Wickham Festival News

The Saw Doctors

“Born into a repressed, catholic, conservative, small-town, agrarian, angst-ridden & showband infested society, The Saw Doctors are trying to preserve the positive elements of our Irish background and marry them to the sounds which have culturally invaded our milieu through TV, radio, social media, 45’s, fast food restaurants, 24-hour petrol stations & electric blankets”.

Leo Moran, The Saw Doctors

The Saw Doctors were discovered by Mike Scott of The Waterboys on a stormy Tuesday night in Galway city in the 1980’s, plying their trade with more gumption than virtuosity in the back room of The Quays Bar. Scott offered The Saw Doctors the support slot on The Waterboy’s Irish Tour to launch the ‘Fisherman’s Blues’ album in 1988 and before the tour was completed, Mike asked The Saw Doctors to support The Waterboys on their six-week tour of Great Britain in Spring 1989.

Mike Scott produced The Saw Doctors first single, ‘N17’, which was written by the band’s singer Davy Carton and guitarist Leo Moran. ’N17’ got a few plays on Irish radio and a second single was scheduled to be released to fulfil the band’s two-record deal with Solid Records in Dublin.

With Philip Tennant, whom they had met through Mike Scott, now on the producer’s perch, The Saw Doctors went to the haunted Loco Studios in Wales and put down three tracks – ‘It Won’t Be Tonight’, ‘I Useta Lover’ and ’Sing A Powerful Song’.

After much debate, it was eventually decided that ‘I Useta Lover’ would be the second release from The Saw Doctors. The Galway band plugged away at gigs around Ireland and scored an early afternoon slot at the coming-of-age Irish festival of its time, Féile, in Thurles, in August 1990. The Welsh ghost must have brought them luck for that Sunday evening, they learnt that ‘I Useta Lover’ had somehow entered the Irish single charts at No. 27, from where it slowly climbed, taking seven weeks to reach Number One and remaining on top for the following nine weeks, going on to become the biggest selling Irish single, outselling U2 and Sinéad O’Connor. The Saw Doctors were now known the length and breadth of Ireland and beyond.

Things got fast for The Saw Doctors. A Channel 4, film documentary, ‘Sing A Powerful Song’, was shot in Manchester and at a homecoming concert in the Football Stadium in Tuam and it aired in Britain and Ireland. The Saw Doctors made their first trip to The United States in 1991, a journey they have made almost a hundred times since.

Through the 1990’s, The Saw Doctors chalked up well-received appearances at numerous prestigious festivals including Witness, Oxegen and Slane Castle in Ireland; Glastonbury, T in the Park, the London Fleadh in Britain as well as at its Fleadh cousins across the Atlantic in New York and San Francisco, and garnered a reputation for being a powerful and exciting live band, playing gigs in Ireland, Britain and the USA, with the odd trip to Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Holland, France and Belgium.

A handful of singles went Top 20 in the British Charts through the nineties & The Saw Doctors appeared on BBC’s ‘Top of the Pops’ three times with ‘Small Bit Of Love’, ‘To Win Just Once’ and ‘World Of Good’. The Saw Doctors third album ’Same Oul’ Town’ reached No. 6 in the UK Album Charts in 1996.

The end of 2011 brought another surprise hit for The Saw Doctors – having included a verse and chorus of ‘Downtown’ in the show-closing ‘Hay Wrap’, the band noticed that ‘Downtown’ captured the imagination of the audience, making it a potential contender for the Christmas single. On a long-shot, producer Phillip Tennant got in touch with Petula Clark’s manager and a recording session was arranged in London where the old 60’s classic was re-vamped and recorded – ‘The Saw Doctors featuring Petula Clark’! The lively duet made it to number 2 in the Irish singles Christmas chart.

Loved & revered by their loyal fans, many of whom have been recruited by already fan friends, The Saw Doctors continue with a resilience and an effervescent energy, looking forward to playing Summer Festivals in the UK in 2023.

“ If The Saw Doctors could bottle the sort of bonhomie that can make an entire concert hall feel better, they would have the medicine show to end them all”
Paul Sexton, The Times

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    Newly confirmed. The inimitable John Otway Band will be at Wickham next summer on Sat. 3rd Aug. Same night as Skipinnish & Tanjus the Henge. You can still save £70 on 4-day earlybird weekend tickets via www.wickhamfestival.co.uk/tickets if you book before Xmas. ... See MoreSee Less

    Newly confirmed.  The inimitable John Otway Band will be at Wickham next summer on Sat. 3rd Aug.  Same night as Skipinnish & Tanjus the Henge.  You can still save £70 on 4-day earlybird weekend tickets via www.wickhamfestival.co.uk/tickets if you book before Xmas.

    21 CommentsComment on Facebook

    Please, I beg you, don't put Tankus and John on different stages at the same time ;)

    Great stuff so far, thank you! Only a handful of acts and I'm already worrying about clashes in stage times ;) Got one of the early EarlyBird tickets and Glamping ...so very happy so far...this'll be my 5th Wickham, you never disappoint :)

    The line up is looking so good!

