April 2008

Commitments Star Interviewed
Ken McCluskey was recently interviewed by Sean P. Feeny for Donegal Life magazine. Click Here to read the interview (pdf format).

March 2008

Commitments Movie Star Bags An Oscar

Our good friend and co-star Glen Hansard, who played guitarist Outspan in The Commitments, has just picked up an Oscar at the Academy awards in Los Angeles. The prestigious award is for Best Song from the film Once, in which he also stars. Glen is pictured alongside Marketa Irglova who was also in Once and co-wrote the song Falling Slowly. Congratulations Glen and Marketa from all of us!!

13 March 2008

This recently appeared in The Michigan Daily...

The Real Irish Soul Singers
By Blake Goble Daily Arts Writer What's your favorite Irish musical act? The Frames? U2? "Once's" Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová? How about the Commitments? Wait, you don't know the Commitments? They're only the finest Irish soul cover band to almost play a concert with Wilson Pickett.

Read Full Article

5 February 2008

Dick Gets Snookered!!!
Dick pictured with Steve Davis and fellow Irishman and good friend Ken Doherty. The two previous Snooker World Champions were in Dublin to play an exhibition match in aid of The Carers Association. Ken and Dick are longstanding friends, and it turns out that Steve Davis is a big fan of The Commitments. So Ken invited Dick along to meet Steve and have a quick photo taken. And later Dick arranged for the two players to attend a 'Stars from The Commitments' show.

31 October 2007

Icons On Film
This artical appeared in the Daily Telegraph recently which lists The Commitments as film icons. CLICK HERE to view (1.5mb Adobe pdf document).

23 September 2007

Silloth Review
A review of The Commitments gig at the Silloth Festival has recently been posted on the BBC website. Please CLICK HERE to read the review.

12 September 2007

Jerusalem Rocks!
The much travelled Commitments have just returned from an exciting gig in Jerusalem where the Commitments went down a storm. Also on the bill was the chart topping USA band the Black Eyed Peas...now our friendly drummer, Dick Massey (aka Billy "The Animal" Mooney), is not one to miss a golden photo opportunity and Jerusalem was no exception...

L-R: apl.de.ap, Fergie, Dick, Taboo and Will.I.Am
Black Eyed Peas with Dead Eyed Mooney

10 September 2007

BBC Movie Connections
UK viewers will be able to see The Commitments feature on BBC1's Movie Connections on 17 September at 10.35pm . The show will feature interviews with director Sir Alan Parker and writer Roddy Doyle plus cast members of the film including Ken McCluskey and Dick Massey.
Press Release (627kb pdf doc)

19 June 2007

Drew Taylor
The Commitments learned this week of the passing of a friend on 6 June after a short illness. The band had worked with Drew whilst on tour on a number of occassions and were looking forward to working with again. Ken McCluskey said "Drew Taylor was a great friend and colleague of ours and was also man of Great honour,  his work was his life and will be sadly missed"

5 June 2007

The Commitments :
A Review by ISABEL COCKAYNE
This appeared on the EDP24 News website
Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds (Bury Festival) 28 May 2007

Everyone in their 30s and probably beyond will remember 1991 film The Commitments. A Roddie Doyle classic about a group of teenagers who nearly made it to the big time in the music business. Last night, The Commitments belted out quality, soul/blues numbers for an audience who clapped, danced and sang along.
Though you may have expected more of the 10 players to have appeared in the film, in fact only two - Ken McCluskey (guitar) and Dick Massey (drums) - had, but Joe Marsh (I think the reviewer means Joe Walsh - Webmaster), Karen Colman and Claire Malone (singers) were more than a match.
The Irish band kicked off with a crowd warming Wait Till the Midnight Hour followed closely by Chain of Fools, I Can't Stand The Rain and Do Right.
McCluskey, who played Derek “The Meatman” Scully, took centre stage for one track but shared the limelight with trumpet and sax players. The band looked as if they were having as much fun as the audience.
The Commitments may be an easily recognisable brand launched from their film success but there was no doubt of their talents.

24 Mar 2007

Gene Kurtz
It's recently been reported that the writer of the song, "Treat Her Right", Gene Kurtz, said that he thought that The Commitments version of his song is second to none! Gene is currently working with a French promoter that also works with The Commitments. Gene is reported to have said he'd love to jam with the band one day.

Jan 2007

Welcome To The New Website
Well it's taken bloody ages but we finally got here with a new site. We've cut it down a bit from the old site which was getting a bit cluttered with out-of-date material, but we're happy with the result. Don't forget to check out the merchandise page which has lots of exclusive goodies for sale that aren't available in the shops!

6 Jan 2007

The Commitments in The Times (Maltese) Newspaper
This article on The Commitments appeared this week in the Maltese version of The Times newspaper...

What a commitment!

by Herman Grech

When Ken McCluskey was asked to audition for Alan Parker's film The Commitments, he pounced on the idea.

He was, after all, working as a butcher and part-time guitarist in Ireland, struggling to make ends meet. At the time Ireland was going through economic strife and youngsters in general had no money.

