The Atrix were an Irish new wave/

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band formed in mid 1978 by John Borrowman (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

/vocals) and Chris Green (

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

), both ex Berlin, Alan Finney on

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

(ex Schoolkids) and drummer Hugh Friel, ex Slow Motion Orchestra. This lineup made the first demo recording ("Circus Tragedy") and appeared at the

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Point Anti-Nuclear Rally in 1978. Finney was later replaced by Dick Conroy on bass. They came out of the same

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

theatre/cabaret scene as Jim Sheridan, The Radiators,

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, Peter Sheridan and

The Virgin Prunes Virgin Prunes were an Irish post-punk band formed in 1977 in Dublin, Ireland. They disbanded in 1986 after the departure of singer Gavin Friday. The other members continued under the name The Prunes until they split up in 1991. History The Vir ...

. The Atrix combined a strong theatrical element to quirky but memorable tunes, the most striking examples being the singles "The Moon Is Puce" and "Treasure on the Wasteland". The band released its first single "The Moon is Puce" on Seamus O'Neill's Mulligan label in late 1979 to modest acclaim in its local market. This first single was produced by

Philip Chevron Philip Ryan (17 June 1957 – 8 October 2013), professionally known as Philip Chevron, was an Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist and record producer. He was best known as the lead guitarist for the celtic punk band The Pogues and as the fron ...

, then a member of The Radiators From Space and later of

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

. The band signed to Dave Dee's DoubleDee Records label in 1980 and the follow-up single "Treasure on the Wasteland" was produced by Ultravox guitarist and singer idge Urewho later co-wrote and produced the biggest selling record ever in UK chart history - the 1984 Band Aid single "

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". The Atrix also supported then-chart toppers The Boomtown Rats (led by

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

founder

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) on a 1981 four-week tour of Britain ending at The Rainbow in Finsbury Park, London on 18 January 1981. They released ''Procession'', their only album (which included a free single "Procession"), in 1981. Borrowman later teamed up with Frank West and the two wrote and recorded songs, playing gigs as Very Much in Love and The Atrix. They released two further singles as The Atrix: "Very Much in Love" and "Your Halo is Burning" (with Chris Green on keyboards and Dick Conroy on bass, produced by Andrew Boland). "Very Much in Love" was subsequently released in Denmark using the band name Afghan Trucks. Borrowman also published two books of poetry: ''Weak Ends'' (self-published in Dublin, 1977) and ''Master of None'' (Beaver Row Press, Dublin, 1984). On 19 September 2019 The Atrix re-grouped (minus John and Chris) with Hughie Friel on vocals, Horslips' Jim Lockhart on keyboards and Paddy Goodwin on guitar for a live event celebrating the release of a special anthology album entitled ''Dublin 1979-1981'' on both CD and vinyl. Before the live show at the Sugar Club, historian Tommy Graham hosted a discussion with ex-manager Billy McGrath and journalist Declan Lynch on the band's impact on Irish music plus introduced performances from long-time friends poet

Paula Meehan Paula Meehan (born 1955) is an Irish poet and playwright. Life and work Paula Meehan was born in Dublin in 1955, the eldest of six children. She subsequently moved to London with her parents where she attended St. Elizabeth's Primary School ...

and comedian Kevin McAleer. John Borrowman died in Copenhagen in 1998. Chris Green died in August 2022. Hugh Friel died on 9 October 2023, at the age of 71.

Band members

*John Borrowman (guitar/vocals) (died 1998) *Alan Finney (bass) *Dick Conroy (bass) *Chris Green (keyboards) (died August 2022) *Hugh Friel (drums) (died October 2023)

Discography

Singles'' '' *"The Moon Is Puce"/"Wendy's In Amsterdam" (1979), Mulligan *"Treasure On The Wasteland"/"Graphite Pile" (1980), Double D *"Procession"/"The Eleventh Hour" (1981), Scoff *"Very Much In Love"/"Continental Sites" (1986), Scoff; Trax On Wax (Denmark) *"Your Halo is Burning"/"The Going Away Party (1986), Scoff EP *''Triad'' ("Triad", "Circus Tragedy", "She Moves") (1982), Scoff Albums *''Procession'' (1981), Scoff/Sound Products *''Dublin 1979-1981'' (2019), Atrix Compilations *''Just for Kicks'' (1979), Kick *''Non-Stop Pop'' (1982), RTE *''Stock 'n Trade'' (1983), Scoff Solo Album by John Borrowman *''Stoned Circle''

References

External links

Irish Punk and New Wave DiscographyA piece on The Atrix focusing on the band's four singles (with audio)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atrix, The Irish new wave musical groups