Denny Bartley

Distinctive vocals combine the anger of Shane McGowan with the lyrical quality of Michael Stipe... BUZZ UK

Denny is a founder member of Last Night's Fun and was born in a remote village close enough to the traditional phrases of Limerick to feel drawn to the natural inheritance of age-old slides, slow airs, slip jigs and wild reels.

His distinctive personalised style of vocals and powerful open-tuned rhythm guitar evolved from an early introduction to classical guitar, contemporary dance and influences such as Joni Mitchell and Paco De Lucia. This and meeting and playing with bouzouki player Cyril O'Donaghue of Co. Clare, established his fate.

After exploring the tones of the mandolin and banjo Denny returned to singing with guitar accompaniment until he joined forces with Chris, which, in his words, "gave my guitar a whole new language."

The adjectives found amongst reviews to describe Denny's voice include 'breathtaking', 'mesmeric' and 'hypnotic', while his infectious, syncopated rhythms were the driving force and the backbone of the band.

After 15 years without a break, the birth of Denny's second daughter in 2007 led to his decision to take a break from Last Night's Fun and move back to his native Ireland.

Some good news for our stalwart fans with us from the beginning - Chris and Denny are touring as the original duo in March, May and October 2009. Chris and Denny will also be playing at select UK festivals next summer.