HOME      EXCLUSIVES    FEATURES    MOVIES    REVIEWS    CONTESTS    TALK TO US    SUBSCRIBE  Band members: Conor Deasy - vocals Daniel Ryan - guitar/vocals/bass Ben Carrigan - drums Kevin Horan - keys Padraic McMahon - bass/vocals/guitars All About: The New York Times called them one of rock’s best new bands. These 23-year-olds from Ireland were also nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. That The Thrills are a big deal is now common knowledge. The band started when the boys were in their teens. For the first couple of years they spent their time rehearsing at each other’s houses, learning their instruments and the art of song-writing. Since they were all in love with the music of the West Coast circa the mid-Sixties and Seventies, they decided go and see what it was all about themselves. The Thrills relocated to San Diego for a four-month vacation. ‘It was just a brilliant summer for loads of reasons,’ says Daniel. ‘We rented this tiny place right on the beach. There were two little rooms with us and four of our mates crammed in. We found these two big couches outside the house, and a Lay-Z-Boy we found in a skip. We just dragged them onto the sand and completely lived it up.’ When they got back to Dublin, everything had changed. ‘We knew this was what we had to do’, says the band. They spent months locked away, transferring the sunshine vibe they’d soaked up in America on to demos. By the summer of 2002, word was getting around and the boys landed a record deal. But the best was yet to come. After being tipped off by a mutual friend, the famously reclusive Morrissey bestowed his royal approval by turning up to a Thrills rehearsal. Morrissey came, tapped his foot along to The Thrills sound and asked them to support him on tour. In September 2002 they wound up opening for him at the Royal Albert Hall. Not a bad start – it took Robbie Williams ten years to play there. Did you know: • The band told their parents they had a record deal and were about to become famous for a year when they didn’t. • Their name was inspired in equal parts by Phil Spector’s Sixties girl groups and Michael Jackson’s greatest LP. • They have celebrity fans from Oasis’ Noel Gallagher to Coldplay’s Chris Martin. You can read the complete special feature in the February 2004 issue of The Record Music Magazine available at your local newsagent. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: The Record has been around since 1998. Do you have every issue of your favourite magazine? to order back issues Would you like to have your favourite music magazine delivered directly to your doorstep? Website: Thrillpill Design © THE RECORD MUSIC MAGAZINE. All Rights Reserved.