Northern Ireland supergroup pay tribute to 90s singer songwriter

Belfast ‘supergroup’, The Back Four, comprised of musicians from various Northern Ireland bands, have released their debut single This Is Where It All Begins on Cherry Red Records as a tribute to London musician Matthew Ashman, who wrote and co-wrote the tracks in the ‘80s.
By Julie-Ann Spence
Published 26th Feb 2021, 09:20 BST

Ian Stewart is an ex-international footballer for Northern Ireland, who now works for the Irish Football Association. Ian has always been a keen follower of the music scene and in late 2019, having written some songs for football projects, Ian put a band together with his friend Philip McCarroll.

With McCarroll on lead vocals the duo assembled some of their favourite Northern Ireland musicians - Matthew Wilson, Eamon Lenehan, Jonny McGuinness, Phil Edgar and John Wilson - to become ‘The Back Four’

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The band’s first recording ‘Under 19 Team’ was chosen as the official Irish FA and UEFA song for the UEFA Under 19 European Championships,

One of Ian’s friends in his London days was musician Matthew Ashman, who sadly died in 1995, at only 35 years old. Ian felt that his ongs had been unfairly forgotten, and upon discovering a cassette demo, he became determined to give these tracks a new lease of life.

The Back Four got to work on updating the tunes and the limited-edition picture disc can be purchased at thebackfour.bigcartel.com.

Related topics:Northern IrelandBelfastLondon