The Blow Monkeys

The Blow Monkeys play Dublin on 2 October 2026 at Opium, 26 Wexford Street, Dublin 2. Formed in London in 1981 around singer and songwriter Dr. Robert, with Mick Anker on bass, Neville Henry on saxophone and Tony Kiley on drums, the quartet found its line between new wave, sophisti-pop, soul and a light funk pulse. Hooks, sleek arrangements and a dancing rhythm section frame lyrics that often lean toward social themes.

The trajectory runs from the early spark of Animal Magic (1986) and the single Digging Your Scene to She Was Only a Grocer’s Daughter (1987), which includes a duet with Curtis Mayfield, then Whoops! There Goes the Neighbourhood (1989) and Springtime for the World (1990). After a split in the early 90s, the band reformed in 2007 and resumed steady work on stage and in the studio with Devil’s Tavern, Staring at the Sea, Feels Like a New Morning, If Not Now, When?, The Wild River and Journey to You. Live, their sound leans on sax-coloured textures, clean guitar lines and supple grooves, drawing a thread between the polished pop-soul of their beginnings and the warmer shades of their later albums.