Ghost Of An American Airman

Ghost of an American Airman, an Irish outfit from Belfast, drew unavoidable parallels to U2 simply because both acts hailed from the same country. Dodge McKay’s commanding voice and guitar work further fueled perceptions that the group might become U2’s successor. The lineup—McKay alongside Ben Trowell on guitar, Alan Galbraith on bass, and Matt Matthews on drums—coalesced in the mid-’80s. Their debut single, “I Hear Voices,” arrived in 1987, yet the major-label album Life Under Giants did not surface until 1992. Grunge’s stranglehold on American airwaves in the early ’90s blocked any stateside breakthrough, as the band’s melodic approach found no foothold amid the prevailing wall of heavy-metal distortion. Their last release, Skin, appeared in 1993 to strong critical notices yet scant radio play. Tirelessly active across Ireland, the quartet played Belfast’s smallest venues and mounted tours through Europe and the United States, though a sizable audience never materialized. Internal tensions eventually dissolved the band, after which McKay resurfaced in Thompson.