2008 is… Aslan!
I spoke to a still shell-shocked Billy McGuinness, the band’s keyboard
and guitar player, a few days later.
He said: “We were completely taken by surprise. We really didn’t
think we’d win.
“Only Alan Downey (Aslan’s percussionist) and I were there.
“The others (vocalist Christy Dignam, lead guitarist Joe Jewell
and bassist Tony McGuinness) stayed at home.”
The reason they were convinced they’d lose out was because they
received the Llifetime Achievement Award three years ago.
“We thought that was the end for us,” Billy said.
“It was fantastic to win though, especially in the year we celebrate
25 years in the business.
“We’re hardly what you’d call an overnight success.”
Maybe not but Aslan have certainly gained a cult status during the last
quarter century.
And this year may just see them reach the level of success their hardcore
fans have always believed they deserved.
Billy said: “2008 is turning out well for us.
“Our new album is popular with fans and critics.
“We’ve just won a Meteor Award.
“And we’re really looking forward to playing at the Trafalgar
Square festival in London on March 16.”
This festival promises to be quite an event for the Irish in London and
for Aslan in particular.
“It should be great,” Billy said.
“We’ll be playing for an hour from 5pm to 6pm and then we’ll
come back on stage with the other bands at the end to sing some old Irish
favourites.”
The outlook wasn’t always so hopeful for Aslan.
This band, which started as a group of friends playing music together,
has seen lots of upheavals in its 25-year history.
Billy explained: “We all grew up together in Finglas and Ballymun.
“We were friends first and foremost and that’s what’s
kept us together.
“Other bands have arguments and fall out but because we were friends,
that never happened to us.”
A lot of other things happened though.
From the very beginning, Aslan were serious about their music.
Billy said: “Those of us who had jobs quit them as soon as they
joined the band.
“In 1980s Ireland, that was a big step to take.
“Our families thought we were mad.”
Their self belief proved justified when their first single This Is was
a hit in 1986.
“We were very lucky,” Billy maintains. “That song —
which is still regarded as an Irish classic — led to us being signed
with EMI.”
And on the band’s downfall, he said: “Basically, everything
went well until we lost the run of ourselves.
“We were like Oasis before Oasis were even heard of.”
The members of the band embraced the party lifestyle and it wasn’t
long before lead singer Christy developed what was to become a highly-publicised
addiction to heroin.
And in 1988, torn apart by overindulgence of all kinds, Aslan broke up.
That would have been the end for the band but for Christy’s recovery
and an invitation to perform at a charity show five years later.
Back in the rehearsal room, the band started to write more songs, one
of which was Crazy World — a catchy pop song that still tops the
most-played charts in Ireland.
The release of this song led to another record deal and the start of a
brand new phase in the history of Aslan.
“There was obviously unfinished business there so we allowed the
madness to start all over again,” Billy said, laughing.
But today that madness revolves around the band’s live performances
and not their hedonistic lifestyles.
Aslan are no longer known for their outrageous off-stage antics but for
their exhilarating on-stage ones.
Billy said: “Live gigs are really where it’s at for us.
“I think it’s why we won the Meteor Award.
“We’ve been playing three or four gigs a week, every week,
for the past 25 years.
“We’ve brought the music direct to the people, to small venues
all over Ireland; places where it’s so intimate you can see the
whites of people’s eyes.
“That’s what’s sustained us for so long — the
real experience that brings the fans back for more.”
The fans also come back for the music itself.
As Billy says — “It’s melodic rock in the style of Aslan”.
He refutes attempts by the music press to categorise Aslan with the likes
of Oasis as mere pigeonholing, insisting: “We do our own stuff.
We’re our own people.”
You only need to listen to Aslan’s music to realise this.
The latest album — For Some Strange Reason — features a track
called Jealous Little Thing, a song about a couple whose lives are torn
apart by a jealous neighbour.
It’s a deep song that explores dark themes but it is also typically
and infectiously melodic.
Such songs have seduced Aslan’s legions of fans over the years.
And, if the recent Meteor Award win is anything to go by, they look set
to do so for many more to come.
Whatever happens, one thing is sure — Aslan will stick to their
principles as a band.
Billy said: “That’s why I think we got the Lifetime Achievement
Award three years ago.
“We got it on merit.
“We’ve always stayed true to what we wanted, without compromising.
“We’ve stuck to our guns.”
And it’s what we’ve come to expect from Aslan.
Billy said: “We’ll keep gigging, writing and rehearsing.
“After all, that’s what bands do.”
For more information about Aslan, visit www.aslan.ie
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