Hometown gig for Leo and Anto

By Rory Mulcaire
Members of the hugely popular band, The Saw Doctors, Leo Moran and Anthony Thistlethwaite have joined forces to do a tour of Ireland. And they will make a hometown appearance in Tuam on Friday, November 28, at what is expected a sell-out gig.
The pair first met on May 1, 1998 at a The Saw Doctors’ concert in Salthill’s Warwick Hotel where they were fundraising for the Galway Arts Festival.
During the gig, Anthony Thistlethwaite who was, at the time, a member of The Waterboys arrived with his saxophone and started playing along with the Tuam band.
After the main gig finished, the performers moved to the hotel dining room and started to discuss musical tastes. That was where a strong friendship was formed between Leo and Anthony, which holds to this day.
Previous gigs by the pair have been met with acclaim from both audiences and critics both here and in the United States, with their songs having a soulful, country feel to them. Many of their songs are either remakes of classics such as Red Cortina or some of their earlier songs or tracks that have rarely seen the light of day – like Carmel Mannion’s Son for example. But they also have some new material which they have co-wrote and will be performing on pair’s Irish tour.
The tour is taking place throughout November in various parts of Ireland with the Leo and Anto’s final gig taking place on November 29 in Ratoath, County Westmeath.
Their Galway gig is going to Tuam, where Leo Moran’s musical career started, and is certain to attract a considerable number of committed Saw Doctors’ fans. It will feature some of the well-known and established Saw Doctors songs from previous albums.
Meanwhile, it is expected that The Saw Doctors will be back on the road next year and also back in the studio recording new tracks.