County: Dublin

Decades Active: 1970s

About Alice

Alice, initially spelt as "Alyce", was formed in 1970 from the ashes of a band called Purple Pussycat by Eamonn Gibney (vocals), Gerry O'Donovan (guitar) and Peter Carr (drums), who all had previously been in said band, and also Paul Duffy (organ). The released a single "Let Us Break Bread Together", a gospel song, in the same year. Also in that year Peter Carr left and was replaced by Brian Donaghy on drums, while Paddy Freeney joined on bass. Jimi Slevin, formerly of Crossroads, came in on guitar, and Olly Byrne took over as their manager.

In August 1971, Alice headlined the Indoor Pop Festival in Dublin and continued to perform across Ireland.

In early 1972, the band made the bold move to New York, driven by the belief in their potential to break into the international music scene. However, their arrival was marked by a series of misfortunes, including missed flights, a lack of bookings, and no instruments. After a chance encounter, the band secured an introduction to the Wartoch production company, which led to them playing at the iconic Max's Kansas City with the New York Dolls as their support act.

In 1972, Alice changed their name to Brogue to avoid confusion with Alice Cooper. The band recorded several tracks in a small studio in New York, with plans to release an LP titled What The Experts Say About Your Driving. However, these plans collapsed, and the band returned to Ireland in disarray. The tapes for the planned album are now presumed lost.

A brief reformation of the band occurred in Easter 1973 with a new lineup, but this iteration was short-lived and left no recordings. After the band's dissolution, Gibney and O'Donovan formed the Gibney & Donovan Band, which continued into 1978. Gibney also had a stint in Skid Row (1973-75) and released solo material. Jimi Slevin went on to form Peggy's Leg.