Derry’s Woodburning Savages return to Monroe’s Live
Citing Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana as influences, The Woodburning Savages return to Monroe’s Live on Friday April 8, after playing an impressive set at the venue’s Rocktoberfest event in October.
The Derry-based band are Paul Connolly (vocals/guitar), Dan Acheson (bass) Aaron McClelland (drums) and Shea Tohill (guitar).
The Wood Burning Savages formed in 2011, when the band Paul and Aaron were in previously, broke up. They recruited bassist Dan the following year, and the line-up was complete when Shea Tohill joined in 2013. The band secured a prestigious slot at Glastonbury in 2014, which helped established them.
“That was through Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music,” Paul explains. “He’s a songwriter himself, he had a few big hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He’s quite influential and he really helped us out in England.
“He asked us over to do the BBC Introducing Stage, which was a big surprise. We went over and it was absolutely fantastic, walking around with people like George Ezra and Hozier in the same wee backstage as us.”
Paul is proud of his Derry roots and the city’s influence on The Wood Burning Savages.
“Derry’s a wee bit isolated where it is, and in a certain sense economically,” he says. “We’re sort of writing songs about that. We’re absolutely rubbish at writing love songs. We write songs about what it’s like being from here.
■ Catch the Woodburning Savages in Monroe's on Friday, April 8.