JJ72 biography
JJ72 were an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland. After forming in 1996, they signed to Lakota Records in 1999, releasing two hit albums before splitting in 2006.
History
Formation & early years
The band was formed in 1996 by lead singer and songwriter Mark Greaney and drummer Fergal Matthews, while studying at Belvedere College. Greaney grew up in Dublin, where for a time he lived next door to Phil Lynott. Matthews originated from County Meath. The name 'JJ72' derives from a window at Belvedere College made from 72 jam jars. They cited Nirvana, Mudhoney and Joy Division as influences. After auditioning several bassists they recruited their schoolmate Garvin Smith on bass in 1996. After a few early gigs, Smith left, and Greaney and Matthews once again set about auditions for a new bassist. Two bassists had short stints with the band, but in 1997 Greaney and Matthews entered the studio as a duo to record their first demo. They sent it to local record companies and media but with little response. In 1998 they started university courses, but shortly after starting they decided to concentrate on the band; They played a concert at Behan's pub in Dublin, backed by a string quartet, and were asked to appear on local television. They decided they needed someone who could mime and who "looked good", and recruited Hilary Woods, who Greaney had known for several years. Despite not being able to play bass, Woods became a member in January 1999. They recorded a second demo, and targeted the UK, playing several gigs there and getting a write-up in
Select. This led to interest from the Dublin-based Sony sub-label Lakota Records, who signed the band in mid-1999.
Commercial success
Début single "October Swimmer" was released in November that year, and was named 'Single of the Week' by BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Radcliffe. They were given support slots with The Dandy Warhols and My Vitriol. The band had their first hit with "Long Way South" in May 2000, which peaked at number 68 in the UK, and they played at festivals including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds later that year.
The band released their eponymously titled debut album in Summer 2000. A great critical and commercial success alike, the album has sold in excess of 500,000 copies in their native Ireland and in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. In Germany, a special 'tour edition' was released, including a second CD-ROM disc. The album spawned the singles "Snow", "October Swimmer", "Long Way South", and "Oxygen", and saw the band perform promotional tours in Europe, the US. "Oxygen" gave the band their first top 30 single in the UK, leading the band to perform on Top of the Pops. After touring with Coldplay and Embrace, they set out on their own headline tour. They supported Muse on a tour of Europe, headlined the NME Brats tour, and played a few gigs in Japan. Several performances had been cancelled after Greaney lost his voice, and there were further cancellations in 2001 after Matthews was knocked off his motorbike, with Kylie Minogue's drummer Bob Knight standing in for a few gigs. Matthews recovered in time for the festival season and support slots with U2. The band received an Irish Music Award for 'Best New Band' later that year.
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