Review by Brad Balfour
What: 2 Johnnies
Who: John O’Brien, John McMahon
Band: Patrick Lucy (guitars), Brian Dunlea (bass), Rory McCarthy (keys), Barry Wilson(drums), Tara Howley(fiddle, banjo, tin whistle)
When: Saturday, July 12th, 2025
Where: Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Pl.
Though their Wikipedia entry leads one to think that the 2 Johnnies are simply a comedy duo, there was nothing laughable in their performance held on Saturday, July 12th, in Irving Plaza. What I witnessed that night was a pure rock and roll show. From the power quartet (and occasional quintet when the violinist joined them on a few songs) backing them to their energetic fist pumping and proto pogo-ing on stage, the 2 Johnnies — John O’Brien on vocals, guitars and vocalist John McMahon –- were all about rock n roll. There was little chatter, not comic bits per se. What humor was in the lyrics was buried in the pure sonics presented on stage that evening.
Not being familiar with their comic arc or their podcast — except for a glance of them online — I went to the show as a bare-ass newbie witnessing whatever came about. And what came was rock. Yes Irish tinged rock, but rock nonetheless. Most of their songs were punky power pop dosed with a few thrash, metal and hardcore stylizations thrown in. In some of the tunes, you could clearly hear the influence of their garage and punk predecessors such as Thin Lizzy and The Undertones. There was even a touch of a contemporary crew such as the DropKick Murphys thrown in. But with the live mix and the audience’s thorough engagement, the sound that came through was as their own.
With influences from their comedy and their Tipperary background, the 2 Johnnies created song stories with their own personalized flavor. In other words, they were definitely writing with comic scenarios in mind, but the stories weren’t just there for humor’s sake alone. The duo had messages to tell about love, sports and Ireland –– things that made the 2 Johnnies’s performance both authentic and rollicking.
The music may have overwhelmed the tale but the message received was delivered with a solid punch. Had I not read about their comical vision of the world, it might have been nothing more than a sidebar to their music. Though some songs clearly told a funny story, their ultimate impact was through the music.
The audience responded as any crowd would to such a pulsing rock band. They were fully committed to this act’s backstory as well. And though the band was clearly subordinate to the 2 Johnnies who were front and center most of the time, the musicians supporting them had solid chops.
From County Tipperary — consisting of “Johnny Smacks” McMahon (originally from Roscrea) and “Johnny B” O’Brien — they’re known for their 2 Johnnies podcast, YouTube channel, live shows and music. It all started when they were asked to MC a local GAA gala evening, and decided to perform together based on the reaction they received. They now live in Cahir and their podcast tops the Irish charts with a listenership of over 500,000 listeners per week. They made appearances on “Up for the Match,” “RTÉ Does Comic Relief,” and “The Late Late Show.” They have performed live shows in the 3 Arena, the UK, USA and Australia.
In some tunes, the discernible stories seem to come from their debut studio album, “Small Town Heroes.” Released on May 31, 2024, it debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart. Maybe once the Irish duo got such great feedback to the long player’s release, they made live music their number one priority. Over the last few years, they’ve racked up no less than nine No.1 Irish iTunes singles.
Backed by a stellar band — Patrick Lucy (guitars), Brian Dunlea (bass), Rory McCarthy (keys), Barry Wilson (drums), Tara Howley (fiddle, banjo, tin whistle) — the job of being a live ensemble became easier. As their promo materials noted: “The 2 Johnnies often talked about, long promised and much sweated-over debut album “Small Town Heroes” is Out Now! It’s packed like a junior B gear bag full of songs of love, lust, good times and bad times, They’re the kind of people you and your neighbors are.”
And I would have to say, experiencing them live, they fit into a grand tradition of Irish rockers — employing both roots and thrash. Such roots made the 2 Johnnies and band worth listening to and viewing live. No matter how much I got the stories or not, I came away seeing a show worth experiencing and was glad to be introduced to them.
To learn more, go to: https: https://www.the2johnnies.ie/