Ireland in 50 Albums, No 36: A Sonic Holiday, by Engine Alley

The Kilkenny band shone brightly on their debut album, and even had slots supporting their label's owners, U2, on the Zoo TV tour 

Engine Alley released A Sonic Holiday in 1992, on the Mother label. 

On a balmy August evening in 1993, Engine Alley’s Canice Kenealy stepped in front of an audience of thousands – and felt completely alone. “It's a bit like playing to nobody really. There’s thousands of people there. But it’s just so big – the biggest crowd we played to.” 

 Engine Alley were performing at the old Páirc Uí Chaoimh as support to U2 on the Irish leg of their ZooTV Tour. The two groups were not quite friends, but there was a professional relationship: Engine Alley were signed to U2’s Mother Records, which had released their brilliantly esoteric debut LP, A Sonic Holiday, 10 months previously.