WALKINSTOWN, DUBLIN

1985 - 1997

A-House were formed in 1985 upon the break up of Last Chance. The group was built around Dave Couse (Vocals), Fergal Banbury (Guitars) and Martin Healy (Bass Guitar). The line up saw several changes, however, this trio remained at the heart of A-House throughout their 12 year career. Throughout the late eighties and early nineties, A-House were consistenly viewed as the intelligent voice of Irish rock music. Unfortunately, this artistic respect scarely translated into popular success. In 1987, A-House opened their own account with the release of two singles, Kick Me Again Jesus and Snowball Down on their own independent label. Both were well received with Kick Me Again Jesus rated the 'Single Of The Week' by the NME. This early promise eventually led to a contract with Blanco-Y-Negro with whom they released their debut album, On Our Big Fat Merry-Go-Round, in 1988. This was followed by the realease of I Want To Much in 1990. The album was recorded on the Island of Innisboffin (off the west coast of Ireland). This album was to be A-House's final release with Blanco-Y-Negro as the lack of commercial success had taken its toll. Dermot Wylie decided to leave the band and soon after Blanco-Y-Negro also severed it's links with the band. The future looked bleak. Ironically, the departure from Blanco-Y-Negro paved the way for the most successful period in A-House's career. Soon after the split, the band released the 'Doodle E.P.' on Setanta records. This was soon followed by the release of the 'Bingo E.P.' featuring the wonderful Endless Art. The single was critically lauded and was on heavy rotation in the UK. Unfortunately, Setanta had limited resources with which to support the single which ultimately made little impression on the UK charts. By this time, the band's number had been swollen by the recruitment of Dave Dawson on drums, Dave Morrisey on keyboards and Susan Kavanagh on Backing vocals. 1989 - A-House appear as part of the '7 Bands On The Up' series. These concerts took place over a weekend in the SFX in Dublin as a showcase of up and coming Irish talent. The series was subsequently broadcast on RTE and 2FM. [May] 1990 - A-House represent Ireland at the Eurorock Festival held in Cork [18 - 20 October] 2001 - A-House appear on the soundtrack to the movie 'Blow Dry' directed by Paddy Breathnach. The film features the track 'Here Come The Good Times'