Cirque

Cirque formed early in 2003 when Frank Maher (guitar), Larry O’Dwyer (keyboards) and Denis Collins (vocals) got drunk and decided to definitely form a band. Six times. On the sixth occasion, upon sobering, they followed up on it. Larry had been writing words from his mind in some form or another for years and Frank had been smithing some fine tunes to woo the ladies. The first Cirque songs sprung from this melodious well. Denis had been trying to convince people he could sing ever since he was turned down for the school choir in 1989. That summer, Paul McGrath (bass/backing vocals) and Eric Downer (guitar) were recruited. Eric arrived in a hail of power chords while Paul windmilled his way to the heart of the band. A tenuous balance ensued. Cirque decided to introduce themselves to Dublin audiences by way of a five song EP recorded on their own Boxbedroom Productions. Cirque initially concentrated on writing material and performing acoustic sets at some of Dublins more intimate venues, including The Boom Boom Room and Isaac Butts. In December 2003, Cirque shot their first video for the song “Blindwater”. It was during the making of this video that the final piece of Cirque was found, Mark Gordon (percussion). It was Marks rhythmic acting skills that alerted the band to his talents. And no, it wasn't that type of video. Six piece Cirque set off on a busy number of years performing throughout Dublins best known music venues taking in Whelans, Eamonn Dorans, The Sugar Club, Temple Bar Music Centre and The Voodoo Lounge along the way. Highlight gigs included headlining an Irish Music Network showcase night at The Hub, performing at the Trinity Filmmakers showcase night in The Village to a capacity audience and an intimate performance in The Lobby Bar in Cork. During this period Cirque built up a strong fan base receiving airplay and performing live on local Dublin radio stations NEAR FM and ANNA LIVIA FM. Between gigs that provided finance, Cirque were busy writing and recording their debut album “Auditions”. Recorded in part at Boxbedroom and in Shays Studio in Loughrea by producer Shay Leon, Auditions was warmly received by fans following its Sugar Club launch in January 2005. The band have been keeping a low profile in the last year recording a new 6 song EP entitled “Bad Dreams and Lullabies” with producer Mick Creedon (Junkster) in his Kilcullen studio’s in Kildare. The EP launch was sold out in Crawdaddy on Saturday February 8th. They have now hit the circuit again with a new sound set, five members and a desire to play bigger and better live gigs. The newer creations are less acoustic and more rock out but never losing the melodic plot. Larry has been sent on a fact finding mission to Germany.