Hothouse Flowers

Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel, and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they began as street performers. Their first album, People (1988), was the most successful debut album in Irish history, reaching No. 1 in Ireland and No. 2 in the UK. After two more albums and extensive touring, the group separated in 1994. Since reforming in 1998, the band members have sporadically toured and issued new songs, but also have pursued solo careers.

Career

The group first formed in 1985 when Liam Ó Maonlaí and Fiachna Ó Braonáin, who had known each other as children in an Irish-speaking school, Coláiste Eoin in Booterstown, Dublin, began performing as buskers (i.e. street musicians) on the streets of Dublin, under the name "The Incomparable Benzini Brothers". They were soon joined by Peter O'Toole and had won a street-entertainer award within a year. They renamed the group "Hothouse Flowers" (the name was suggested by singer Maria Doyle Kennedy during a brain-storming by band-members and friends in the Trinity College Arts Block café) and began writing songs and performing throughout Ireland. In September 1988, the band appeared on the bill at the Reading Festival. In June 1989 they played at the Glastonbury Festival, and appeared there again the following year.

left|thumb|240px|Ó Maonlaí during a performance with Hothouse Flowers, 7 June 1990

The group's second album, Home, was released in June 1990.

The band played a live version of their cover "I Can See Clearly Now" on the premiere episode of Amazon Prime's The Grand Tour, first made available to stream in November 2016. As a result, they saw an upswing in popularity, with "I Can See Clearly Now" going to number one on the iTunes Rock Chart Singles in the UK.

Former band member, saxophone player Leo Barnes, died of an apparent brain hemorrhage in April, 2022.

Members

; Current

Liam Ó Maonlaí – lead vocals, keyboards, guitar
Fiachna Ó Braonáin – guitar, vocals
Peter O'Toole – bass , guitar , backing vocals , keyboards
Dave Clarke – drums
Martin Brunsden – double bass

; Former

Michan Walker – bass
John Paul Tansey – drums
Jerry Fehily – drums
Leo Barnes – saxophone, backing vocals, keyboards
Wayne Sheehy – drums
Rob Malone – bass
Kieran Kennedy – guitar , bass

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;" | Album details

! scope="col" colspan="10" | Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Certifications

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | IRE

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | AUS

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | AUT

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | GER

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | NED

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | NZ

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | SWE

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | SWI

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | UK

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | US

! scope="row" | People

Released: May 1988
Label: London

| 1

| 30

| 20

| 32

| 47

| 6

| 11

| 21

| 2

| 88

BPI: Gold
RMNZ: Gold

! scope="row" | Home

Released: June 1990
Label: London

| 1

| —

| 32

| 61

| 13

| 11

| —

| 5

| 122

ARIA: Platinum
BPI: Gold

| —

|align="center" colspan="15" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;" | Album details

! scope="col" colspan="2" | Peaks

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | IRE

Label: PolyGram

| —

| 74

! scope="row" | The Best Of

Released: October 2000
Label: London

| 35

| —

! scope="row" | The Platinum Collection

Released: March 2006
Label: Rhino

| 44

| —

|align="center" colspan="15" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Live albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Title

! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Album details

! scope="row" | Live

Released: 1999
Label: (Not on Label)

! scope="row" | Goodnight Sun

Released: 2010
Label: (Not on Label)

Singles

{|class="wikitable"

!rowspan="2" style="width:2em;" | Year

!rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Title

!colspan="11"| Peak chart positions

!rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"|Album

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | IRE

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | AUS

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | GER

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | NED

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | US Mod.

| rowspan="2" | 1987

| "Love Don't Work This Way"

|align="center"| 7

|align="center"| —

|rowspan="6"| People

| "Don't Go"

|align="center"| 2

|align="center"| —

| rowspan="4" | 1988

| "Feet On the Ground"

|align="center"| 1

|align="center"| —

| "Don't Go" (1988 re-release)

|align="center"| 2

|align="center"| 39

|align="center"| 16

|align="center"| 36

|align="center"| 26

|align="center"| 28

|align="center"| 6

|align="center"| 11

|align="center"| 16

|align="center"| 7

| "I'm Sorry"

|align="center"| 14

|align="center"| 50

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 82

|align="center"| 30

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 53

|align="center"| 23

|align="center"| 12

| "Easier in the Morning"

|align="center"| 6

|align="center"| 98

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 77

|align="center"| —

| rowspan="3" | 1990

| "Give It Up"

|align="center"| 3

|align="center"| 53

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 52

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 30

|align="center"| 29

|align="center"| 2

|rowspan="5"| Home

| "I Can See Clearly Now"

|align="center"| 5

|align="center"| 22

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 23

|align="center"| —

| "Movies"

|align="center"| 19

|align="center"| 66

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 68

|align="center"| —

| rowspan="3" | 1991

| "Christchurch Bells"

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 98

|align="center"| —

| "Hardstone City"

|align="center"| 7

|align="center"| 97

|align="center"| —

| "The Rose" (with The Dubliners)

|align="center"| 2

|align="center"| —

|rowspan="1"

| rowspan="5" | 1993

| "An Emotional Time"

|align="center"| 5

|align="center"| 57

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 38

|align="center"| —

|rowspan="5"| Songs from the Rain

| "Thing of Beauty"

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 32

|align="center"| 14

| "One Tongue"

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 117

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 55

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 45

|align="center"| —

| "Isn't It Amazing"

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 46

|align="center"| —

| "This Is It (Your Soul)"

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 67

|align="center"| —

| rowspan="1" | 1994

| "Land" (with Midnight Oil, Daniel Lanois, Crash Vegas and The Tragically Hip)

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 63

|align="center"| —

|rowspan="1"

| rowspan="1" | 1998

| "You Can Love Me Now"

|align="center"| 32

|align="center"| 148

|align="center"| —

|align="center"| 65

|align="center"| —

|rowspan="1"| Born

| rowspan="1" | 2004

| "Your Love Goes On"

|align="center"| 12

|align="center"| —

|rowspan="1"| Into Your Heart

Various artists compilations

Larry Kirwan's Celtic Invasion – 2013 – Sí Do Mhaimeo Í
No Prima Donna: The Songs of Van Morrison – 1994 – Bright Side of the Road
Greenpeace Rainbow Warriors – 1989 – Hard Rain
Soundtrack of The Courier (1988 film) – 1988 – Wild White Horse

References

External links

Hothouse Flowers' official website
RubyMusic (Irish label)
RedEye (U.S. label)
Liam O Maonlai's record label