Savage Hearts

For some time now at an undisclosed location in Ireland, a cohort of faithful musicians headed up by Evan Walsh (former drummer with The Strypes) have been gathering under the collective moniker of The Savage Hearts to pay homage and worship the life and works of highly mysterious and hugely uncelebrated Cavan rock ’n’ roll alpha beast Eddie Cruizer (star of such drive-in flops as The Creature That Ate Your Sister and Hot Rod Rocky & The Asbury Playboys vs Dracula), these fine striplings have conquered their demons and created – via the medium of extreme hostility and contrived aloofness – a body of wildly unhinged music absorbing influences from Eddie Cruizer’s vast knowledge of garage rock, psychedelia, rhythm & blues, cow-punk and generalised lo-fi-speed-freak-fuzz-mania from lo these many years. And now – ! – the questionable actions of these individuals has been captured on wax for better or worse, first in debut single “Gang War” and now in the form the band’s sophomore single on Blowtorch Records – up front the thuggish bruiser boogie of “Speeding Bullets” (co-authored with patented ACME killer lyric machine Ste Kelly of Dublin’s own indie powerhouse Raglans) tests the listener’s endurance before giving way to mile-a-minute lovesick sonata “Only Lovers Left Alive” – two garage rockin’ psych trippin’ stomps that are sure to thrill and leave a thousand questions on even more lips regarding these elusive men, their punk-soul-sister Red Bexter and the legend of Eddie Cruizer – who is he?? Where does he come from?? Why does he bother??

Since forming in 2022, The Savage Hearts have made several appearances on the Irish scene including sets at Electric Picnic, Sea Sessions and many others. The band have performed support slots including a notable appearance as specials guests of The Boomtown Rats in July 2023 (Evan later joining the Rats onstage for a jam of Mary Of The 4th Form and John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom), appearances with The Undertones (“Teenage Kicks”) throughout 2024 as well as their own celebrated club shows on the Irish scene. The band’s first single “Gang War” was released in collaboration with Blowtorch Records, an Irish indie record label based out of Galway whose previous credits include Adore, Turnstiles, Search Results, TV People and The Swedish Railway Orchestra. The band also secured its debut UK shows in London playing at legendary venues the Dublin Castle, Camden (Madness, The Libertines, Amy Winehouse) and Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues (run by London club legend and musician Gaz Mayall, son of ‘godfather of British blues’ John Mayall). Upon its release in February 2024, “Gang War” enjoyed a rapturous response from the band’s followers and critics alike. The single shot to No 1 on the Irish Downloads Chart on the day of release, remaining in the top three for a week afterwards. Now armed with a ferocious follow-up in the form of “Speeding Bullets” the Savage Hearts are back with a bang…