Tony Monaghan will be giving it the ‘heavy, heavy monster sound’ with his ‘Oi Oi Soundsystem at the Electric Picnic next month.
THE ELECTRIC PICNIC beckons again for another Tralee creative.
Tony Monaghan, will be bringing his ‘Oi Oi Soundsystem’ reggae experience to the famous music festival at the end of this month.
The ‘Oi Oi Soundsystem’ will be rubbing shoulder with such world renowned artists as, Outkast, Beck, Blondie and Chic.
“I didn’t really know how big it was until I saw the line-up. I only went to see Chic last year with my wife!” said Tony.
Tony originally hails from Wembley in London. He moved to town 22 years ago after he met his wife – Sarah Fitzgibbon, who is from Tralee – back on his old stomping ground in North London.
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“If I didn’t meet Sarah I wouldn’t be standing here today. Where I grew up was one of the toughest areas in Britain,” said Tony.
“I was in a lot of trouble as a kid. I was in and out of remand centres and prisons. Where I lived you had to put up a tough front in order to survive,” he said.
“It was such a culture shock moving to Tralee. I was going to see Arsenal every weekend in London, it took adjusting to,” he said.
Tony now lives in Spa Road and has five kids. His love affair with reggae sound systems began in the mid 80s in London, when he picked up on the music genre brought over by Jamaican immigrants.
A sound system is basically a wall of speakers where there is an emphasis on heavy bass, and not loudness as Tony corrects me.
“I have a residency slot in The Osbourne Bar, it all basically started from there. They have been really helpful and open to new ideas,” said Tony.
Tony has already played the ‘Body & Soul’ festival in Westmeath this year and was asked to come on board for Electric Picnic as well.
“The whole point of the sound system is to bring a good vibe and if you have false teeth it’s probably best you don’t come in!” Tony said.
