A song I wrote as a tribute to a friend I lost touch with, following his diagnosis of schizophrenia when we were 15 years old. This song is very close to my heart. It was written long before people had the mental health awareness they have now in 2023. It was a difficult time for him and ultimately, the lack of knowledge any of us had at such a young age, not knowing how to manage it, led to our friendship breaking down.

Institutionalised EP

Institutionalised

We were asked by the lovely folk at The Irish Jam to make a cover of an Irish song for their segment ‘The Lockdown Lounge’
We couldn’t think of anyone better than Republic of Loose’s wonderful hit, ‘Come Back Girl’

Made over a weekend in our singer Moses’s gaf, this was very much a home made affair. But we had a blast making it so thought we’d share it here. Enjoy!

Comeback Girl (Republic of Loose Cover)

Two music students began having listening sessions in their flat in London. The sessions became inspirational for John and Tom; they would talk for hours about life and music. This blossomed into the formation of an acoustic guitar duo under the name of the singer and songwriter of the group - John McIvor. It was 2007 when they played their first gig in Brighton, UK. John's music encapsulated his Irish roots, but the song topics started off personal - relationships, break ups, and in between. By 2008, a drummer named Boris joined the duo and they were now a band gigging regularly in their local city London. John McIvor would go on to release two EPs in this band formation, John McIvor & The Tizzlettes (2009) and Institutionalised (2011). 
Shortly after the release of their second EP, Tom left the group, Boris a year later in 2012.
John continued to tour and release music under his own name. His songs became more topical, speaking about subjects of a political nature, which was highlighted mostly in his EP, Plastic Land (2013) and the collaborative Many Lives EP (2017) with London rap artist and activist, Logic. 
John now works in the industry as a songwriter. While a release is not off the cards for the future, it is unlikely anytime in the near future.

Institutionalised

JOHN MCIVOR

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