Pay*Ola
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| Pay*Ola | |
|---|---|
| Country | Northern Ireland, UK |
| Years active | 1998 – present |
| Genres | Rock |
| Labels | Tomcat Records Gimp International Records |
| Members | Phillip McCarroll Nick Joseph Nicky Conway James Nicholl |
Pay*Ola are an Irish hard rock band formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1998. The band consists of:
- Phillip McCarroll (Lead Vocals)
- Nick Joseph (Guitar, keyboard and vocals)
- Nicky Conway (Bass)
- James Nicholl (Drums)
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Formation
Formed from the ashes of "Lazy" in 1998 by Philip McCarroll, releasing their first E.P Stick 2 Fingers Up on Good Vibrations Records. The band's style of music is definitively 'Hard Rock' that contains mixes of punk rock, grunge and heavy metal. Pay*Ola first rose to prominence in 2000 when they starred in an episode of short lived BBC/[RTE] documentary series, Ferry Tales. The episode charted the band's Spinal Tap-like journey from Belfast to a gig in London. The episode was broadcast on BBC 1 in Northern Ireland and RTE in the Republic of Ireland and featured seven of the band's original songs. Stuart Bailie of NME once said: "Pay*Ola have an untamed affection for the spirit of Rock 'n' Roll.".
[edit] Felix
Pay*Ola gained moderate popularity throughout 2001 and 2002 when their internationally acclaimed song, "Felix" from The Felix E.P. was played extensively on one of Northern Ireland's most popular radio stations, Cool FM. "Felix" was also chosen as one of 60 finalists in the 2002 'International Songwriting Competition'. They released their third E.P., More Iconic Than Ironic later in 2002, songs from which were played extensively during gigs up and down Northern Ireland, including major NI radio hit "Carter's Song".
[edit] Audioslave
In 2003 Pay*Ola supported American rock band, Audioslave in Dublin while on tour. This single gig alone rocketed Pay*Ola's name to the top of many radio playlists and boosted their cult following in Ireland. It remains their biggest gig to date with well over ten thousand people in attendance; during the gig, it is claimed (by the band) that all of Pay*Ola's merchandise sold out within 30 minutes.
In 2003 they also played at the Big Buzz Irish Entertainment Awards and also released their Rather Be Dreaming E.P. in that same year and remains one of their most popular yet.
[edit] Try Everything 2wice
In 2005, Pay*Ola released their first album, Try Everything 2wice, launching the album in a gig in Virgin Megastore, Belfast that pulled in crowds from the street, able to have been heard as far away as Belfast City Hall. Maintained as one of the Empire Music Hall's most popular headlining bands in Belfast having topped the bill at the venue on almost 20 occasions, Pay*Ola enjoy a thriving cult following throughout Northern Ireland. In January 2006, drummer James Nicholl's baby son Jamie became seriously ill and was admitted to hospital, all planned gigs being cancelled as a result. Fortunately, Jamie has made a full recovery and James is back with the band. Pay*ola's next big hometown show was at the Empire Music Hall, Belfast on Thursday 29th June 2006. Although attendance was low, the band still managed to impress.
[edit] Future
Pay*Ola are currently working on new material for a second album planned for release sometime around 2007/2008
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Try Everything 2wice
[edit] E.P.s
- Stick 2 Fingers Up (1999)
- The Felix E.P. (2001)
- More Iconic Than Ironic (2002)
- Rather Be Dreaming (2003)
