Deep The

The Deep from; Dublin 1980 – 1982
Style; tbc
Line up;
Vocals & Keyboards; Declan Farrell
Guitar; Louis Roden
Bass; Tony St Ledger
Drums; Peter Stokes

Louis & Tony had previously been in Vatikan III.
The Deep did not have a name when they entered the competition. After seeing a poster for the film The deep they had their name. The Deep came third out of the 27 bands that entered the Blackrock Music Festival in 1981. Many thanks to Tony for his help compiling this page.

In Dublin gig review by Ger Siggins

18/07/1981 Ivy Rooms The Deep were formed almost a year ago, but waited until last month before commencing live action. Afraid of going in at the deep end or something. Their debut occurred at the Blackrock Music Festival, where the Deep achieved third place of the twenty seven groups, and this Sunday afternoon in the Ivy Rooms was their fourth performance.
Their set is an all original one, but the audience seemed to know them already – the Deep’s friends are many. They blasted into action with a fine number called “Girl Next Door”, and received a warm reaction, as they did for all the songs. Guitarist Louis Roden and bassist Tony St Ledger formerly played in a band called Vatikan III, who I saw once or twice and who were quite appalling – my only memory of them was a savaged version of “Back In The USSR”. The other two, Peter Stokes (drums) and Declan Farrell (vocals) are in their first serious band.

Demo Recordings

The Deep’s music betrays several influences, and not all of them healthy. The overall sound reminds one of early U2 – a heavy metal/pop sound. Whether they move on to be a heavy metal/art band remains to be seen. The band are all fine musicians – showing their ten months rehearsing, although much of that time seems to have been spent with their guitars in front of the bedroom mirror. Louis and Tony’s energetic stage act distracts from the largely static vocalist, who has an interesting voice, although again the U2 influence is apparent.

Heavy Sound

The Deep sound is a heavy one, and a bit one dimensional. Peter Stokes plays hard and fast, but seems to drum for effect, while ignoring his prime function of keeping the beat. The guitar work is individual and veers between pop, rock and a Skids type sound. Bassist Tony plays with less subtlety, but powers along in an effective way for the faster songs. Declan Farrell plays keyboards occasionally, and when he does, it fills the sound out and gives that extra dimension. Perhaps a full time keyboard player might be the answer to the Deep’s problems.
But those problems are few – and not too difficult to overcome. For such an early stage in their career they were excellent. Songs that I liked included “Tutankhamen”, “Same Old Song” and “Are We Real”. Their Sunday afternoon residency recommences on 16 August at 4.30pm. In Dublin review by Gerard Siggins.

After The Deep

After The Deep split Tony joined the “Myster Men” with Frank Kearns, the pair them then formed Blue Russia. Tony has switch to guitar and is currently having a very successful time with the Trouble Pilgrims. If you get a chance check them out, they are getting better & better live. They have just released the debut album “Dark Shadows & Rust”. It’s simply one of the best albums out there, you can purchase it from Ace Records, and all good Dublin record stores.

Use the contact form

Declan Farrell & Tony St Ledger

Declan Farrell is now working as a teacher, teaching music & singing.

Tony St Ledger is currently in The Trouble Pilgrims. They have released a couple of albums and are well worth watching live if you get the chance.

If you can help with any information, demo tapes or memorabilia on this band please get in touch, using the above form.