The Boys are Back in town....
Dolans Presents have today announced that Brian Downey’s Alive and Dangerous are set to play Dolans Warehouse on Friday, September 18th.
Considered to be one of the finest rock drummers of his generation, Brian Downey made his name for over 40 years as a founder member of Thin Lizzy.
2018 celebrates the fortieth anniversary of "Live And Dangerous". Although the album was recorded live in 1977 at London's Hammersmith Apollo and Toronto's Seneca College, it wasn't officially released until a year later in 1978.
Four decades after this seminal album, Downey has now created a new band alongside three like-minded musicians with the mission of bringing the magic of the record back to die-hard fans and new audiences alike.
Hailing originally from Dublin, Brian enjoyed his first taste of success in Ireland with the top 20 hit 'Morning Dew' before forming 'Orphanage with Phil Lynott. The two went on to form the legendary Thin Lizzy with Eric Bell and Brian remained a constant member until the band split in 1983.
Having worked on Phil Lynott's solo albums and the subsequent Grand Slam project, Brian relocated back to Dublin around the time of Phil's untimely death on January 4th 1986. He remained in constant demand as both a touring and session drummer and regularly played live shows and recorded with renowned guitarist Gary Moore.
Brian is often cited as being an influence by many of the world's top drummers and feels invigorated to be playing the songs he co-wrote in Thin Lizzy with his new band Alive and Dangerous.
Speaking about the formation of the new band, Downey said: “After the Thin Lizzy reunion shows finished in 2013, I was asked to join what turned out to be Black Star Riders, but it just didn't feel right for me. In January 2016, following an appearance at the Vibe For Philo in Dublin, I approached Brian Grace and that's when we discussed getting a band together. In January 2017, we jammed together at the Vibe For Philo, and it went so well, that we decided to form BRIAN DOWNEY'S ALIVE AND DANGEROUS and make it a full-time proposition."
Downey is joined by Brian Grace on lead guitar/backing vocals. Brian started playing with the legendary Brush Shiels (Skid Row) in the '80's, moving on to play and record worldwide with the likes of Rob Strong, Andrew Strong (The Commitments) and Juliet Turner.
Phil Edgar joins also on lead guitar/backing vocals. His early career saw him play with local bands and was heavily influenced by the music of Thin Lizzy, The Eagles and Peter Green. More recently Phil has had major exposure with Matt Wilson in The Sensational Northern Irish band, El Dude Brothers.
Finally Matt Wilson joins on Bass guitar/lead vocals. Matt is a Belfast based musician and vocalist with a fervent love of blues, rock and soul. Starting off at an early age as a boy soprano, his teens saw him flirting with various bands, playing standards from Jimi Hendrix, Bill Withers and Funkadelic, leading him to become one of Northern Ireland's most sought after radio jingle and corporate vocalists.
Brian Downey’s Alive and Dangerous play Dolans Warehouse on September 18th. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased via Dolans