Join us March 17th in Venice for a listening session featuring Thin Lizzy and more Irish legends.

Probably the most underrated classic rock band, Thin Lizzy is of course known for their pub jukebox anthem “The Boys are Back in Town,” but their catalog goes quite a bit deeper than what’s known by the masses. Led by their genius frontman, the bassist and singer-songwriter Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy pioneered a distinctive sound featuring twin lead guitars and a surprisingly poetic depth to their songs not typically heard in the hard rock genre. The boys might be back in town, but they’re also half-caste, and dancing in the moonlight…

The son of a black Brazilian father (who left shortly after he was born) and a white Irish mother, Phil Lynott was practically destined to be a songwriter with his troubled upbringing in a variety of “unlucky” areas, including Moss Side in Manchester and then Crumlin in Dublin. He recalls, “There were two ways of making it back in Crumlin. You were either a tough guy who thumped everybody around and pulled the chicks that way, or you played in a band. Not wanting the bruises, and being a bit of a coward at heart, I decided to sing in a band.”

For a taste of the world in which Lynott grew up in, listen to his ode to Dublin: “How can I leave the town that brings me down? That has no jobs, is blessed by God, And makes me cry — Dublin.”

While Black Sabbath might’ve had their more psychedelic moments with tracks like “Planet Caravan,” Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy also had range beyond their usual blues, and hard rock compositions. Check “Half-Caste,” the lesser-known B-side to their 1976 single “Rocky,” which features an unusual reggae-based groove from Lynott, and explores the world of the half-caste (likely reflecting Lynott’s own experieces), who is alienated from both white and black. “Her daddy don’t like me hangin’ ’round / The boy ain’t black, the boy is brown / Don’t he know it’s a halfcaste town.”

Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorhams remembers Lynott: “Phil broke a lot of barriers, people forget that at this point. Even when I first joined the band, the very first day that I came into that rehearsal and I saw him, “Jeez, the bass player is a black guy…” These days its not a big deal, but in a rock band… So there was that barrier there, it was the way he dressed, the whole thing. People didn’t do that at that point, he kind of created this whole thing that other people copied. Phil was a real original guy…”

We also highly recommend listening to this mix titled “100% Lynott” from Physical Therapy.

Next Tuesday, we’ll be celebrating Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy, and other Irish classics during a listening session at Only the Wild Ones in Venice. Expect to hear many of these Thin Lizzy tracks listed above, alongside favorites from Sinead O’Connor, Van Morrison, Enya, The Cranberries, and more!

Limited capacity tickets are available now via dice.

Below, some of our favorite Thin Lizzy tracks: