Tyrone band put a new twist on a classic song

FOLLOWING a name change after 18 years as ‘The Logues’ and having injected some fresh blood into the band, Brassneck Saints have released their first single ‘Roller Coaster’, an emotional cover of a Dutch classic which was originally performed by Danny Vera.

The Tyrone/Donegal based band have put a fresh, Irish folk spin on the classic track while keeping the soul and message intact, which was a deliberate choice by the band according to banjo player and guitarist Chris Speer.

“We have been playing a lot of festivals over in Holland lately and a friends of ours over there introduced us to the track,” he explained.

“We learnt it for a gig and couldn’t believe the reaction it got, so we kept playing it, eventually deciding to record and release it – it’s a lovely song and it was nice to put our own touch on it with a bit of banjo and fiddle.”

The track was recorded in Valley Studio in Ballybofey and produced by Terry McGinty.

The new single will also be accompanied by a music video filmed by Michael Gillespie.

It’s been a busy year for Brassneck Saints following a name change and a ‘clean break’ for the band.

“We started out as The Logues back in 2006 as a bit of joke for a one-off St Patrick’s Day gig but we stuck around,” said Chris.

“To be honest, we never really liked the name, so a name change served as a clean break from us.”

The band decided to change their name last year after founding member and namesake Justin Logue parted ways with the band to pursue a new career.

As The Logues, the band carved out a formidable name for themselves with a raucous, rebellious spirit and a catalogue of anthemic originals. They tore it up on major stages across Ireland, the UK, Europe, the UAE and the USA, earning a devoted following wherever they went.

Highlights included storming sets at The Ulster Hall, Electric Picnic, Dicky Woodstock in The Netherlands, Poyenberg in Germany, The Irish Village in Dubai, and barnstorming US shows that saw them play to huge festival crowds in Dallas, Texas and Waterloo, Iowa.

Now, as Brassneck Saints, the fire still burns – but with even more soul, swagger and strings.

Whether it’s a foot-stomping barn-burner, a haunting folk ballad, or a whiskey-soaked anthem that channels the grit of Springsteen and the spirit of The Pogues, Brassneck Saints are here to make sure the music hits harder, the stories run deeper, and the nights last longer.

The lineup features frontman Kiel Cathers on vocals and guitar, Chris Speer on banjo and guitar, bassist Chris Darragh, Darrell Nelson on drums, and Derek McGinley on fiddle.

Together, they bring decades of road-tested experience and a reputation for unforgettable live performances that leave crowds roaring for more.

With the introduction of fiddler Derek McGinley, Chris also explained that it was a change in the band’s sound that further inspired the name change.

“The hardest part was deciding on the name,” said Chris.

“It took us six months to settle on the new name which was picked from about 300 different ideas.

“There was rare suggestions among them, I’ll say that much!”

Look ahead to the rest of the years Chris said the band are excited to return to Holland next weekend where they perform at a number of festivals to up to 10,000 audience members.

He further teased a few more new songs will be released over the next few months.

“We have a few other songs on the pipeline,” he said.

“We will be releasing more new stuff over the next few months so listeners can expect a new track from us roughly every eight to 10 weeks.”

‘Roller Coaster’ by Brassneck Saints is available now on all major streaming services.