From LiR To Eternity

They were supposed to be the next U2. Supposed to break America, not break down. But at some point in the mid ‘90s, things turned sour for Dublin’s LiR, and all their future held was legal wranglings over financial losses with their old management and thoughts of what might have been. Bassist Rob Malone, who has gone on to have a successful career playing and writing with David Gray, is trying to pinpoint where it all went wrong.

“The wheels came off when they literally came off in America,” he sighs. “We had a couple of crashes. There were seven of us in one motel room. We used to have to toss a coin to see the four people who would get the bed. But then you had no sheets because the sheets were for the three people on the floor. It was grueling, how we stayed together I’ll never know. Our drummer got sick, he had a breakdown. We had an argument with our management and thought, ‘This is it, we have to go home’. It got to the point where we thought we were going to kill ourselves. From there, we sorta resurrected the band and had some minor single success in Ireland but it was the beginning of the end. We took a break, the break continued, the whole court case arose and that was pretty much it.”
It’s all captured in new documentary Good Cake Bad Cake, from acclaimed Headrush and Soulboy director Shimmy Marcus. Originally due for release last year but delayed until the court case was finally settled, it debuts in the Sugar Club this month.
“The delay is totally in keeping with the theme of everything LiR do!” laughs Marcus. “We’re absolutely relieved that finally after so many years, not only will people get to see the film, but that they also get to see a side of a popular band that people don’t know. You get these big mega-star bands, but most people I know can’t relate to the limo, the private jet, the hookers and the coke. The reality is: ‘Where are we getting petrol money to go down to Sligo this weekend for a gig?’”
Sitting down and talking about their career proved a cathartic experience for LiR.
“They got to say their side of the story,” continues Marcus. “The film gave them a voice. Obviously as a filmmaker you have to be totally neutral, you can’t take sides. So everyone gets a voice, including the manager. But they’re happy that their side of the story is out now and the fact that the whole legal thing is resolved is a huge weight off them.”
Malone, teaching bass at BIMM before he re-enters the studio with Gray, concurs.
“It’s been a cloud hanging over not only everybody’s career, but everybody’s life. I was worried that it was a sad movie. Because we didn’t make it, and that was our goal. But I came out feeling happy, that it was really good and I enjoyed it. It was weird going to see it. Very strange to see your young life unfold in front of you.”
What does Marcus hope people will take away from the film?
“To admire the band for their courage and persistence. It comes down to that question of, ‘How long do you keep dreaming?’ At what point do you give up the dream or do you just decide that you don’t care how long it takes? That’s the most resilient, amazing thing about the band that I found inspiring.”
Malone concludes: “There’s not a day that goes by without me thinking of LiR. It makes me so appreciative of what I have now. I did my apprenticeship with LiR. We’re still close as friends, still play together the odd time. It’s still very special.”

Good Cake Bad Cake premieres at the Sugar Club, Dublin, on March 20.