Clouds (Dublin) Feature (1969)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
The story of the Clouds is a microcosm of what was happening on the
showband scene in 1969. By this time, many of the biggest bands had
started to be perceived as stale by punters as their lineups aged
and a new generation of dancers started to fill the ballrooms
(although in lesser numbers than the early to mid 60's). Bands had
started to reinvent themselves in an effort to appeal to younger
dancers, and many managers looked to the Dublin beat group scene for
a younger pool of talent. From 1967-1969 names like Tony Kenny,
Maurice Walsh, John Farrell and a host of others came from small
Dublin groups to front major bands.
In October 1969, another group joined
these ranks when the members of The Fire Brigade, a well known Dublin
beat group, were joined by a couple additional musicians to form
The
Clouds, advertised as one of the new "progressive pop" outfits on
the ballroom scene. This same tag was used to describe bands like
The Real McCoy, Dreams, and several other new bands on the scene.
We found some gigs advertised as
the "Clouds Showband" in Millstreet, Co. Cork on Thursday, October
16th, but this was apparently another band with the same name
based in Mooncoin. The band would soon be called the "Royal Clouds
Showband."
The Dublin Clouds were announced
in an article in late October and their first gig was in the Top Hat
Ballroom on Saturday, October 18th, 1969.
The original members of the band
were the Fire Brigade's Austin Smith (vocals), Martin Byrne (bass),
Vince Quinlan (guitar), Mick Doherty (guitar/trombone), Gene Malone
(drums), and new band members Pascal Haverty (sax from the
Chessmen)
and Sean Scanlon (trumpet from the San Antones).
Managers Dan McGrattan and Mick
Quinn described the band as, "young with a fantastic enthusiasm for
what they are doing. They will always put the emphasis on getting
across to the new generation of pop people." The
band released it's first (and apparently only) record, Jack and Jill in November of 1969.
For the next twelve months,
everything seemed t be going well for the band. They were playing
halls all across the country and In October, 1970, a small article
in Spotlight announced "Most Promising Band Split." The article
announced that although lead singer, Austin (Stuart?) Smith, was
being kept on by the management of the band, the rest of the band
was let go. It was reported that four members would be returning to
the club scene with a new group. Former Chessmen member, Pascal
Haverty, went to The Virginians, who had undergone a complete
transformation in just a matter of months.
In October, 1973 we found an
advert for the band playing and did not find another until 1976.
In February 1974, the band
announced massive changes to their lineup. The new band was: Jim
Patterson (bass), Jackie Holliday (drums), David Johnston (sax),
George brown (guitar), Davy Stuart (vocals) and another unknown
member. All the original members of the band were gone.
More to come.....
click on thumbnails for full image
