THIN LIZZY Frontman RICKY WARWICK: PHIL LYNOTT 'Was Irreplaceable'

January 30, 2012

Current THIN LIZZY frontman Ricky Warwick told Nathan Bevan of WalesOnline.co.uk that getting the call to front his childhood musical heroes proved to be a double-edged sword.

"Scott Gorham (the band's veteran guitarist) called me up to ask if I'd do it and I found myself saying 'yes' before he'd even got the words out," Warwick said. "But it wasn't long afterward that the enormity of the task hit me and I thought, 'Oh my God, what have I taken on here?'"

"I was, and still am, fully aware of how much [late THIN LIZZY frontman Phil Lynott] still means to everyone. He was irreplaceable and all I can do really is go up there each night, try to be my own man and hope some of that magic rubs off.

"We are paying tribute to Phil but that doesn't mean THIN LIZZY 2012 is a tribute band, we're trying to move things forward a little bit, too.

"I told Scott and the rest of the guys from the very start that if doing this felt weird or uncomfortable for me in any way, then I wouldn't do it. As a lifelong fan, this band means way too much to me."

Warwick's debut gig with THIN LIZZY took place a year ago at a sold-out 2,000 seater venue in Aberdeen. "I'd never been so bloody nervous in all my life," he laughed. "The fact it was a full-house just made it worse as well, because the audience was clearly just there to check me out and see if I was going to turn out to be a complete train wreck. But after the first three or four songs, you could actually feel their anticipation slowly fade as they started relaxing and enjoying themselves. It was really satisfying to see."

According to Warwick, it was the connection he made with one person in particular that's meant more to him than any other so far. "Phil Lynott's mum was there when LIZZY played Dublin in 2011," he said. "And, after the show, she pulled me aside and gave me a kiss and a big hug. She said that Phil would have been extremely proud of my performance, which was totally amazing to hear. It's the only validation I ever needed, really."

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