Many thanks to Cormac Wright, Johnny Bonnie, Brendan Lynott & Peter Mirolo for all their help in putting this page together.
Tom, Cormac & Johnny @ McGonagle’s supporting the New Versions
The End from; Dublin Active; 1979 – 1983 Style; Indie Line up; Vocals; Tom Dunne Guitar; Cormac Wright Guitar Bass; Brendan Lynott Bass (1979 – ’81) Bass; Finbarr O’Riordan Bass (1981 – ’83) Drums; Johnny Bonnie Drums
Outside My Head.
Heartbreak
Their set contains 100% original material. As far as I can tell The End are the only Irish band to have two live reviews in the same issue of Hot Press.
Tom & Cormac
The band were formed in 1979 by Tom & Cormac, they were attending CBS James Street Secondary School at the time. Shortly afterwards they would meet up with Johnny Bonnie and then Brendan Lynott and the band was complete. The band were very highly thought of by the Irish press and tipped for major success. During their career they scored support slots with Teardrop Explodes at McGonagles, Radiators From Space, at the Crofton Airport Hotel (this would turn out to be the Radiators final gig), Lookalikes, The Blades among others. Brendan Lynott is replaced on bass by Finbar O’Riordan in January 1981.
Trouble Pilgrims
The rhythm section for The End” Brendan & Johnny have been reunited and are now playing together again with the Trouble Pilgrims. If you get the chance, I highly recommend you see them live.
The Thoughts of Jude Carr
Jude Carr “I loved The End, Tom had a Cope like cool vibe about him Cormac and Brendan were nice and steady (in a good way) and all driven by Johnny. I remember telling Steve New and Danny Kustow about how good he was, floated an idea of a band, maybe with Glen Matlock? not sure. Still rate him so highly.”
Johnny Bonnie
Cormac Wright Tom & I formed the band in 1979 from school at James’s St CBS..(we had to do something after being thrown out of playing with the choir for playing the into to ‘Satisfaction’ before playing ‘ Morning Has Broken”)……shortly thereafter meeting Johnny. He was the only other one with music/band experience having played an auspicious 14 gigs.
Cormac Wright On the Ends first gig
Our first gig was in Dec 1979 in McGonagle’s, supporting The New Versions – where Tom held a live mike through the PA for the first time and didn’t realise it was switched off for the first half of the set.
Picture shows Tom vocals, Cormac Guitar & Johnny hidden behind his drum kit.
Image supplied by Johnny Bonnie.
Those were the days of bands having to bring their own PA setup into a pub to play, and you’d split the door with the pub/club – a far cry from the pub / club owners actually realising that it may have been in their interest to ENCOURAGE a band ! Ahh the nostalgia – isn’t what it used to be! Bren, Tom & Cormac @ The Crofton Airport Hotel. Image supplied by Peter Mariofotos.com
We went on to support Teardrop Explodes at McGonagle’s, The Radiators from Space @ Crofton Airport Hotel, and regularly played with Chant Chant Chant, The Epidemix, The Resistors, The Lookalikes, & also played with The Blades @ the legendary Magnet gigs.
Bren, Tom & Cormac, Johnny can just been seen behind Cormac @ The Crofton Airport Hotel. Image supplied by Peter Mariofotos.com
Playing Carnsore Point Anti Nuke festival 1981
“”We played the Carnsore Point Anti-Nuke gigs, getting our pics on the front of the Sunday World, for what that was worth!” Cormac Wright. Picture above from the Sunday World.
Demo Recordings
Judith
Doubts about J
The Warm Feeling
Vinyl Verdict Album
“We recorded a demo with Dave Freely who did U2’s Another Day, which got us the Fanning Session, and other recordings besides the Vinyl Verdict LP. We released a cassette in 1981 with 5 songs which sold reasonably well in Ireland & Scotland …and believe it or not, when I moved to Detroit , I met somebody here who had a copy.. and was singing songs I’d written a few years earlier !! – Funny how these in these “global” days that seems so naïve. but it was a big deal then”! Cormac Wright
In August 1980 The End entered the week long Tramore Music Festival, the wining prise was £1,000 & and a recording contract with Mulligan Records. They came second (claiming £100 prise) behind The Fuze, with Double Vision & Katmandu coming 3rd & 4th.
Johnny started his career playing for the “Skank Mooks”, his first gig being the St Anthony’s Punk Festival in November ’78. He is still gigging today, playing with Pete Holidai & Stephen Avrill in the Trouble Pilgrims.
That said, it’s slightly disturbing to note the absence of anything really inspiring here. At its worst “Vinyl Verdict” is pedestrian, but on only one occasion – The End’s “Picture Postcard” – does the music transcend the obvious and signal the arrival of a genuinely exciting and original new force. Almost worth the price of admission in itself, “Picture Postcard” is a giddy, galvanising rush of noisy new pop – intelligent, enthusiastic and imaginative. Of all the bands on “Vinyl Verdict”, The End appear to be the ones most in control of both their aims and means. You will most certainly be hearing more from The End, so you might as well ensure your hip credibility by getting in at the beginning.
Cormac Wright Our first gig was in Dec 1979 in McGonagle’s, supporting The New Versions – where Tom held a live mike through the PA for the first time and didn’t realise it was switched off for the first half of the set. @ The Magnet Bar image supplied by Johnny Bonnie The Ivy Rooms Image supplied by Johnny Bonnie With Chant! Chan! Chant! supplied by Johnnie Bonnie Image supplied by Johnny Bonnie Supplied by Johnny Bonnie Tom photo by Peter Mirolo Parliament Inn supplied by Johnny Bonnie
