The Instigators / Members
Desi
Keyboardist Songwriter Synthesizer player VocalistKeyboard player with the Instigators
Brendan
GuitaristLead guitarist with the Instigators
Tony
Bassist Guitarist Songwriter VocalistFIRST REMEMBERED PUBLIC SOLO PERFORMANCE : SINGING CLIFF RICHARDS " BATCHELOR BOY " AT THE PIERROTS, NEWCASTLE CO. DOWN. - FIRST PRIZE MONEY EVER WON: SINGING "WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE" WITH BROTHER AND FELLOW INSTIGATOR DESI AT A CARNIVAL IN SOUTH ARMAGH SOMEWHERE IN THE SIXTIES, WE CAME SECOND, IF WE HAD BEEN LOCAL WE WOULD HAVE WON! I FORGET HOW MUCH WE WON BUT IT WAS GOOD FUN. - FIRST APPEARANCE ON STAGE WITH A GROUP : AGAIN AT THE PIERROTS, NEWCASTLE SINGING "TRAINS AND BOATS AND PLANES" WITH AIDAN MACCRORY (FUTURE GUITARIST AND BARRISTER WITH "LICK THE TINS") AND FEATURING BERNAGH GREEN’S VERY OWN DES MURPHY ON DRUMS. - FIRST GUITAR BOUGHT : AS PRESENT BY MUM AND DAD, LAY UNDER THE BED FOR A LONG TIME (SOME WOULD SAY IT SHOULD HAVE STAYED THERE), NEIGHBOUR MICK WALLACE TUNED IT AND TAUGHT ME TO PLAY CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL’S HIT "BAD MOON RISING". - PLAYED A LOT OF LOCAL CHARITY GIGS (NOBODY WOULD PAY ME ) WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT LOCAL MUSICIANS (JOHN JOE TONER, EAMON MC MULLAN, PAT CARTON, MICHAEL MORGAN.) - BROTHER DESI INTRODUCED ME TO BRENDAN (DENSI) MURRAY IN THE HOPE OF PUTTING A GROUP TOGETHER TO PLAY AT A CONCERT IN ST.MALACHY’S HIGH SCHOOL, CASTLEWELLAN. WE TRIED DIFFERENT LEAD SINGERS BEFORE DESI GOT THE JOB ALONG WITH SEAN MCKIBBEN ON BASS, BOBBY DORAN ON DRUMS, BRENDAN MURRAY AND MYSELF ON RHYTHM AND LEAD GUITARS. THE "BROKEN KEYS" WERE BORN. WE PRACTICED WITH GEAR BORROWED FROM TEACHER AND MUSICIAN MICHAEL MC GRADY FOR A WHILE. ON THE DAY OF THE CONCERT, IT WAS AN AWESOME SIGHT TO OPEN AT 9-30 A.M. IN FRONT OF A BEMUSED AND PACKED AUDITORIUM IN THE SCHOOL. FROM MEMORY AND DES WILL PROBABLY CORRECT ME ON THIS THE PROGRAME WAS AS FOLLOWS "WHISKEY IN THE JAR" - THIN LIZZY, "RUBBER BULLETS" - 10 C.C., "BLOCKBUSTER" - SWEET (SIREN DONE BY SEAN), "COME ON FEEL THE NOISE" - SLADE AND WITH BOBBY’S PIECE DE RESISTANCE THE STRAWBS - "PART OF THE UNION". AS IS THE WAY WITH THINGS THE BAND SPLIT AND SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE WE REFORMED WITH GEORGE COONEY REPLACING BOBBY ON THE DRUMS TO DO A SERIES OF TUESDAY NIGHT DANCES IN CASTLEWELLAN DOING COVERS OF T.REX, SLADE, SWEET, GARY GLITTER AND OTHER CHART BANDS FOR NO MONEY BUT GREAT FUN. - AN ILL FATED GIG IN THE STABLES IN CASTLEWELLAN, REMARKABLE FOR ITS LENGTH AND OUR FINISHING NUMBER "A FROGGIE WENT A COURTIN' AND HE DID RIDE AHAH", HASTENED THE END OF THE BROKEN KEYS. - BRENDAN MURRAY AND MYSELF ALONG WITH LOCAL DRUMMER DERMOT (DEE) MORGAN REHEARSED FOR A WHILE DOING MORE ROCKY MATERIAL (WISHBONE ASH, HORSLIPS, BEATLES AND LED ZEPPELIN). THEN DURING REHEARSALS OUR MANAGER PAT CARTON, INTRODUCED TWO GIRL SINGERS TO THE BAND, JOSIE AND PATRICIA NEWELL, "PAT ,JO AND THE PIRATES" WERE BORN . THE BAND PLAYED CONSTANTLY THROUGHOUT A VERY BUSY YEAR AND IT LOOKED AS IF FULL TIME CAREERS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS BECKONED BUT THE BAND IMPLODED DUE TO "PERSONAL DIFFERENCES" - THE NEXT FEW YEARS I SPENT PLAYING IN A NUMBER OF COVER BANDS CALLED WITH VARYING DEGREES OF RECOLLECTION - "JUST US", "THE DAVID ANTHONY BAND", "DODGE", "MANHATTANS", "MAVERICKS" (NO NOT THE DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY CROWD), "TELSTARS", THE TONY AND LEE BAND (OR AS WE WERE CALLED IN BELFAST "0H F**K NOT THEM AGAIN), "SILHOUETTES", "BLUE SAVANNAH", ETC. DURING THIS TIME I PLAYED WITH SOME FINE MUSICIANS, GUITARISTS EDDIE HODGETT, GARY COONEY, SEAN POLAND, GERRY POLAND, GERRY HAGGERTY, JIM UPRICHARD, JOHN ROWE, KEVIN MURRAY AND JIMMIE "WILL YOU TUNE THAT BLOODY