THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Provocative alternative-punks The Wood Burning Savages are an incendiary quartet from Derry city that proudly wear the rebel spirit of their hometown on their sleeves.
Winners of the NI Music Prize, their ferocious debut album Stability beat out the likes of Snow Patrol, Ash and Bicep to become the first self-released work to win Northern Ireland Album of the Year. The band also took home the prize of Best Northern Irish Live Act with BBC Radio 6 Music’s Tom Robinson describing vocalist Paul Connolly as “one of the next generation’s great rock frontmen.” With blistering riffs and a sharp political edge, they are often compared to Idles, Frank Turner and The Clash.
Their second album Hand To Mouth is, in their own words, a grizzlier, fast-paced album. “The past few years have been a pressure cooker for all of us and I think our own pent-up frustration comes across in the album,” says Connolly. He knows from pressure cookers: Along with everything else going on in the world, Connolly also had to deal with a life-changing illness which took hold during a tour last year.
“If it wasn’t for the phenomenal hospital staff who looked after me, I don’t think I would still be here today,” he says. “Just as the band returned to releasing music and playing shows, my body began to break down. I tried to power through, but I could only ignore the signs for so long. It was incredibly scary. For months doctors struggled to treat me as they couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. I continued to lose a huge amount of weight and at one stage I struggled to get out of bed for weeks. It was the lowest moment of my life.’
Paul’s road to recovery has been long but we’re thankful that he’s back with the band. “The past 18 months have been hell at times. But it puts everything in perspective.”
