TheRE'S SIMPLY no stopping for Dublin quintet The Thrills. It has only been a year since the band released their debut album So Much For the City, and they released their second one, Let's Bottle Bohemia, last September. The group is writing songs for their third album while on a world tour. Led by childhood friends Conor Deasy (vocals) and Daniel Ryan (guitar-cum-vocals), The Thrills also include guitarist Padraic McMahon, drummer Ben Carrigan and keyboardist Kevin Horan. They were discovered by Morrissey of The Smiths, who offered the fledgling band an opening spot for his London concert. Much of their style is inspired by a four-month visit to San Diego, California, in 1999, where they fell under the influence of American music. Their music has a 1970s American sound with a modern edge that has proved popular. So Much for the City was one of the biggest debut albums released in Britain. Influenced by the likes of Neil Young, the Byrds and the Beach Boys, the debut album's American touch can be heard in Big Sur, Your Love Is Like Las Vegas, Santa Cruz and Hollywood Kids. In Let's Bottle Bohemia, the Dubliners still sound more American than Irish. Producer Dave Sardy, who has worked with Marilyn Manson and Johnny Cash, has definitely contributed to the album's American sound. Speaking from Sydney where they performed a concert last week, Ryan said they had written a few songs that might appear in their third album. 'We have a few ideas and have done some demos. It's a bit too early to say if they will be used for the third [album] but we definitely want to get going,' he said. 'Our first two albums were done in California and there is always the temptation to go back as the studios there are great. But we will also consider making the forthcoming one in Ireland ... for a change.' Ryan said they were interested in taking their tour to Asia - with a stopover in Hong Kong - but needed to gauge the demand first. Last year was a remarkable one for The Thrills. In addition to the release of their much-anticipated second album, they were invited by Sir Bob Geldof to take part in Band Aid 20 with top British artists such as U2 in Do They Know It's Christmas? 'Working with Band Aid 20 was great fun,' said Ryan. 'It was very nice of Bob to let us work with the group. We are from the same part of Dublin, so we are quite friendly. 'Last year was good enough for us as we got the album out. We have been very lucky. 'I know many bands wanted [such luck] but weren't as successful. 'But it wasn't an overnight success for us. We didn't get a record deal in the first few years. We worked very hard and were patient enough to wait for it to happen.' The Thrills' charitable work will extend beyond Band Aid 20. Ryan said they were working with other bands on a charity concert to be held in London next month to raise funds for the tsunami victims in Asia.
