THE 4 OF US are one of the most acclaimed bands in Ireland, having been a steadfast part of Irish music history for over 25 years.
Blending contemporary roots with rock, the award-winning band was formed by brothers Brendan and Declan Murphy from the border town of Newry in Northern Ireland.
Their truly unique sound has garnered a large and loyal fan base and an enviable catalogue of timeless songs, including six Top 20 Irish charting albums and several hit singles. Regulars on Irish radio playlists, their music has also been featured extensively on American, UK, and Irish TV soundtracks.
THE 4 OF US shot to early fame towards the end of 1989 with their debut Songs for the Tempted, which featured the massive hits Mary and Drag My Bad Name Down. The follow- up Man Alive made Q magazine’s prestigious Top 50 Albums of 1992 and included the UK Top 30 song She Hits Me.
Sugar Island, their latest album, explores the Murphy brothers’ early years growing up in a border town during the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland. As singer Brendan recalls: “It was a dark time for sure, but as kids we still managed to have a lot of fun. Everyone who lived through that time has their own stories to tell; we thought we’d share some of ours.”
The title track refers to the landmark heart of their hometown, which was also a popular meeting place for young lovers.
The opening song, Birds Eye View recalls the mixture of fear and excitement as a young Brendan watched the conflict unfold from his bedroom window at night, kept awake by the racket of helicopters and gunfire- just a stone’s throw from their home to the edges of the danger zone.
“With this one, we’ve really come full circle” says Declan. “When we first started, THE 4 OF US was just two guys and two guitars. This album is a return to that ethos.
SUGAR ISLAND ALBUM REVIEWS
IRISH TIMES 4/5 Border boys in troubled times … Rational, perceptive pop/folk of the highest order.
HOT PRESS MAGAZINE Intricate arrangements, skilful lyric writing, and as we have come to expect from The 4 Of Us, the songs are imbued with considerable melodic flair. Excellent.
DAILY EXPRESS Tales of growing up that perfectly capture the dark times.
ACOUSTIC MAGAZINE There’s no polemic at work here, just a clutch of great songs telling it like it was, performed with an honesty that makes this rather special.
SUNDAY TIMES Sugar Island has won some of the best reviews of their career … several landmarks are referenced by the brothers in songs such as Going South and Hometown on the Border, the latter’s mention of ‘soldiers tapping their heels’ being especially evocative.
Book a table for pre-concert dining
Acapela Studio provides pre-concert dining between 6.00pm and 7.30pm from our pizza oven. To view the current menu visit here.
Please purchase your concert tickets first before booking a table. We will not accept any table bookings that do not have a corresponding ticket purchase.
Then return to the event page to book your table, by selecting the date of your event, number of diners and time you require table. The times shown are the only vacancies left. Please complete your email and phone number as this is required to ensure your table is allocated. You will receive confirmation of your booking by email and text.
If on the date you have chosen no tables are available - no times will be shown and the booking system will revert you back to todays date - PLEASE ENSURE YOU BOOK THE CORRECT DATE!
PLEASE NOTE THE VENUE RELIES ON THE INCOME FROM DINING TO ENSURE WE CAN BOOK ALL THE GREAT ACTS PERFORMING.
Income from the provision of pizzas is very important to the venue and if you have booked a table it is a requirement that all people sat at tables order food - a salad alternative is available to pizzas. Please do ensure that all individuals will be ordering on your table - if this is not the case please cancel your table so others who are looking to dine can do so. Our apologies to raise this but recently we have had many tables (some very large) where less than 50% of those sat at tables have ordered food. Financially this is a real problem to the sustainability of the venue.
- All seating at tables must purchase a pizza - so please do not book a table if everyone is not eating.
- Please ensure that you arrive 10 minutes before the time slot allocated to order your pizzas prior to your booking time.
- Tables not seated within 15 minutes of the allocated time may be lost and allocated to other audience members wishing to order pizzas.
- If you wish to book a table for 6 or more please email info@acapela.co.uk
Please note that all of our pizzas are made fresh to order and cooked in an authentic wood-fired oven. It may take up to 45 minutes to be served during busy periods.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO BOOK A TABLE YOU CAN STILL ORDER PIZZAS ON THE NIGHT (USUALLY ON BUSY NIGHTS NO LATER THAN 7.15PM) AND WE WILL SERVE THEM TO YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE SAT IN THE VENUE - IN A PIZZA BOX.