Express Showband Feature (1965 - 1967)

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The Story

Editor's note: Every care has been taken to present only factual information in this story based on newspaper articles and photographic archives. If you can add anything or correct info in this story, please email us and let us know.

On March 6, 1965 a small blurb in the Tempo column from the Evening Herald announced that the former manager of the Columbia Showband. Dan Bolger, was launching a new group called the Express Showband which would be going on the road at Easter. A few weeks later another article reported that the band was formed around "a breakaway group from the Jim Farley Bandshow" which included "Joey" McIntyre, Des Moore, Tony Woods and two others.

The original line-up included: Tony Woods (from Buncrana - vocals), Des Moore (brother of Butch - guitar), Shay McIntyre (from Derry - sax), Peter Ainscough (Dublin - drums), Joe McIntyre (from Derry - trumpet), Ken Gibson (sax) and Brendan O'Loughlin (bass). At the time of the article below, the last two members had yet to be signed by the band. A few days later on April 3rd, another article names Brendan as the bass player and D.J. Curtain as the new sax player, but we don't think this ever happened.

The band received a lot of press as they were introduced to Irish dancers, with major publicity in a wide range of papers across the country, we think mainly due to fact they were formed after a major split in one of the country's best known bands at the time.

The band was also playing gigs across the country from the outset including Dublin, the North and across all provinces. Adverts often said the band were from Dublin or Wicklow and throughout 1965 they went from strength to strength, despite a huge number new showbands starting to flood the scene in the mid 1960's.  

During the summer of 1966 an article appeared in several papers around the same time (which usually meant they were from the band or its management) that the Express were one of the most under-rated bands in the country. It asked the question, "why then is this band, which has been pulling above-average crowds in the past year, not reclining comfortably with the big money spinners?" Such was the fickleness of the showband era where bands that seemed to be of equal musicianship did not rate the same with dancers. An talent which, "if it could have been bottled" would have been a license to print money.         

Despite the apparent lack of success the band was experiencing, they were still in great demand across the country. However, in October, 1966 the band underwent a fairly major upheaval when Des Moore left to join Butch's backing back after he left the Capitol for cabaret. Sax player Ken Gibson and bass guitarist Brendan O'Loughlin also left the band shortly after. The three members were replaced by Freddie Hegarty (guitar), Nick McEvoy (bass) and Jim Malone (sax), all from Dublin.

As with most band of the era, line-up changes of this nature were often not even noticed by the dancing public as the bands would, more or less, look and sound the same despite the changes in the line-up. In December, a blurb in the Tempo Gossip column reported that "while Tony Woods and the Express Showband wonder why Telefis Eireann has not given them an opportunity of displaying their talents before the cameras, an offer for a TV appearance has come from another quarter. On Monday and Tuesday nights next, Tony Woods will sing on the UTV (Ulster Television) programme, Hullo There."

Through the early part of 1967 and summer, it seemed the band was doing great, continuing to play many of the biggest ballrooms in the country, but it all un expectedly came crumbling down in August. An article in the Evening Herald announced that the Express had disbanded. Joe McIntyre would eventually rejoin the Jim Farley Band and Tony Woods (it was reported) had gone to England to join the Caroline Showband.   

Like so many bands of the era, the Express would come and go, with its musicians joining other bands and sometimes going "off the road" to return to civilian life with their families and more secure day jobs. As far as we know the Express never recorded a record, although Tony Woods did in later years.      

More to come.....

Photo Gallery

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Discography

None as far as we know

Audio Clips

Coming Soon

Where Are They Now?