Pugwash (band)

[3][4] Using the money from a compensation award following a childhood accident, Walsh set up a recording facility in a shed in his parents' garden.

The recognition led to an introduction to US producer and musician Kim Fowley, who asked Walsh to play guitar for him live and in studio.

[7] Following positive reviews for Almond Tea, Pugwash embarked on a lengthy tour of Ireland, supporting numerous visiting artists including Television and Grant-Lee Phillips.

Again co-produced by Walsh and Farrell and featuring contributions from Air and Beck collaborator Jason Falkner, Almanac was another collection of similarly melodic and retro-styled songs which invited comparisons to classic 1960s and 1970s pop.

[8] Almanac track "Anyone Who Asks" would later be used prominently in the 2008 Hollywood movie Pride and Glory, starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell.

[10][11][12][13] In mid-2006, Pugwash was invited by radio DJ Rick O'Shea to take part in a fund-raising concert in aid of Brainwave, the Irish epilepsy association.

Towards the end of the year, the band posted rough versions of a number of tracks and revealed the album was due to be released in February 2008.

The album once again featured contributions from Jason Falkner, Dave Gregory, Eric Matthews, Tosh Flood and the Section Quartet and also included Brian Wilson collaborator Nelson Bragg, acclaimed US singer-songwriter Michael Penn and Andy Partridge.

The Olympus Sound featured guest appearances from Neil Hannon, Dave Gregory and Andy Partridge, as well as US singer Ben Folds on piano.

A second Duckworth Lewis Method album, Sticky Wickets was released in July 2013, featuring guest performances from Stephen Fry and Daniel Radcliffe, and the band supported Matt Berry on a UK tour.

As newer fans of the band emerged, unable to obtain the early material, for limited periods during 2013 and 2014 followers of Walsh's Facebook page were given the opportunity to purchase a limited edition 15th anniversary re-release of Almond Tea (featuring new artwork), plus home-made reprint editions of Almanac (housed in surplus packaging left over from its 2002 release).

September 2014 saw a US deal with Omnivore Recordings and a new compilation, A Rose in a Garden of Weeds: A Preamble Through The History of Pugwash, bringing the band to the North American market for the first time.