Hughie Friel of The Atrix Has Died

Hot Press has learned with great sadness of the death of Hughie Friel, a mainstay with the hugely original Dublin punk-era band The Atrix.

The band – led by the enigmatic poet and lyricist John Barrowman – were among the most fascinating of the late 1970s and early 1980s. They released seminal singles in ’The Moon Is Puce’ and ’Treasure On The Wasteland’ and were signed to Double Dee Records, run by the music biz mogul Dave Dee, who himself had been part of the successful pop act Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch.

"Only a year after the sad passing of keyboard player Chris Green, comes the shocking news that the drummer with The Atrix, Hughie Friel, died yesterday at Beaumont Hospital after a short illness,” the former manager of the band, Billy McGrath wrote in a Facebook post. "For fans of The Atrix many felt Hughie was the musical powerhouse. His percussion skills were extraordinary and (as manager 1979-1981) I often watched in awe as he effortlessly changed tempo and styles with every song.

"There was no drummer like him," McGrath added, in a stirring testimony. "Imagine a cross between the delicacy of jazz supremo John Wadham and aggression of Animal from the Muppets! You only have to listen the singles 'The Moon is Puce' (Mulligan 1979) produced by Philip Chevron; 'Treasure on the Wasteland' - produced by Ultravox guitarist and singer Midge Ure - and ‘Procession', produced by John Leckie (Stone Roses, Simple Minds, Radio Head) in 1981.”

The Atrix were among the great talents of the generation of musicians who stepped to the fore in what was a hugely exciting moment for Irish music.

“I really loved The Atrix,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. “They were a properly bohemian outfit, four people who were committed to the idea that you really could make great art in the context of contemporary music – long before that idea was widely accepted. They wrote brilliant songs – ’Treasure On The Wasteland is a stone-gone Irish rock classic and a definitive statement about Dublin in that era – and delivered them with real urgency and style.

"There were literary and theatrical influences at work in their music, but they were also pushing the outside of the envelope, in the vein of bands like Talking Heads and XTC, in terms of rhythms, melodies and musicianship. Hughie Friel was integral to all of that and so this is a very sad day for people who hanker after the real deal. Our thoughts are with his family and close friends."

The band were also hugely influential.

"Upstairs in Captain America's (maybe 1980?) U2’s Larry Mullen told me that his drum pattern for '11 O’Clock Tick Tock' was inspired by Hughie’s playing on Treasure,” Billy McGrath stated. "He inspired many and often. What drew me to the band was their ability to jump in and out of varied styles, moods and the soundtrack was packed with surprises. Actually bass player Dick Conroy was the only Southsider and – unlike the other trio – didn’t emerge from the same Dublin alternative cabaret and theatre scene that sparked the creative journeys of a successful motley crew of Northside troubadours –The Virgin Prunes, Neil Jordan, Jim & Peter Sheridan, The Radiators and more.”

There has been much sadness over the years at the way in which circumstances got the better of The Atrix – with the result that the band fell way short of their potential.

"Cheerleader, guitarist and vocalist John Borrowman passed away in Copenhagen in 1998,” Billy McGrath explained. "In September 2019 The Atrix reformed for one night only – with Dick on bass and Hughie on lead vocals plus long-standing ally Paddy Goodwin on guitar with special guest ex-Horslips Jim Lockhart on keys – to celebrate the release of an anthology album of The Atrix (Dublin 1979-1981).

"Sadly Chris Green only left us last year and after the ceremony in Glasnevin I sat upstairs in a bar in Artane alongside Hughie for a few hours swapping stories, memories and a few beers. He always had that childlike view of the world and never a bad word to say about anybody. He was enjoying life in North Dublin with his wife Meleesa and planning to upgrade his studio; looking forward to a special Atrix show that Dick Conroy was planning for at the end of 2023 in Dublin plus compiling material for a new album. Pray that does still happen.

"In the meantime,” McGrath concluded, "if you own The Atrix singles or the album Procession, savour the unique talents of Hughie Friel. Otherwise google away – play them loud and proud. My memory of Hughie is that his glass was always half full. For a lot of Irish music fans, his friends and loved ones this world just got a little emptier. RIP Mr Hughie Friel husband, gentleman and artist."

* Hughie Friel is first on the left in the Hot Press cover shot, taken by Colm Henry. The full left to right reads: Hughie Friel, Chris Green, John Borrowman and Dick Conroy.