KINGSCOURT, CO. CAVAN

1988 - 1991, 2000 - 2001, 2012 -

OVERVIEW The Would Be's was a classic indie-pop band from County Cavan. The group formed out of the ashes of another group, The Nobodys which featured the Finnegan Brothers. It was during this period that the brothers wrote some of the material which would be made famous by The Would Be's. The group was formed in about 1988. In addition to the Finnegan brothers, the lineup also included Pascal Smith [Drums] and Aidin O'Reilly [Trombone & Saxophone]. The group used different singers [Rosie Finnegan and Patricia Cullen] on a number of demo recordings before settling on Julie McDonnell as their lead singer. The ad released its debut single 'I'm Hardly Ever Wrong' in 1990. The track came to the attention of legendary UK DJ, John Peel, who subsequently championed the track. With this level of backing, the group became hot property for record companies. They band signed with Decoy Records. It was around this time that Julie made the decision to stay in school and continue her studies. This resulted in her leaving the band. She was replaced on vocals by Eileen Gogan. With the new singer on board The Would Be's went on to make two further recordings - 'Silly Songs For Cynical People' and 'The Wonderful' EP. Both were released in 1991. However, the band split that year. In 2000, The Would Be's returned to the scene fronted with a new singer, Irish-American Karen Cunningham. This lineup released two further singles - 'Show Off' [2000] and 'Some Other Planet' [2001]. However, this version of the band didn't generate the same level of interest as the original and the group soon disbanded. In early 2012, it was announced that the original version of The Would Be's, featuring Julie McDonnell on vocals, would be reforming and supporting The Frank & Walters at a gig at The Workman's Club. It is not yet known if the group plans to record any new material. 1988 - Band formed 1990 - Release of 'I'm Hardly Ever Wrong' single 1991 - Release of 'Silly Songs For Cynical People' album - Release of 'The Wonderful' EP - Band split 2000 - Band reform with Irish-American vocalist, Karen Cunningham - Release of 'Show Off' single 2001 - Release of 'Some Other Planet' single - Band split once more 2012 - It is announced that The Would Be's will reform for a support slot with The Frank & Walters @ The Workman's Club on 31st March. - Release of 'Ivy Avenue' single [29 June] - Release of 'Let's Play Dumb' single [02 November]