Last Orders

Last Orders is a name used by three different bands in the available material. One is a punk group from West Auckland, New Zealand, another is a hard rock, blues and classic rock band from Northern Ireland, and a third is a folk act from northern England that wins the BBC Young Folk Awards in 2007. The name is also associated with house production and with tags including folk, English, Skinhead, Germany and RAC.

West Auckland, New Zealand punk band

One version of Last Orders forms in West Auckland, New Zealand in 1985 and plays punk rock. The group has four members: Tim on vocals and songwriting, Steve on vocals, Fish on bass, and Greg on drums. The band’s description presents each member as having a distinct role and personality, and it stresses that the group works regular day jobs while also recording demos and playing gigs.

The band cites a range of punk and hardcore influences, including UK Subs, Motörhead, Bad Brains, The Exploited, Good Riddance, The Business and Sommerset. Their approach is described as heavily based on borrowing and reshaping ideas from other bands into their own sound.

Northern Ireland hard rock band

Another Last Orders is a four-piece band from Northern Ireland that plays hard rock, blues and classic rock. It starts with Eoghan McWilliams on vocals and guitar and Ryan Magee on bass, who are described as childhood musical partners from Dungiven. Magee leaves university in Nottingham to return to Northern Ireland when the project develops. Dee Stewart joins on drums, and Eoghan’s brother Brian plays rhythm guitar in the early line-up.

After Brian leaves, the group continues as a trio while searching for a replacement guitarist. Danny O’Neill, from Feeny, later joins on lead guitar and completes the line-up. The band is described as playing local gigs and building a loyal following. Its sound is presented as a combination of hard rock, bluesy material, heavy groove-led riffs, twin harmony leads, bass lines and prominent drums, with a strong focus on live performance.

Northern England folk act

A third Last Orders is a folk act from northern England that wins the BBC Young Folk Awards in 2007.