Spellbound Record Release covered in "Bray People"

Bray band in action again Spellbound' to release third album

"Bray band, Spellbound, is to launch its third album, Eleven Deadly Sins, in Katie Gallaghers on Saturday, July 28, 20 years to the day after introducing their first album at the same venue.

Some readers will recall that the rockabilly band was regularly lauded in this paper in the 1980s in Tony Murphy's music column, On The Music Beat.

Having played their first ever gig at at a flood aid concert in Bray, Spellbound decided to head directly to mainland Europe, where their 1988 debut album, Mystical Madness, was very well received and notched up many thousands in sales, but never released in their home country.

The boys blazed a brief trail across the rockabilly and psychobilly festivals of Germany and Scandinavia before, it seemed, vanishing back into the Hellfire' woods of County Wicklow.

The original line up comprised Frankie hayes, vocals, Adrian Hayes, drums, Anto hayes, guitar, and Lar Doyle on the double bass.

They were well know faces on the music scene in Bray, and played regularly in the festivals.

As things got busier for the band they drafted in Dave McDonnell on lead guitar as Anto had other commitments.

The boys then headed to the states in 1990 for a string of shows but ass time moved on and other commitments emerged the band members married and settled in Bray and were devastated when in 1997 bass player Lar died.

Tentative moves toward a re-union were made in 2003 when guitarist friend Doyley (Klingonz, Demented are Go) contacted the Hayes brothers to inform them that copies of Mystical Madness' appeared to be changing hands on the internet for astronomical sums. If they could find a bass player, he said, he would book them some shows.

They drafted in Simon Farrell from greystones and the line-up was complete.

Returning to Europe they have played Germany, France, Belgium and Spain and have performed some small shows in Dublin's Voodoo Lounge. They have now built up a big following in Dublin.

Drummer Adrian had to bow out due to other commitments and Spellbound is now joined by Ashford drummer Bryan O'Higgins.

Now, 20 years after launching Mystical Madness in what was the Doug Inn, Spellbound returns to Bray for a trip down memory lane for both the musicians and their nostalgic fans."