The core of the Irish band the Revenants is Stephen Ryan (guitar, vocals), Doug Steen (guitar), Jeremy Irvin (bass), Chris Heaney (drums) and Don Ryan (keyboards), although ex-Would Be singer Eileen Gogan and Something Happens! drummer Eamonn Ryan and bass player Ray Harman also contributed to the group’s debut album. Stephen Ryan had formerly played with the much-loved Stars Of Heaven, a band who never quite conquered the public the way they did the press. After their break-up Ryan retreated to the studio to work on a new collection of songs with fellow Dublin native Steen. These songs and a band to play them finally came to fruition at the end of 1992 with the advent of the debut album Horse Of A Different Colour. With Ryan’s plangent, almost unforthcoming vocals, and patent lyrical wit, it was a fine collection of songs that spanned territory somewhere between R.E.M. and 10, 000 Maniacs. One theme, alcohol, was poignantly revisited in several lyrics, notably ‘Let’s Get Falling Down (Drunk Tonight)’ and ‘The Drinking Side Of Me’, though Ryan professed that ‘Most of the songs are love songs of one kind or another.’