    Had legit no idea who he was last time but dad said id like him so i went and listened. Laughed so hard my ribs hurt cant wait for round 2

    How about Hawkwind great festival band.

    *Tankus* the Henge!

    Brilliant, I look forward to seeing him.

    Madder Mill Molly I think there'll be a few of us at this one 🙂

    OMG ... this is shaping up to be the best line up ever! Will have Beware of the Flowers as an earworm for the foreseeable future, but that's a price worth paying 😁

    Martin Turners Wishbone Ash, Focus, Turin Brakes, Los Pacaminos, Albert Lee

    Wickham Music Festival Any chance of booking Attila too? And yes, I know I'm being greedy

    Is he bringing Wild Willy Barrett? 😳😳😳

    oh joy, rock royalty

    Wickham Music Festival - thank you again. Any chance of The Devil's Prefects and JollyRoger?

    Colin Foster

    How about the Longest John’s The Longest Johns also Carlos Núñez back again with a brand new album #CelticSea which he’ll be showcasing at Celtic Connections

    Paul Day 😁

    Any chance of getting Doris Brendel. Rick Parfitt Jnr and The RPJ Band. Clive Jackson. Nell Bryden, or even Kim Thompsett

    Track Dogs said they hadn't heard yet - but were up for performing again. Is that possible?

    Sonia Adams Mell Gardner Andy Hawkins Colin Lacey Paul Ratcliffe

    Steve Rossi

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    Newly confirmed. 3 Daft Monkeys will be at our 2024 Wickham Festival on Fri., Aug. 2. Other bands already confirmed inc. Tankus the Henge; Skipinnish; & The Men They Couldn't Hang. More to be announced shortly. www.wickhamfestival.co.uk/tickets ... See MoreSee Less

    Newly confirmed.  3 Daft Monkeys will be at our 2024 Wickham Festival on Fri., Aug. 2. Other bands already confirmed inc. Tankus the Henge; Skipinnish; & The Men They Couldnt Hang.  More to be announced shortly.  www.wickhamfestival.co.uk/tickets

    33 CommentsComment on Facebook

    We can not wait, we love Wickham Music Festival xxxxx

    Great so far! Please get Tide Lines back!

    Excellent!

    Excellent 🤘🤘

    Brilliant 😍

    Brilliant festival Wickham Music Festival

    Can we have the SAS band and Alabama 3 back please 🙏

    Brilliant band! 😊

    Yes! Yes! Yes!

    Love 3DM first saw them 23 years ago doing a street fair in Evershot, Dorset. Have seen them every year since a great lively band and very Wickham

    Can’t wait to volunteer again 😊

    Awesome!!! Got my ticket months ago, so am so excited!! xx

    This just gets better and better. When are you going to announce the Second Coming of Warren Zevon, who will be headlining on Sunday !!!!!! Four acts announced, albums by three in my collection......That's what makes Wickham such a wonderful festival and the musical highlight of my year......!!

    Yusss!

    Another fantastic band! Thank you 🙂

    Happy days!

    Can’t wait

    I love it when these announcements start. I don't know this band but it gives me a chance to start researching. So looking forward to Wickham Music Festival August 2024. Tickets bought in August 23!

    How long are the Early Bird tickets on for? I'm trying to round up several others but I don't want to miss out while others dither Wickham Music Festival

    So happy that 3 Daft Monkeys Are at Wickham next year. They were awesome at South Petherton earlier this year 😊

    Yay 😃

    Yessss, excellent, one of my favourites😁

    Great craic are those 3 Daft Monkeys.

    Megan James Astrid must be thrilled with the line up so far for Wickham! All her favs x

    excellent news three daft monkeys

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    Pleased to confirm that The Men They Couldn't Hang will be back at Wickham in 2024 as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations. Always a great live band. ... See MoreSee Less

    Pleased to confirm that The Men They Couldnt Hang will be back at Wickham in 2024 as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations.  Always a great live band.

    31 CommentsComment on Facebook

    Great news!!👏👏👏👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

    I would appreciate Graham Nash again, sadly never got to see him in 2018, but completely understand if he’s out of budget

    Great stuff !!! Thanks !! Pamela Horrigan

    Excellent news! My favourite band and my favourite festival!

    Great news!

    Great news!

    Great live act well done

    Thats just great news !!!!

    Always a good slot!

    🙌

    Fantastic - very much looking forward to seeing them

    Which night are they playing ?

    Great 😊

    YAY - thank you Wickham Music Festival 🥰

    Simon Tremlett ..this year we are going !

    Excellent. Have booked for the Shepherd's Bush Gala night and for Barnoldswick but you just can't have too much of a great thing......Must say, it's all going rather well for Wickham 2024, but then we KNEW it would! What delights are to be revealed in the coming days, I wonder...??

    Deirdre Arthur

    Yay. Well happy.

    Woo hoo!

    Yay!!!

    Tmtch and tankus? Looking like its going to be a great year so far

    Any more confirmed yet?

    Ooh amazing news.

    Steven C Turner

    Great addition Wickham Music Festival! How about Dropkick Murphys or Greg Graffin? And please NO tribute bands. Each time a tribute band plays at a festival, it takes a slot away from those creating something original.

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