Gangsters' Paradise: Hot Press meets Godfathers

Formed from the ashes of The Sid Presley Experience, Godfathers emerged in 1985 on a mission to bring raw rock 'n' roll to a scene dominated by New Romantics and MTV pop. With brothers Peter and Chris Coyne at the core they resembled a punk Kray Twins, playing up their “gangsters-with-guitars” image.

Forming their own record label, Corporate Image, they took to the road with a vengeance, frontman Peter recalls.

“Me and my brother started out big Roxy Music fans. Then we began going to see a lot of punk bands, around ’77/ ’78. After that it started getting boring. The '80s were very sterile and homogenised. We thought we could do it better. We formed our own band. The idea was to be more gritty, more hard edged.”

Progress was initially slow. But by the time they released second album, Birth, School, Work, Death in 1987 they'd broken through and were attracting a strong following. The follow-up, 1989’s More Songs About Love And Hate, did even better, charting in the UK.

“It’s always tough for a new group. With each record it got bigger and better. We went out to the States quite early. That helped – straight away, our stuff started to be played on American college radio.”

Godfathers impressed at least one fledgling US outfit.

“Nirvana used to come and see us in Seattle. They must have picked up something. They introduced themselves to us one night after a gig. I remember this blond bloke [ie Kurt Cobain] sitting at the bar not saying much while I was talking to the other guys in the band. It’s nice to think we might have had an effect on them.”

The band split in 2001, only to reform in 2008 and release an album recorded at London’s famed 100 Club. Last year’s Juke Box Fury was well-received. They continue to record when the mood strikes. Coyne says: “The one thing me and Chris decided when we got back together was that we wanted to make new music and not just play our old stuff. Juke Box Fury got some great reviews. We’ve won a lot of new fans.”

Currently on a UK tour with Stiff Little Fingers, Godfathers are no strangers to Ireland. They return this month for dates in Cork and at the Trinity Ball – the band’s second time playing the event.

“We did McGonagles in 1991 and the Trinity Ball the next day – that was 23 years ago," Coyne recalls. “I remember it well. It was one of the most mental evenings in my entire life. I don’t want to get into specifics as I believe some of the people involved are running Ireland now!

“We’re enjoying playing more than ever,” he concludes. “We’ve had some fantastic dates with Stiff Little Fingers – the best at Barrowlands in Glasgow on St Patrick’s Day. There was something magical about that night.”