About us

Boy #7 (It's spelt with a hash, but Blastspace won't let us do that. Silly Blastspace.) are an un-genre-definable 5-piece hailing from Co.Donegal. With influences as diverse as Damien Rice and Led Zeppelin, an instrument range including everything from electric guitar to violin, offset by intense vocal tones and powerful lyrics, Boy #7 have crafted their own unique sound quite unlike anything else in today's music scene.

Boy #7 were started in late 2007 by lead singer 'Party' Marty Gilroy, who, feeling his songs needed some strong backup to achieve their full potential, recruited then bassist Aidan Earley and drummer Richard Durning. After several practice sessions and repeated reviews of their songs, it was clear that something wa missing. This gap was promptly filled by violinist Sarah Walsh, whose string overtones elevated the band's music to a new level. With a handful of well-rehearsed songs under their belt and a new-found confidence in their music, Boy#7 decided to take their music to the people and began playing gigs in the Loft, Letterkenny. After building a small fanbase from several raucous performances, Boy #7 were asked to participate in the 2007 Hot Press 7 Steps Up national band competition. After defeating much other local talent in the Donegal regional competition in Letterkenny's Regional Cultural Centre, they proceeded to compete in and win the national final of the competition in Dublin's prestigious Sugar Club. This victory led to the recording of a nine-track CD containging songs from all the bands in the Donegal region (including 2 from Boy #7, see right), produced by Tommy O'Sullivan and Dermot Lambert of Hot Press Magazine in Ashtown Studios, Dublin (www.ashtownstudios.com), where artists as renowned as The Kinetiks, Christy Dignam and Aslan have recorded. Boy #7 have also played gigs in the Radisson SAS Hotel and RCC, Letterkenny, including a support slot to synth-pop heroes, Oppenheimer as well as a hour-long radio slot on Highland Radio with Packey Keaney. A recent line-up change has seen the replacement of former bassist Aidan Earley with new recruit Conor Gillespie, while Aidan now plays electric guitar in the band.

Boy #7 now look forward to the future with hope in their hearts and confidence in their music, regular practice sessions and constant songwriting keeping them on their toes. Currently, they are anticipating the Blastspace LA or Busk competition and many future gigs.

Boy #7 is:
'Party' Marty Gilroy: Lead vocals and acoustic guitar
Aidan Earley: Electric guitar
Conor Gillespie: Bass guitar
Sarah 'Niamh Welsh' Walsh: Violin
Richard Durning: Drums

Influences

The Frames, Glen Hansard, Brand New, Damien Rice, Damien Dempsey, Jeff Buckley, Bob Dylan, The Smiths, My Chemical Romance, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Bloc Party, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Alexisonfire, At the Drive-In, Sparta, Bach, Paganini. We're real big Paganini fans. Nothing like a good ol' Paganini pick-me-up. Y'know, if I had to be stuck on a desert island with one 18th-century composer, I'd say it'd have to be Paganini. Great guy, great guy. But he can't spell.