Paul McLoone

Paul McLoone
Paul McLoone performing on stage with The Undertones in Holmfirth, England, United Kingdom on Saturday July 14th, 2012
Background information
Birth name	Paul Martin McLoone
Born	11 February 1967 Derry, Northern Ireland
Genres	Punk rock Pop punk
Occupation(s)	Singer, radio producer (formerly), voice actor and radio presenter
Instruments	Vocals Acoustic guitar
Years active	1985 – present (radio) 1980s/1990s – present (music) November 1999- present (The Undertones) 1980s/1990s - September 2008 (radio producer) September 2008 - present (radio presenter) March 2012- present (M.C./Master of Ceremonies for the main awards ceremony of the Choice Music Prize)
Labels	Cooking Vinyl (with The Undertones)
Associated acts	The Undertones

Paul Martin McLoone (born 11 February 1967) is an Irish singer, former radio producer, voice actor and radio presenter best known for being the original co-creator and also co-writer of the very popular and highly successful Irish comedy sketch series, Gift Grub. He is also the lead vocalist/frontman of the Northern Irish pop-punk/new-wave band The Undertones,^[1] having permanently replaced Feargal Sharkey when the band reunited for a series of live appearances which occurred in November 1999.^[2] He hosts the weekday evening/night-time radio programme on the Irish national and independent radio station, Today FM titled "The Paul McLoone Show" which broadcasts from Dublin every Monday to Thursday from 9pm to midnight and which is well known in Ireland for focusing on less-known Irish solo singers or bands as well as bands and musicians from various countries such as America or Great Britain who are very popular in the alternate and indie rock world but who have yet to crack the mainstream line of the music industry with the show even playing songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as well as songs from the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.^[3]

Since January 2015, McLoone has hosted a radio program titled 'Another Side' on TXFM (formerly Phantom FM), a radio station that broadcasts to Dublin City and its surrounding areas and which is also a sister station to Today FM. The program which first began airing on Saturday January 17, 2015 is dedicated to giving an in-depth profile of a single major musician or band by playing various songs associated with the band or musician's career including ones that may not have been released as a single. The show airs for one hour at 6pm up until 7pm every Saturday evening on TXFM and is subsequently repeated every Sunday night from 10pm to 11pm.

In addition, McLoone is also the current presenter or M.C.- master of ceremonies for the main awards ceremony of the Choice Music Prize, an annual awards ceremony that takes place in Dublin every year, having first started in 2005 with the Choice Music Prize being awarded to a band or musician from Ireland whose album is deemed worthy of the prize by a panel of judges composed of various people from all aspects of Irish media. McLoone was originally involved in the background running of the awards before making his debut as M.C. at the 2011 ceremony which took place in 2012, a role he has held for the last five years and continues to hold to this day.

Career

Radio

A native of Derry City and having grown up in the Bogside, McLoone originally began his radio career back in the late 1980s. He first appeared on Gerry Anderson (broadcaster)'s show on BBC Radio Foyle back in 1985. While on the show, McLoone who was seventeen years old at the time successfully impersonated Prince Charles in a radio interview with Anderson which in turn launched McLoone's own career in radio with Anderson also serving as McLoone's radio mentor.

McLoone later performed in one band, The Carrellines alongside future Undertones band member, drummer Billy Doherty in the late 1980s with McLoone serving as the main frontman/lead vocalist and guitarist for the Carrellines. Despite gaining high praise from the Irish media, the Carrelllines broke up after releasing two singles. After that, McLoone managed another band, Schtum which disbanded while the group were touring America.

As such, McLoone eventually became a radio producer and was later involved in producing various programmes for the BBC, including his own satirical sketch series McLoone which ran for three series in the early 1990s on BBC Radio Foyle.

In March 1999, McLoone moved to the southern part of the country, the Republic of Ireland, settling in the capital city, Dublin. He later joined the newly operating Irish independent radio station, Today FM which had replaced the defunct Radio Ireland and subsequently became a producer on The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, the main flagship breakfast program for Today FM.

During his time on the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, McLoone produced the show and also co-created and co-wrote the very popular and highly successful comedy Irish sketch series, Gift Grub alongside Irish comedian/impersonator, Mario Rosenstock with the two also participating in sketches either together or separately. McLoone also chose New Order- Regret (New Order song) as the show's theme music which continued to be used a few years after his own departure from The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show.

In 2004, after having worked on the Breakfast Show for five years, McLoone resigned as a producer from the show and also left Today FM as well.

For the next year, McLoone went freelance, working with various TV/radio stations including the Irish national broadcaster, RTE with McLoone for a time also working on its two popular radio stations, RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ 2fm with McLoone even working for a time on the RTÉ Radio 1 daytime radio program, Liveline.

In late 2005 or early 2006, Tom Dunne, frontman with the Irish band, Something Happens and also a radio presenter with Today FM contacted McLoone, asking McLoone to serve as a producer for Dunne's own music show on Today FM called, "Pet Sounds". McLoone accepted and as such, eventually became a producer of Dunne's show, a role that also marked McLoone's own return to Today FM.

