About Katmandu
Katmandu, a five-piece band formed in 1978, was led by the charismatic Marty Lundy, who had been a fixture on the Belfast club circuit since 1974 with his previous bands Zenith and then Dirtywork.
The original Katmandu lineup included Lundy on vocals, Peter McKinney on drums, Trevor Hutchinson on bass, Pat 'Fitzy' Fitzpatrick on keyboards, and Iggy Ward on guitar. They established their creative base in Fitzy’s rented flat in the city, where they wrote and rehearsed for the next eighteen months. Their influences spanned Roxy Music, XTC, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Talking Heads, and David Bowie, gravitating towards the more avant-garde rock rather than the mainstream punk dominating Belfast at the time.
In 1979, the band relocated to Dublin in pursuit of a record deal. By late July, they secured a regular Sunday afternoon slot at the Baggot Inn, which soon expanded to an evening slot due to their growing popularity. They also held Thursday night residencies at the Sallynoggin Inn and Tuesday nights at The Sportsman’s Inn, quickly establishing themselves as one of Dublin’s premier live acts in the early 1980s.
Their sole single, "I Can Make The Future" b/w "Australia," was released in 1980 on the local Spider label. The single garnered considerable interest from major labels, and the band made several TV appearances on RTE and UTV. However, a major deal eluded them. A follow-up single was recorded in 1981 but was never released, and the band returned to Belfast the following year. A trove of unreleased material from this period includes tracks such as "Just Trying To Get My Act Together," "Don’t Let Me Stop You," "Complicated Game," "I’m Glad I’m Me," "Gimmie The Gimmick," "New Trick," and "Money Is The Magic Wand."
Upon their return to Belfast, the band reformed, though Fitzy had moved on to become a sought-after session player. Hutchinson later joined The Waterboys in Dublin, and McKinney became part of The 4 Of Us while also guesting with The Waterboys.
Marty Lundy continued to front a version of Katmandu until his sudden death on April 14, 2020. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in East Belfast at the age of 68.
Video
Katmandu - I can make the future
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