The Whisky Priests are a folk rock and folk punk group from Durham, active from 1985 to 2004. They are formed by twin brothers Gary Miller and Glenn Miller, and over the years more than 50 different musicians pass through the line-up.

Formation and early years

The band is formed in August 1985 by Gary and Glenn Miller while they are still teenagers and have no previous musical experience. Their first gig takes place in their hometown of Durham on 4 October 1985. Within two months, after only two performances, they record their first original song, “Danny’s Hard Life”, written by Gary, for a local compilation album.

In January 1987, the band appears on one of the final editions of television programme The Tube. Later that year they release their debut single, “The Colliery”.

Recordings and label work

The first serious line-up records two 12-inch EPs in 1988 and releases them independently on the newly formed Whippet Records label, run by Gary and Glenn Miller. In 1989 the band expands with the addition of a fiddle and Northumbrian pipes player, which strengthens the traditional north-east of England folk element in their sound. The same line-up records the debut album Nee Gud Luck for £900.

By this period Mick Tyas joins on bass and vocals, becoming a long-term member and stage presence. In 1991 the compilation The First Few Drops collects the deleted 12-inch EPs. A legal dispute delays the follow-up to the debut album until 1992, when Timeless Street appears. After an out-of-court settlement in 1993, Gary and Glenn Miller regain recording and publishing rights to the back catalogue through Whippet Records.

Live reputation and touring

The Whisky Priests build a reputation as a live band through extensive touring in the UK and mainland Europe. They play at Cambridge Folk Festival in 1990 in an unrehearsed emergency line-up and are described as the stars of the weekend. They also perform regularly at European festivals, including a headline set for 20,000 people at Rockspektakel in Hamburg. Their live work takes them to 16 countries, and between 1992 and 1996 they release five albums of new material in five years while playing more than 600 concerts.

The band becomes closely associated with folk-punk energy and hard touring. Their live recordings include Bloody Well Live! in 1993, which becomes their most successful and widely acclaimed album, and Here Come The Ranting Lads - Live! in 1999, released on video and CD from a Hamburg concert recorded in 1998.

Albums and later projects

In 1994 the band releases The Power And The Glory and two EPs, including the German-only Dol-Li-A. In 1995 they issue Bleeding Sketches, an album setting poems by Keith Armstrong to music by Gary and Glenn Miller. Life’s Tapestry follows in 1996 and is widely regarded as their most accomplished studio album. In 1998 they release Think Positive!, which includes songs developed from a stage play or musical that Gary has been planning.

In 2000 they reissue Bloody Well Live! as a special edition double CD. That same year Gary and Glenn Miller, with Joseph Porter of Blyth Power, form the acoustic trio Mad Dogs and Englishmen and release Going Down With Alice. The Whisky Priests’ final studio recording is “Full Circle”, made for a compilation in 2000.

End of the band and legacy

The band is officially disbanded in 2002, though a small number of reunion shows continue for a couple of years. Their final performance takes place in 2004. Despite a loyal international following, they do not achieve mainstream success and remain based mainly on European touring. Gary Miller later relaunches his solo career in 2010 with Reflections on War on Whippet Records.