The Blades

The Blades

The Blades are an Irish mod and new wave group from Ringsend, Dublin, active since 1977. They form around Paul Cleary, who sings and plays bass, with his brother Lawrence on guitar and Pat Larkin on drums in the original line-up. The band later includes Brian Foley and Jake Reilly, and in its current form it consists of Paul Cleary, Brian Foley and Jake Reilly.

Early years

The band begins in the summer of 1977, when five friends come together to play a gig in the Catholic Young Men’s Society hall in Ringsend. The line-up is soon reduced to a trio: Paul Cleary, Lawrence Cleary and Pat Larkin. Their music and image are rooted in working-class Dublin, and they build a reputation in local venues such as The Magnet on Pearse Street, McGonagle’s on South Anne Street and The Baggot Inn on Lower Baggot Street. They also play a six-week residency at The Baggot Inn with U2, in a period when some audience members leave after The Blades’ set and the band are seen by many as the more likely act to break through.

Singles and first recordings

The original line-up releases two seven-inch singles: Hot For You and Ghost of a Chance. Hot For You appears on Energy Records in 1980, and Ghost of a Chance follows in 1981. The latter is performed on The Late Late Show in 1981. The band’s first album, Last Man in Europe, is produced by John Porter but does not receive an English release because of changes at the record company.

Line-up changes and Reekus years

Pat Larkin leaves in March 1981 and is replaced by Jake Reilly on drums. Later that year Paul Cleary moves from bass to guitar, Brian Foley, formerly of The Vipers, joins on bass, and a brass section is added, including Frank Duff. Lawrence Cleary leaves in 1982. The band signs to the Irish label Reekus and releases the double A-side single The Bride Wore White/Animation in 1982. In the Hot Press National Poll, The Bride Wore White is voted best single, The Blades are named the most promising act in Ireland, and Paul Cleary is voted best Irish songwriter, ahead of Van Morrison and Bono. Reekus later releases the album The Last Man in Europe in 1985.

Later activity and reunion

In 1986 the band declines to play Self Aid and instead appears at the socialist Rock the System concert in Liberty Hall. A double-CD box set, Those Were the Days, is released by Reekus Records in 2001 and includes The Last Man in Europe and Raytown Revisited. Paul Cleary continues with The Partisans, leads an eight-piece pub rock group called The Cajun Kings, and releases solo material, including the album Crooked Town. Pat Larkin later plays with The Peridots, while Brian Foley performs with The Mountain Climbers and The Harvest Ministers.

The Blades reform in 2013 for two sold-out reunion shows at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre. They also appear on The Late Late Show in the run-up to those concerts. In 2014 they play The Electric Picnic and return to the Olympia Theatre later that year. In 2015 they release Smalltime, a four-track EP, marking their first new music as The Blades since 1985. The track Harder Times is launched on The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show on Today FM.