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The band was formed in the late 1990s by lead singer Mark Greaney and drummer Fergal Matthews. The two recruited the third and final member Hilary Woods as Bassist and formed the trio, playing gigs in Ireland while still studying for their Leaving Cert exams.

The band released their first album, the self titled 'JJ72' in Autumn, 2000, following the completion of their Leaving Cert. Released to great acclaim by Music Journalist s and the music buying public alike, the album has sold in excess of 500,000 copies in their native Ireland and the United Kingdom . The album spawned the singles; 'Snow', 'October swimmer', 'Long way south', 'Oxygen' and 'Algeria', and saw the band tour Europe , the US and Japan .

The band followed the release of the first album with the release of their second album, 'I To Sky' in October 2002 . This release was panned by critics; however, it did reach the top 5 of the Irish album charts and the top 20 of the British charts, which led to the singles; 'Formulae (22)' and 'Always and Forever (42)' being released from that album.

In March 2003 bassist Hilary Woods left the band citing 'to pursue other interests' as the cause. Greaney and Matthews recruited another bassist, Canadian-born Sarah Fox, and the band continued as a three piece. After a two year silence, the band embarked on their first tour with Sarah Fox in May 2005 and released the download and 7" only single 'She's Gone'. A second new single, 'Coming Home' followed quietly in August 2005, peaking at number 52 in the UK charts. A second, small venue tour followed in September 2005, with Mark Greany sounding his frustrations regarding the release of the third album. The band have completed work on a new album (rumoured to be titled 'On' or 'Heaven City Falls'), however no release date has been set due to an on going dispute with current record labels Lakota records and Columbia Records/Sony. Songs tipped to be on the album include: 'Take From Me', 'Rainfalls', 'Underground', 'Maria', 'Everything', 'Radio' and 'Some Day'.

The band have started an online diary at www.jj72.blogspot.com which is regularly updated.


NAME

Only Greaney knows what the name of the band, JJ72, actually means. Speculative guesses have included:

  • Janis Joplin 's weight at the height of her demise.

  • A reference to his and Fergal's old school Belvedere College (James Joyce is a past pupil, and at the time they had last won the Leinster Senior Cup in 1972 ).

  • A rather high, 72, number of Jam Jars that had lined Greaney's classroom.

  • JJ - the name of an uncle of Fergal's who had died at the time of forming the band, 72 - a year important to both Mark and Fergal's parents.

  • James Joyce 1972



DISCOGRAPHY

Albums


Singles

  • Pillows (Oxygen) (Spring 1999 )

  • October Swimmer (November 1999 )

  • Snow (February 2000 )

  • Long Way South (May 2000 )

  • Oxygen (August 2000 ) #23 UK

  • October Swimmer (October 2000 ) #29 UK

  • Snow (January 2001 ) #21 UK

  • Formulae (September 2002 ) #28 UK

  • Always And Forever (February 2003 ) 42

  • She's Gone (June 2005 )

  • Coming Home (August 2005 ) #52 UK



EXTERNAL LINKS

  • JJ72 Official Page

  • http://www.jj72.org/

  • http://www.octoberswimmer.co.nr/

  • http://www.jj72.tk/

  • http://www.jj72.blogspot.com/

  • http://www.jj72.org.uk/

  • JJ72 Lyrics