The Blades announce new The Academy show

The Blades have announced a headline show, set to take place in The Academy on December 12.

The Irish new-wave band was formed in Dublin in 1977, originally with Paul Cleary on bass, his brother Lar on guitar, and Pat Larkin on drums. The current lineup is made up of Cleary on guitar, with Brian Foley and Jack Reilly on Bass and Drums.

The Blades released their singles ‘The Bride Wore White’ and ‘Revelations of Heartbreak’ in 1982, earning the Most Promising Act award at the Hot Press Awards in the same year.

They released their first album The Last Man in Europe as well as the singles collection Raytown Revisited in 1985 via Reekus Records. Not long after, Raytown Revisited was included in the book 101 Irish Records (You Must Hear Before You Die) by music journalist Tony Clayton-Lea.

Before the band split in 1986, they played their last gig together in The Boxing Club in Drogheda. Since then, Paul Cleary has played with The Partisans and released his debut solo album Crooked Town in 2001. Around the same time, Pat Larkin was playing with The Peridots and Brian Foley was with The Mountain Climbers.

The Blades reformed in 2013 for some live performances in Dublin, including an appearance on The Late Late Show in the same year. In 2015, they released their first new music as The Blades since 1985, with a 4-track EP entitled Smalltime.

2025 saw them play several gigs in Cork, Dublin, Waterford, and Limerick. The band played at The Academy last December, and will be returning there next year.

Tickets for The Blade's The Academy show will go on sale on Tuesday, February 3.