Until the dawn of the 70s, live music in Ireland had been a vibrant but disorganised scene, hosted entirely in pubs, clubs and college halls that valiantly attempted to shake off the lingering post-war monochrome cloud. Though Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy and the Hendrixproduced Eire Apparent were among the first rock acts of note to emerge from the grey as the decade began to unravel, a more unusual outfit came through to infuse the Emerald Isle’s youth with life-affirming escapism.
In that era of devastating social and political crises, Horslips revolutionised the country’s live music landscape by cultivating a new live rock circuit, packing out ballrooms normally reserved for tuxedo-clad show bands. They also showed that it was possible to create and release music purely on their own terms, and by embracing their folk heritage they helped restore national pride while simultaneously pioneering a whole new genre.