The best intentions

The Would Be’s are a cautionary tale for young musicians everywhere.

In 1990, with most of the band still at school in Kingscourt, Co Cavan, the five-piece became the toast of alternative pop, their jangly sound championed by everyone from Morrissey to influential British DJ John Peel. But they never capitalised on their overnight celebrity and were on the way to obscurity almost as soon as they’d arrived.

“We had too much too quickly,” reflects the band’s Paul Finnegan. “The initial letdown [of things not working out] was a blow. When you’ve had so much attention, where do you go from there? It’s a tough one.”