THE LYNCHBURG MOB
CASTLEKNOCK, COUNTY DUBLIN
Although The Lynchburg Mob are merely in their infancy, they are taking Dublin’s gigging scene by storm. Since their inception in early 2008, the LBM lads have grown in terms of both talent and stature. However, the formation of this band was really set in motion back in 2007 when three school-friends decided to combine their innate musical talents. It was in the corridors and classrooms of Castleknock Community College where Ian Plunkett, Paul Stokes and, the aptly named, Darragh Lynch aired their desires to form a band.
All three had exhibited their individual talent in the school talent show and could see the underlying potential of pooling their resources. While lead singer, Ian Plunkett, and guitarist Darragh Lynch had been utilising and fine-tuning their natural musical ability from an early age, the path towards a future in music was a lot more incongruous for drummer Paul Stokes. Having represented both Dublin and Ireland at underage basketball, Paul’s teenage years were mostly spent improving his sporting talent. However, after receiving a small percussion set as a present, the drummer inside him gradually emerged. Now, it is his basketball that is forced to take the backseat.
As so often is the case, the final piece of the jigsaw proved much harder to put in place. Indeed, the search for a bass guitarist to complement the abundant talent that was already in place threw up some obstacles. Fortunately, after months of hunting, their pursuit was ended when Brian Diskin came on board. Thus, The Lynchburg Mob were finally given the green light and immediately got down to work.
Although they state that their influences are U2, Kings of Leon, The Editors and Interpol, The Lynchburg Mob undoubtedly possess an original sound. They have the perfect blend of nurtured musical talent and raw musical talent. Front-man Ian Plunkett possesses an unbelievable voice which is both unique and contemporary. The creativity of Darragh Lynch and his array of musical talents which include guitar, backing vocals and piano allow for the propensity to produce truly diverse music, while bassist Brian Diskin provides some inspired riffs which complement their style perfectly. The raw talent of drummer Paul Stokes gives the band that extra dimension and he provides some creative beats which act as the backbone to songs such as ‘revolutionise’.
Following months of rehearsal and jamming in the Stokes’ living room, LBM were finally ready to unleash themselves onto Dublin’s gig scene. First up was a fairly low-key outing in Temple Bar’s The Think Tank. The lads played a six-song set and left everyone in attendance chanting for more.
Over the next couple of months, The Lynchburg Mob gigged across Dublin in some of the plethora of venues which it possesses. Even though these gigs proved to be a success and LBM undoubtedly expanded their ever-increasing fan-base, it was not until March when The Lynchburg Mob truly announced themselves on the Dublin gig scene.
The opportunity to do so came as they were headlining a charity gig organised by front-man Ian Plunkett (the comparisons to Bono are present for more than just one reason). The gig was an unequivocal success. The atmosphere in Doran’s, a venue which on occasion possesses an inherent aura of apathy, was absolutely electric. As the support acts were strutting their stuff, the numbers simply continued to pour in. By the time the main act entered the fray, 200 LBM enthusiasts were shoulder to shoulder, very squashed, but eagerly awaiting the lads’ performance. They were not disappointed. However, The Lynchburg Mob’s profile was not the only thing which benefitted from that night; approximately €2,000 was collected for the worthy charity.
Whelans’ main stage was next up for the lads and their fans were in for another treat as the quality of their performance was probably the best to date. Indeed, top quality performances were beginning to become synonymous with The Lynchburg Mob. While the fans became accustomed to the lyrics from previous gigs, new songs ‘the importance of remaining earnest’ and ‘loose change’ proved to be instant fans’ favourites.
With the summer on the horizon, the LBM lads knew it would bring with it mixed emotions. On the positive side of things, the lads would be returning to the scene of their most successful gig to date in Doran’s, they would appear on the popular music site Balcony TV and they would finally be entering the studio to make their debut EP. However, on the flipside, these would be their last acts for the summer as prior commitments meant a break for the summer was unavoidable.
Balcony TV was of great benefit to The Lynchburg Mob as it enabled them to get themselves out there a bit more and try to expand their fan-base. LBM played an excellent acoustic version of their mellow and lyrically provocative hit ‘Edgartown’ and received rave reviews by the site’s regular visitors, amassing a five-star user-rating.
Next on the agenda was Doran’s part two. The success of the last Doran’s gig ensured that there could be no room for error here and the lads did not disappoint. Behind the scenes, band managers Matthew Mooney and John Stokes had been working tirelessly trying to promote LBM’s final gig before their summer sabbatical. Once again The Lynchburg Mob broke the 200 barrier, with Doran’s claiming it was their “best attendance for over four months”. Fans were treated to a first hearing of new song ‘curfew’ which is just another in the long line of gems the LBM lads continue to produce.
So the lads crammed into their Rathmines studio for a recording session with the talented and much sought after producer Andy Knightly. After two long days of hard work, The Lynchburg Mob’s first EP was put together. The EP allows for a great range and variety of song with the fast-pace and buzz of ‘revolutionise’ complemented by the laid-back yet vocally inspiring ‘Edgartown’. Thrown into the mix is the incredibly diverse and musically layered ‘the importance of remaining earnest’, which is a true gem from The Lynchburg Mob.
Thus, the summer has arrived and therefore the break is upon us. However, with the LBM lads continuing to work on new material we are sure to be in for a treat when they reconvene in September. Although it is early days for The Lynchburg Mob, it seems only a matter of time before they obtain the success and recognition which their innate talent merits.