Mr McCluskey could only pray and hope to land a part in the film steered by Mr Parker, the man who directed classics like Mississippi Burning and Midnight Express.

The 24-year old walked into a room only to find "thousands" auditioning for the part in the film about the rise and fall of a band in the poor part of Dublin.

"Out of the blue they called and offered me the part. They asked me to be the bass player and 'here's lots of money,'" Mr McCluskey told The Times, laughing.

There was one problem - Mr McCluskey didn't own a bass guitar but the film producers soon fixed that when they bought him one.

The rest is history. The cult film The Commitments was such a runaway hit upon its release in 1991 (winning even an Oscar nomination) that the cast and crew decided to take it on the road.

In the meantime, the soundtrack to the film sold some 12 million copies and the film has been seen by an estimated one billion people.

Mr McCluskey has been instrumental in keeping The Commitments alive since. Though the band has often seen exits and new recruits, it has been lauded for retaining the soul and sound that made them famous in the first place.

Known as Derek "Meatman" Scully in the film, Mr McCluskey has been pivotal in The Commitments' electrifying and interactive stage performance for 15 years.

"Yes, it's very bizarre that we're still on the road. I think The Commitments is the present, not the past - and that's amazing," says Mr McCluskey, who is also one half of the band's management.

The Commitments helped a new generation discover soul music and the work of artistes like James Brown and Wilson Pickett.

What makes the music so timeless, considering most of the repertoire was penned years ago?

"It's the tunes, the harmonies, the instruments... the music's just good. We've been lucky to capture that music and add some spice to it.

"When people listen to the sounds of The Commitments, they listen to the instruments in their pure form. A guitar sounds like a guitar, without any distortion or special effects. The vocal harmonies especially - we have three girls singing 'oohs' and 'aahs' with no effects. And it sounds so good," he says.

Renowned as the soul of Ireland's musical working class, The Commitments will be playing at Notte Magica in Valletta on Saturday.

The show is expected to provide classic songs like Mustang Sally, In the Midnight Hour and Try a Little Tenderness.

Mr McCluskey is looking forward to performing in Malta, hoping it will provide an encore of the warm, vibrant audience that The Commitments enjoyed when they played in neighbouring Sicily.

"The Europeans are exciting and exuberant - and we can't wait to play in Malta. It's going to be an honour to play for you."

See also News article dated 21 Dec 2006 below

25 December 2006

Godfather of Soul Dies
News broke on Christmas Day that soul legend Mr. James Brown died in the early hours of Christmas morning of pneumonia. Footage of Mr. Brown's early career was featured in The Commitments movie.

21 December 2006

This article was featured in "The Times" Maltese Newspaper

The Commitments to perform on Epiphany night
76,000 visited Notte Bianca
Herman Grech

December 31 may be known as the biggest night of the year, but the government plans to usher in the new year with major celebrations a week later.

Music and trade will be fused for Notte Magica to celebrate the Epiphany in Valletta on January 6 between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.

The event will follow up the hugely successful Notte Bianca last October, though the emphasis this time round will be on leisure entertainment rather than culture and heritage.

In collaboration with Valletta council and the Valletta Alive Foundation, the event will be organised by NnG Promotions, which has been responsible for importing world-class rock acts to Malta.

Five stages will be erected in different parts of Valletta to host artists like Ira Losco, Winter Moods, Scream Daisy and the Freddie Mizzi band.

The highlight of the evening is expected to come from Dublin when The Commitments take to the stage.

Renowned for songs like Mustang Sally and In The Midnight Hour, The Commitments shot to fame thanks to the 1991 film about the band. The soundtrack album of the blues and soul band sold over 12 million copies.

Traditional Maltese bands will be adding to the festive tunes by playing around Valletta, accompanied by street performers.

Speaking during a news conference at St James Cavalier yesterday, Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said he hoped that retailers and businesses respond en masse to the event by offering additional initiatives to repeat the bumper crowd in October.

Statistics given yesterday showed the extent of the success of Notte Bianca.

An estimated 76,000 people visited Valletta that night, spending an average of Lm10.85 each for a total expenditure of Lm824,600. No less than 97 per cent said they would attend a similar event.

Just 17 per cent of non-attendees did not know about the event while one in 10 persons found it difficult to reach Valletta. While the vast majority had underlined the importance of hosting cultural activities in Valletta and were in awe of the ambience created, others complained about the shortage of food in restaurants and the traffic congestion.

When asked why such a national celebration was not held on New Year's Eve, Dr Zammit Dimech said the authorities did not wish to compete with the many dinner dances and parties held around the island.

Dr Zammit Dimech said the figures showed how culture and arts can generate business.

Valletta mayor Paul Borg Olivier said the string of events taking place in Valletta throughout the year had dispelled the clich that the city was always dead at night.

Activities like Notte Bianca and Notte Magica proved that the right synergies between the authorities would only spawn quality and successful events, adding that Valletta will be hosting some high-profile events during 2007.