April South

April South Band from Fermanagh Active; 1981 – 198?
Style; Pop Metal/Heavy Metal
Line up;
Vocals & Bass; April South
Rhythm Guitar & Electric Fiddle; Gerry Curtis
Lead Guitar; Brian McBreen Raymond Grace 1985
Drums; Alfie Dowd Greg Smith 1985

April's career started on the showband circuit with a band called the Paddy Boy & the Sliver Pennies in 1972. Despite having April as the lead vocalist, they continued to be advertised as Paddy Boy & the Silver Pennies.

By 1973, the band was doing very well all up and down the country, playing the same venues as the biggest names on the scene. Late in the year they released a single which featured April singing One Tin Solder with Paddy on the B side.
In January 1979, the band dropped the “Silver Pennies” name and became April and the Pennies “. In August, 1979, they lost their bass player and April took over on bass.
1980 Light Of Love/Paradise Walk. On Rockelly Records RKR 10780 both tracks written by Curtis & Kelly. “B” listed as The Pennies (Ireland).
1981 Love And Inspiration/You’re So Different From The Rest. On Rockelly Records RKR 10381 both tracks written by Curtis & Kelly. “A” side listed as April And The Pennies, the “B” side listed as Paddy Boy And The Pennies.
1981 Heroes Of The Night/Come The Dawn on the Rockelly Records RKR 10781. Both tracks are written by Jerry Curtis & April South
April 1982 Heroes Of The Night/The Boys Are Out To Get Me PT 501 on the President label. Both tracks are written by Jerry Curtis & April South, produced by Alan D Barson.
December 1982 The Chains That Bind Me/You Want To Rock PT 513 on the President Label. Both tracks are written by Jerry Curtis & April South.
1985 Drift Away (Mentor Williams)/I’m Not Foolin (Errol Walsh) TS 024 on the Tara label.

At some point Raymond Grace & Greg Smith were members of the band, they left in 1986 to form Drezden Paul. Before joining April both had been in Kells Heavy Metal band Marauder
In 1982 April did a short 12 date tour of the UK. She was said to be unhappy that her current single “Heroes Of the Night” was linked to a group supporting the British fleet that was on it’s way to the Falkland Islands.
“Every dance she does helps to sell the next one. Most of her promotional work is done by the parish priests who rant and rave about her. Take the ballroom in Killybegs
in Co. Donagal, owned by Mr John Murray. She appeared in his premises last week and according to the papers, got up to her naughty tricks again. Which greatly perturbed Mr. Murray who made gestures to her to get off his stage and get her brazen hussy of a body out of his decent upstanding dance hall.
But April soldiered on. “I had to think of my fans” she explained later.
There were 700 hundred of them around the stage at the time.
The girl had a point.
Where else, at that late hour, would her fans have found someone else to wear chains and skimpy bits of leather and talk dirty to them?
So she didn’t budge, until the gig was over.
She collected her fee and was ordered off the premises, which is probably what she had intended to do after she collected her fee. She left happy knowing she would sell more tickets for her next show. And Mr Murray knew that he had also tried his best to get shot of the hussy and had been totally unaware of her famous antics until she started that sinful business on his stage.
And when his rage had subsided and he totted up the takings, he would relalise that, as a consolation, it hadn’t been a bad night’s business at the door. A poor consolation, I very hastily add.
Andy Ward A British music critic “April South is a ball of fire on stage, driving out flaming hot rock music to her audience. Hitting them between the body and soul, splitting them wide open and letting the energy pour through”. If her music blows like a tropical hurricane, there can be no question about it, that comes straight from the heart, It is impossible to find words to completey capture the experience of April South phenomenon, you have to see it for yourself. .
The contraversy around April’s image started in 1982 when a priest slated her from the pullpit after her appearance at the Castlebar openair rock festival. There was a riot at the concert when promoters refused to let April play a encore..
There were reports in the Irish press that April was off to London to record a single with Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy fame. I have not been able to find out if this happened or not. April South hung up her leathers and chains in July 1985 and changed her image & band completely and began to play a softer country style rock. This coinsided with her number one single “Drift Away on the tara label.
With her new toned down image April found much more commerical success, playing some of the largest venues in Ireland. She also made at least oe appearance on TV. In April October 1986 April was force of the road with recurring throat problems. It’s not known if this was the end of her career as a singer. Her band carried on with a new female singer (Vicki Steel).
During her career April played a number of “Rock festivals” appearing with Phil lynott, Boomtown rats, Madness, Rhythm Kings, Big Tom, Forster & Allen The Shade, The Knights, Stonepipe Assassin, Black Hawks, Trojan & Speed.
April & The Silver pennies
One Tin Soldier/The Brew/yes tonight Josephine
April South & The Pennies
light Of love/Paradise Walk
Love And Inspiration/You’re So Different From The Rest
Heroes Of The Night/Come The Dawn
April South Band
Heroes Of The Night/The Boys Are Out To Get Me
The Chains That Bind me/You Want To rock
Drift Away/ I’m Not Foolin’

TV appearances
Record Cabinet
Summerhouse
S.B.B.
Non Stop Pop
Late Late Show