Hothouse Flowers

Hothouse Flowers formed in Dublin in 1985, with Liam O'Maonlai on vocals, Peter O'Toole on guitar, Fiachna O'Braonáin on bass, and Dave Clarke on drums. Their sound pulled from Irish traditional music, rock, and soul, which felt less like a calculated blend and more like the natural result of what those four musicians brought into a room.

They followed it with records like 'Home' in 1990 and 'Songs from the Rain' in 1993. The song 'Christchurch Bells' became their most recognizable track, a big, earnest anthem that connected with people far outside Ireland.

You can hear that earnest, full-throated quality in other songs like 'Sweet Marie' and 'Feel Like Living.' They weren't a flashy band, but there was a directness to their music that cut through. They kept playing and recording for years after those early albums, but that initial run in the late '80s and early '90s is what most people remember.