Narrated by Ronan Collins, ‘A Little Bit Showband’ takes a nostalgic trip back to this golden period in Irish life and discovers how six of the leading Showband stars were catapulted from their ordinary lives into a world of jiving, electric guitars, adoring fans and life on the road. Each star has their own story to tell and the series reveals how their lives were changed for better or worse by being part of this unique time in the country’s history. The series also uncovers exactly what happened to each of them once the mirror ball stopped spinning and the public turned it’s back on the ballrooms.
Each week a different Showband star is interviewed and along with some previously unseen footage, ‘A Little Bit Showband’ uses archive film from the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s to illustrate the highs and lows of this special group of men and women who kept Ireland entertained for so long.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN had the movie star looks and the voice to match. He was first introduced to Rock and Roll while growing up in Cork in the 1950s and dreamed of one day becoming a star. But his education came first and he found himself in London studying architecture. However a local band back home called The Dixielanders were aware of his singing talent and asked him to return to Ireland to audition for the band. He jumped at the chance and made the journey home. His ability to imitate ‘Rock and Roll’ star Buddy Holly proved to be a showstopper and he was never to return to a life of 9-5 in London.
With a mix of songs from Brendan and comedy from drummer Joe Mac, The Dixielanders stood out in an era where there were over 700 Showbands competing for the top spots. The bands success continued throughout the 1960s with numerous top ten hits including Little Arrows which reached the No. 1 spot in 1968.
By the time the Showband era was coming to a close, Brendan O’Brien and Joe Mac were so well known that it was suggested they form their own band and Stage Two was started. The two friends looked forward to many more years performing together but fate was to deal Brendan a terrible blow. He was critically injured one evening when he was electrocuted on stage. His injuries were so severe that he was unable to return to performing and the life he had loved so much. This twist of fate was to have a lasting effect on Brendan and he turned to alcohol to ease the pain. In this programme Brendan speaks openly about his battle with addiction and how he overcame it eventually. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he occasionally joined his former band mates on stage but never managed to recreate the success he had in the 1960s and early 70s.
He planned to re-launch his singing career by going back into the recording studio in autumn 2008 but sadly Brendan passed away during the making of this programme and unfortunately never realised this dream.