THING" MILLS. BASSISTS VINCE POLAND, DENNIS WARD, JIMMY MCCABE AND JOHNNIE COONEY, SINGERS DAVID MURPHY, BILLIE MC MURRAY, CAREEN STARKEY AND DRUMMERS JIM POLAND, JOE MORGAN, GEORDIE COONEY, PETER HUGHES, DAVID LONGLANDS, PHILIP ROWE, BERNARD CROSKERY AND BROTHER EUGENE. - A CHANCE MEETING WITH TWO OF MY BROTHERS BRENDAN AND EUGENE SAW MY RETURN TO THE MUSIC I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED - ROCK!!! FORMED FOR TO PLAY A FEW GIGS DURING NEWCASTLE’S SUMMER FESTIVAL "THE HUNGER", AS THEY CAME TO BE KNOWN FEATURING BRENDAN AND JIMMIE MILLS ON LEAD GUITARS, MYSELF ON BASS, EUGENE ON KEYBOARDS AND DAVE LONGLANDS ON DRUMS, REHEARSED A SET OF ROCK STANDARDS BUT ALLOWING ROOM FOR INDIVIDUAL IMPROVISATION AND COMPLETED THE GIGS TO A DEGREE OF SUCCESS. DAVID LEFT AS HE OTHER COMMITMENTS TO ANOTHER BAND. THE FOUR OF US CONTINUED REHEARSALS WITH EUGENE SWITCHING ONTO DRUMS. AS THE REHEARSALS CONTINUED IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WAS DISCONTENT ABOUT THE WAY THE BAND WAS GOING FORWARD, WITH SOME IN FAVOUR OF REMAINING A STRICTLY COVERS BAND AND OTHERS HOPING TO DEVELOP ORIGINAL MATERIAL. WITH VERY LITTLE WORK COMING IN AND OTHER COMMITMENTS THE BAND DRIFTED APART. JIMMIE AND BRENDAN STAYED IN TOUCH, I WENT BACK TO PLAY WITH A COVERS BAND AND IT SEEMED AS IF ALL WAS OVER. A CALL FROM BROTHER DESI ,WHO WAS LEARNING THE KEYBOARDS AND HAD BEEN WRITING SOME LYRICS REKINDLED THE FIRE. THE KINDNESS OF JOE MC MAHON IN THE CASTLEMAC HOTEL, NEWCASTLE - IN ALLOWING US TO USE HIS FUNCTION ROOM FOR REHEARSAL WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN "ACHILLES HEEL" BEING FORMED. WITH JIMMIE AND BRENDAN RESUMING THEIR DUAL LEAD PARTNERSHIP, DESI WRITING AND PLAYING KEYBOARDS, MYSELF ON BASS AND OUR TRUSTY DRUM MACHINE THE WORLD WAS OUR LOBSTER. THROUGH A FRIEND OF THE BAND, WE CUT 4 TRACKS IN THE STUDIO BELFAST, LORDS OF THE NIGHT, LOSING SIDE, MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND AND VERTIGO. HAVING CUT OUR TEETH IN THE STUDIO AND GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME, WITH HOME AND WORK COMMITMENTS, WE COULD REALISTICALLY SPEND ON REHEARSAL, WE ARRIVED AT A CONSENSUS THAT LIVE WORK WOULD NOT BE VERY FEASIBLE BECAUSE OF THE AREA IN WHICH WE ALL LIVED. JIMMIE LEFT TO PURSUE A CAREER WITH A COVERS BAND. AS A THREE PIECE "ACHILLES HEEL" PLAYED THREE GIGS IN THE CASTLEMAC MAINLY AS A FAVOUR TO LOCAL BIKERS "THE BILGE RATS" WHO WERE ALWAYS VERY SUPPORTIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE IN THEIR OPINION OF THE BAND. WE ALSO PLAYED ONE SUPPORT GIG IN "THE BAY INN", DUNDRUM. WITH THE ADVANCES IN MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND THE PERSISTENCE OF BROTHERS DESI AND BRENDAN "THE INSTIGATORS"© AS WE ARE NOW KNOWN GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH. THE TOTAL SUPPORT OF MY WIFE PHIL AND TWO SONS ANTHONY AND LUKE, THE INDULGENCE AND PATIENCE OF MY EVER SUFFERING SISTER IN LAW EILEEN, THE TECHNICAL INPUT OF MY TWO GENIUS NEPHEWS BRENDAN AND PETE IS VERY TOUCHING TO ALLOW A 40 SOMETHING AGING WOULD BE ROCKER TO INDULGE HIS DAYDREAMS. THE MUSIC AS ALWAYS IS DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO HELPED ALONG THE WAY. THANKS TO : MESSRS. GILLAN, GLOVER, PAICE, LORD, AND THE INIMITABLE SQUIRE, RICHARD DE BLACKMORE, MESSRS. FEAN, DEVLIN ,CARR, LOCKHART AND OCONNOR, MR. RORY GALLAGHER, PHILIP LYNOTT, ERIC BELL, GARY MOORE, SCOTT GORHAM, BRIAN DOWNEY, MANNY CHARLTON, DAN MC CAFFERTY, PETE AGNEW, DARRYL SWEET, ROBIN TROWER, RONNIE MONTROSE, TONY IOMMI OZZIE , LEMMIE, RONNIE JAMES DIO, MESSRS. LIFESON ,LEE AND PEART, THE FLOYD OF THE PINK VARIETY, ANDY LATIMER AND CAMEL, NEIL YOUNG, THE BROTHERS DOOBIE, THE LATE GREAT SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY, AND OTHERS TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION.
