THIN LIZZY Keyboardist: This Is Our Way To Carry On PHIL's Music Legacy And Make Him Proud

Marija Brettle of Hardrock Haven recently conducted an interview with THIN LIZZY keyboardist Darren Wharton. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Hardrock Haven: Since 2010, the band toured extensively and some would say the new LIZZY lineup was put to the ultimate test in front of longstanding fans. And so far, there's been some overwhelming evidence of old and new fans who are delighted to see you back. But then, there are also some negative comments from people who are strongly opposing the whole idea of LIZZY's new line-up to carry on without a band's key member, Phil Lynott?

Darren: Yeah. The thing is… in the last few years, new fans come on board in huge numbers, and we do get back our old fan base. Now that people can see our shows, performance and all that, there is a certainly different feeling about the band going back touring. Obviously, it's different vibe now without Philip in the band. But then, nobody more than the band wishes Phil was here with us tonight. Having a blast, like we used to! People miss him, obviously, and we understand that. You know, we think about him all the time, and in spirit he is always with us. So… this is our way to carry on his music legacy and make him proud! Therefore, this is as good as will ever gonna get without him. More to the point, we tend to get that general reaction from the fans, saying they love our live performance.

Hardrock Haven: When THIN LIZZY first reunited in 1990s, some hardcore LIZZY fans accused you of cashing in on Phil's music legacy? What would you say to this people?

Darren: Let's get one think straight: no one can ever replace Phil Lynott! If anything, all we have done so far is honoring Phil's legacy! I mean, it's that simple! (Laughs) We do as much as we can to make sure people won't forget Philip for what he really was an incredible talented and amazing musician. So this is our way to say to Phil, we're thinking of him. Unlike most reunited bands out there, THIN LIZZY never was in it for the money. Never!

Hardrock Haven: Maybe the ones, who still doubt you, should come and see one of your shows. (Laughs)

Darren: Well, the fact is, in the last two or three years, we're getting more fans than ever that have seen the original LIZZY with Lynott. And I can tell you, they are still coming back to see us. Then we have people coming to us saying how they are blown away by our performance. I mean, that's all we wanna know. So, in that respect, I think we are doing an excellent work in what we do. We also meet fans every night that have never seen THIN LIZZY with Philip… and they love our shows. So… genuinely, it's very exciting time for the band. It's not the same, but this is the closest it can be with three original members. I mean, we all know in our hearts it'll never be the same without Phil.

Read the entire interview from Hardrock Haven.

Performance footage - January 21 at City hall in Newcastle, England: