And Slacker
They should never have won in Maynooth
Depraved suck

VH1 : Behind The Jawing
History Lesson With Tom Fahy

Suitably, this tale of drunken and musical nonsense begins in a toilet. More specifically, the toilets in the Seven Oaks Hotel during the Carlow CBS Debs Dinner Dance in September 1993. Vocalist Michael "Mick" O'Reilly and combat-fatigued guitarist Niall "Cuddy" Cuddy intercept timid drummer Martin "Murt" O'Rourke to cement the musical fungus that had been festering away in various dusty garages during the long and hot summer. Second guitarist Declan "Decky" Webb is the next to join the fray, and the line-up is completed by temporary bassist Mark "Humpa" Fenlon, who agrees to fill the bottom end vacancy.

From the outset, Depraved - a name hastily agreed upon (Mick : "I don't care what we're called as long as it's not Shades Of fucking Grey) - concentrate on writing their own material, and as such debut at the Waterford RTC Rag Week '94 Battle Of The Bands competition in The Metroland with a four-song set of original punk rockings; soon-to-be-classic "The Morgue", "Suicidal Punks", "Loose" and definitive Depraved tune "Fire". Some bunch of mumbling punks were the eventual winners, but Depraved were too pissed to care.

Mark was replaced by permanent bassist Colm "Stan" Delaney soon after, and it was a further 8 months before the five-piece returned to the live arena. Answering an advertisement in a local rag, Depraved embarked on a short liason with an ambitious promoter-stroke-producer, who had great plans for the band. Before ever hearing one note from their badly tuned repertoire. The ambitious promoter-stroke-producer would not hang around to see the end of their set that October evening, a set that would later be spectacularly described as "sounding as though it came straight from Hell". How and ever, infinitely more important was the bond formed between the band and Cisco's owner Robbie Archbold, a bond that would pave the way for countless memorable nights in the back of Archie's. (Cuddy : "We're not playing fucking Cisco's again, are we?")

Following on from the first of their annual Christmas Cock-ups - oddly, also in Cisco's,


Depraved returned to Mick's college stomping ground to take part in the 1995 WRTC Battle Of The Bands competition. With three of the five sporting freshy shaven heads, the bad bastards were thrashing their way through hardcore-metal chugathon "Make Or Break" when touring mascot Niall "Macker" McDonald was forcibly removed from the venue for his over-exhuberant appreciation. Upon twigging what was going on, Cuddy threw his guitar (carefully) to the ground and leapt offstage to confront the meathead bouncer fucks. He was quickly followed by the remainder of the band. One re-admission later, and the five (and fan) were strutting back across the dancefloor to the approving roars of the 500+ crowd. The organisers handed over hastily-arranged drinks vouchers to appease the seething Carlovians, whose set was cut short as a result. When it came to handing out the prizes, the band were singled out for a special (patronising) mention. Some bunch of mumbling punks were the eventual winners, but Depraved were too pissed to care.

Slacker. In Ciscos. Surprisingly

Four days later, it was a different story entirely as a badly hungover Depraved snatched first prize in the corresponding Maynooth SU competition, overcoming persistent equipment faults and each other, bathed in the afternoon sunlight. Their performance was captured for posterity on RagTV, and subsequently on home video. (The prize - supporting indie darlings The Whipping Boy at the St. Patrick's Day festivities in the SU - would prove to be something of a bum steer, as Depraved ended up playing to a rude road crew ("plug the D.I. into the P.A. - it's common procedure"), an empty hall, and their own merry band of loyal hangers-on).

More gigs in Carlow, Waterford and New Ross followed, before the recording of "Gik" - a seven-track demo - with John Daly in Catharsis Studios, Kilkenny,



Autumn 1995. All 40 copies of the tape were snapped up at the release show, with the rabid crowd taking the set-closer "Fire" home when Robbie rightly pulled the plug on the curfew-straddling band. A glut of poorly-attended hometown gigs in early 1996 led to minor apathy - cue Cuddy, post-set, lying on a trashed stage, mumbling into his mike - "we'd like people to know that Depraved are available for bookings; especially for fucking funerals". There was a shameful headlining appearance at a CBS Telethon extravaganza, involving flagons, building tape, a vocalist introducing the same song four times, and a guitarist who spent the entire forty minutes tuning up. Decky and Stan departed soon after, unable to meet the sudden "move to Cork, fuckers!!" demands being made by the other three. In stepped Naas bass thug David "Nana" Lowney, who brought his love of 80's speed metal to the table, and made his first public appearance at a low-key support slot with hardcore champions Brawl, again in Cisco's.

Upon relocation to Cork, Depraved regrouped as Slacker, and set about polishing the four tracks that would make up their second demo, recorded in Soundmaster Studios, February 1997. Two tunes were chosen, thrown onto tape, and thrown at people. (All four were also secretly handed around with propogandist pamphlet The Irish Lad). Gigs with practice-pad-buddies Headbored and Kilkenny underground heroes Gout followed in turn, along with impressive progress in the Hoffmans WLR Band Challenge in The Roxy, Waterford. (Somewhat astonishingly - not to mention illegally and butt-fuckingly wrong - both contestants in one semi-final carried on into the final, while the two bands facing each other in the second semi-final - Slacker and Doozer - were both eliminated).

However, upon returning home to Carlow after their year in Cork, Slacker, um, slackened. There was one more gig, in Alcock's, Carlow, played as a three-piece because Mick had had enough. And so began the decay of a band that had jawed more than any band before them. Written some tunes, and played them "for the boys". Stayed true to their long-standing ethos of "a couple of cans, a few young ones, and a bit of draw".


The Million Faces We Rocked

Feb 14, 1994, The Metroland, Waterford, WD
Oct 22, 1994, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Nov 09, 1994, Alcock's, Carlow, CW
Dec 08, 1994, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Dec 19, 1994, Students' Union Bar, Maynooth, KE
Dec 22, 1994, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Feb 13, 1995, The Metroland, Waterford, WD
Feb 17, 1995, Students' Union Bar, Maynooth, KE
Mar 16, 1995, Students' Union Bar, Maynooth, KE
Jun 29, 1995, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Jul 15, 1995, The Cave, Galavan's, New Ross, WX
Sep 28, 1995, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Nov 02, 1995, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Nov 09, 1995, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Dec 27, 1995, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Jan 24, 1996, Jerry's, Waterford, WD
Feb 06, 1996, Scragg's Alley, Carlow, CW
Feb 15, 1996, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Feb 22, 1996, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Mar 29, 1996, The Hurling Club, Carlow, CW
Jun 27, 1996, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Dec 22, 1996, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Feb 03, 1997, The Lobby, Cork, CK
Feb 11, 1997 - 1.30pm, St. John's College, Cork, CK
Feb 11, 1997 - 9.00pm, The Lobby, Cork, CK
Mar 01, 1997, Cisco's, Carlow, CW
Apr 29, 1997, The Phoenix Bar, Cork, CK
May 23, 1997, The Roxy, Waterford, WD
Jul 18, 1997, The Roxy, Waterford, WD
Jul 31, 1997, Alcock's, Carlow, CW




The Sons Of Bitches Responsible

Cuddy
Decky
Mark
Mick
Murt
Nana
Stan


The Road Whores

Dunzer
Meado
Macker
The Sounds That Came Straight From Hell

Depraved\Fuck The Neighbours\Suicidal Punks
Depraved\Fuck The Neighbours\Make Or Break
Depraved\Fuck The Neighbours\Room In My Mind
Depraved\Fuck The Neighbours\Retaliation
Depraved\Fuck The Neighbours\Loose
Depraved\Fuck The Neighbours\Pull The Neck
Depraved\Fuck The Neighbours\These Eyes
Depraved\Fuck The Neighbours\Fire
Depraved\Gik\Suicidal Punks
Depraved\Gik\Room In My Mind
Depraved\Gik\Loose
Depraved\Gik\Make Or Break
Depraved\Gik\These Eyes
Depraved\Gik\Fire
Depraved\Gik\Holiday
Slacker\Slacker\Wound Up
Slacker\Slacker\Holiday
Slacker\Slacker\Questions
Slacker\Slacker\Hater
Slacker\Wound Up\Wound Up (remastered)
Slacker\Wound Up\Hater (remastered)