Onion Boys are a Dublin rock band who have been knocking around Dublin’s small to medium sized venues since lockdown spreading the word about their scuzzy garage rock music and associated live show, mainly through support slots with their peers.
With tongue firmly in cheek they say “Onion Boys are the only Rock Band to ever truly be in a Rock Band. Taking vulnerable masculine patheticist bravado to exactly where it’s been before, revolutionising Guitar Music by regurgitating the same thing you’ve already heard.”
You may have heard something like them before, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t music here good enough to recommend, and ditto, for their frenetic live shows. It’s recommended if you like the kind of noise that Viagra Boys or Osees make as an example.
The band formed in 2021, and adopted players adopting names like Johnny Dublin, Leadpipe Dan, Sharky Steamers, Al Always Want Moore, Bad Bernie B, Rig Marolé, Brendan the Bricks, and Cillian ‘Me Softly’ to play with them.
The band have just released their fourth single entitled ‘How to Grow Up (on Tik Tok)’, which nicely sums up their appeal – garage rock sark meets surf rock, and features the great line “does anyone else remember Xtravision?”.
The video for the song was shot by Katie Freeney and featuring a cameo from lead singer Johnny Dublin’s own father.
Onion Boys played a proper headline show last night in the Workman’s so you missed that. Oops.
The Nialler9 Dublin Gig Guide (March 28th – April 3rd)
Here’s ‘Rock Band’ with the lyrics:
I’m in a Rock Band, / I’m in a Rock band / I always wash my hands / I’m in a Rock Band / Scared of the Gardai / I’m in a Rock Band Big shops in Aldi / I’m in a Rock Band
Check out previous singles and some live footage below:
Connect with ONION BOYS:
About Onion Boys
We are the boys, onion. A fresh and exciting rock band hailing from Dublin, Ireland. Founded over lockdown by Johnny Dublin and Daniel Leadpipe the Dangerous, the band tackle themes such as Dublin’s housing crisis, Daddy issues, and over-consumption. Drawing inspiration from 50s rock and roll, punk, and post-punk they have quickly amassed a cult following with their raw and energetic sound. Their debut single and manifesto “Rock Band” is an anthemic ode to the everyday ennui of being in a rock band, while “Daddy’s Arms” pays tribute to fatherly love and broken families everywhere. And with “Strung Out On Chicken,” a sleazy number exploring greed, dejection, and outrage in a time of austerity, Onion Boys’ music is marked by its honesty, energy, and wit. Onion Boys are poised to continue taking the Irish music scene by storm and having just played four packed out gigs in Scotland and Germany, they are eager to bring their brand of rock and roll to audiences around the world. With their infectious sound and their commitment to satire, Onion Boys are a band to watch in the year to come.
