Rising Irish duo The Guzzlers have released their second single The Drunken Tales of Gerry MacLean. Comprised of brothers Tom and Cian O’Dowd, The Guzzlers are hoping to build on the success of their debut shanty 20 Pints To Cherbourg.
The Drunken Tales of Gerry MacLean opens with upbeat, peppy guitars and banjos and immediately we dive into a shanty-style rhythm and beat. Cian’s vocal is gruff and gravelly and as weathered as the ship he sings of sailing away in to start a new life from the bay. Cian sings animatedly as he tells the tale of “his” first pint aged 15 followed by “his” first pub fight many years later, both anecdotes featuring the pub-loving Gerry MacLean. The chorus of “It was a one and a two and a three and a four, ten policemen knocking on my door. And a five and a six and a seven to eleven, pray say Mary I’ll go to heaven” demands to be sung back by a crowd. The tempo’s taken down a notch as the brothers sing together the final part of the story where the protagonist is locked away and this is where you can imagine the crowd swaying along and raising their pints in good spirits. The Guzzlers are on a mission to bring their unique blend of Irish folk and sea shanties to the masses and with The Drunken Tales of Gerry MacLean they will definitely be turning heads.
When speaking of The Drunken Tales of Gerry MacLean The Guzzlers said “Every Irish man and woman is born with greatness in them… but there’s usually three things always standing in the way… a bit of fightin’, a bit of smokin’, and a fierce love for the bit of drinkin’. Instead of feeling shame about it this song embraces it all with a warm heart because deep down there’s a bit of Gerry MacLean in all of us… and if there isn’t, you probably know a fella exactly like him!”
The duo started out by busking outside of Irish bars until their talent was spotted and they began playing inside. Before long they were playing at The Jacaranda, The Cavern Club and The Philharmonic, supporting local legend Ian Prowse. Following a relocation to Liverpool, The Guzzlers bagged themselves a residency at Anfield where they played for arriving fans at every Liverpool FC home game this season. Their debut album Drinking The Dream, inspired by the greats of Irish folk, is set for release this Autumn, ahead of their UK tour dates later on in the year.
The Drunken Tales of Gerry MacLean is available to stream now. Find out more about The Guzzlers here and have a listen to The Drunken Tales of Gerry MacLean below.
Live Dates:
July 10th – London, The Old Dispensary, Camberwell
July 11th – Liverpool, Philharmonic (with Ian Prowse)
July 22nd – Liverpool, O2 Academy (with The Bar Dust)
December 11th – Liverpool, O2 Academy (with Highstool Prophets)
December 12th – London, Shepherds Bush Empire (with Highstool Prophets)
December 13th – Manchester, O2 Ritz (with Highstool Prophets)