Two years later in August 2008, having hosted "Pet Sounds" for nine years, the show having first begun broadcasting in 1999, Dunne ultimately quit Today FM to join national and also independent rival radio station, Newstalk with "Pet Sounds" also ceasing to air as well as a result of Dunne leaving Today FM. With the position that Dunne had previously held now vacant although it was later temporarily occupied by various guest presenters, McLoone was left with what to do in regards to his own future at Today FM and ultimately chose to approach the main Today FM staff, asking to take over the position himself. The staff accepted with McLoone becoming a radio presenter, abandoning his position as a producer altogether. At first, McLoone's role was intended to last for three months until a new replacement could be found. However, due to the increasing popularity associated with McLoone and his unnamed show, McLoone later officially replaced Dunne on a permanent basis. As such, McLoone's own show, "The Paul McLoone Show" was created, replacing the original "Pet Sounds" with McLoone making his on-air debut during September 2008 with Transmission (song) by Joy Division being the first ever song that McLoone played on his new radio show.

For the first five years, the show originally aired from 7pm to 10pm and then from 7pm to midnight but following the arrival of Cork DJ Colm O'Sullivan from Red FM which occurred in February 2013 with O'Sullivan's show, "The Mix-Up" premiering on Monday February 4, 2013, McLoone's show was given a new time of airing from 9pm to midnight which to this day is the show's current timeslot and which first began during June 2012. On Thursday August 27, 2015, the Mix-Up came to an end due to O'Sullivan announcing that he was retiring after nearly twenty years of being on air and having been appointed the new Program Director for Today FM with former iRadio DJ Fergal D'arcy now in the slot left vacant by O'Sullivan's departure.

Like Dunne before him, in the event that McLoone is on holidays, filing in for another Today FM colleague such as Anton Savage or off performing gigs with the Undertones, Dave Couse, the former frontman for Irish band, A-House occasionally fills in for McLoone.

In an interview for Derry Journal in April 2014 McLoone explains why he's an "accidental radio star".

A regular nominee, McLonne won two PPI Radio Awards in 2012, a gold for Specialist Music Broadcaster Of The Year, and a bronze for New Irish Music/Musical Talent Programme in his role as organiser and also as the main presenter of the Meteor Choice Music Prize awards ceremony held in Dublin each year and a silver in the Specialist Music Programme category in both 2013 and 2014.

McLoone's interviewer from In Dublin magazine^[4] for Radio Month 2014 introduced him as "one of the most instantly recognisable voices on Ireland's airwaves".

Television

In the world of animation, McLoone has been involved as a writer and creative consultant on the Jam Media series Funky Fables, and their BAFTA Drama Award winning series, Roy (both for CBBC).

McLoone provided the voice of "Baboon", the secondary villain in the Cartoon Saloon-created Irish cartoon series Skunk Fu! which aired from September 2007 to September 2008 and he will return to voice the character Baboon in Castaras, a dark cartoon crossover that is set to air in or around 2016 or later.

Four years after appearing in "Skunk Fu", McLoone also appeared in the Cartoon Saloon animated film, "Moon Man", voicing an Unnamed Father with the movie itself being released in 2012, having been based on the 1966 book, "Moon Man" by French artist Tomi Ungerer.

McLoone also appeared in the film, Sunset Heights where he played Dingo Green. The movie which was released in 2002 was also featured in a Top 100 list for IMDB.

He stars as an aspiring Elvis impersonator in the music video for Cherry Bomb, a song by Irish rock band, The Minutes which was released in March 2014.

He can famously be seen singing back-up vocals for Bucks Fizz in an episode of The Little and Large Show in the 1980's.

The Undertones

After splitting in 1983, the Undertones chose to reform in November 1999 but when original frontman Fergal Sharkey turned down the offer to join the band, McLoone was asked to join the group and accepted, resulting in McLoone becoming the new frontman for the Undertones. As such, intermittent live appearances followed, such as the energetic concert in Termon Hall, Donegal in 2001. McLoone had previously fronted a hotly tipped band with Undertones drummer, Billy Doherty, in the late 80s, which was called the Carrellines. Doherty and McLoone partnered again as producers at their recording studio, Big River Records in Derry, facilitating local punk band Schtum to make several acclaimed singles before their 1995 signup with Columbia/Sony.

McLoone later went on to record two studio albums with the Undertones, Get What You Need (2003) and Dig Yourself Deep (2007). For Record Store Day, 20 April 2013, the band released a new single, "Much Too Late"/ "When It Hurts I Count To Ten". To coincide with the launch in June 2013 of their CD/DVD An Introduction to the Undertones the band undertook a European summer tour. 2016 is the band's fortieth anniversary which is to be celebrated with a slew of live dates, a book by founder member, Michael Bradley, and possibly, record releases.

Since reforming in November 1999, the Undertones have continued to perform regular gigs all over the world with McLoone as the band's new permanent frontman. They also retain a considerable live following at their concerts, which usually take place at weekends around members' day jobs, as McLoone explained for a lengthy 2015 writewyattuk blog interview. Audiences are typically receptive towards McLoone as the band's current frontman.^[5]

Personal life

McLoone lives in Dublin and has two sons.

He has also spoken about his battle with depression which he was diagnosed with in the aftermath of his parents dying and has also stated that he has given up smoking as well to help combat his depression.

Through his mother who was originally from Wales, McLoone is of Welsh descent.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
2002	Sunset Heights	Diego Green	Cameo.
2012	Moon Man	Father (voice)	Animated movie.
TV
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Skunk Fu!	Baboon (voice)	26 episodes.
Music Video
Year	Title	Band	Role
2014	Cherry Bomb	The Minutes	Unnamed Elvis Impersonator.

References

1. Live review: The Undertones, Playhouse, Whitley Bay - The Shields Gazette
2. Official Website - The Undertones
3. About Us & Video Biog - Today FM
4. - Interview - InDublin Magazine
5. Soulshine - Return of the Jump Boys

External links

• Paul McLoone on Twitter