The
Wild Ones were a fantastic Thin Lizzy tribute band who for 4 ½
years blew the Irish Rock scene away with their incendiary versions
of a large portion of Lizzy's back catalogue.
The band formed back in the Summer of 2002 to play at a Phil Lynott/Lizzy tribute night which was held in the Basement bar of Derry's Strand Bar complex and which was to be attended by Lynott's mother Philomena. The band's steady line up through their time together was Chris Harte (bass), Kevin 'Koke' O'Kane (vocals), Ted Lynch & Brian McCafferty (guitars) & David 'Dee' Jenkins. The various members were pulled together by the band's bass player & life time Lizzy fanatic Chris Harte.
The tribute gig was supposed to be a one off but the guys had so much fun that they decided to continue with the band on a regular basis so decided to book a series of gigs all around the North-West. They also kept in contact with Philomena Lynott and struck up a friendship which lasted right up to the band's last gigs in January '07. In fact the band organized annual tribute nights starting off in the Gweedore bar but eventually moving up to Derry's Nerve Center which holds 650 people.
Through their connection with Philomena the band got to meet their heroes in the reformed Thin Lizzy in Dublin's Olympia Theater back in 2004 and were asked to perform at several other Lizzy tribute nights all over Ireland and on the British Mainland.
Eventually after 4 ½ years and dozens of gigs the
lads decided to call it a day. The band left behind many memories of
loud drunken nights.