JJ72

Emerging from Dublin in 1997, the Irish indie guitar trio JJ72 took shape when vocalist Mark Greaney and drummer Fergal Matthews connected at Belvedere College through their shared enthusiasm for Joy Division and Nirvana, plus Matthews’s notice of Greaney’s striking outerwear. After cycling through several bassists, the pair recruited young actress Hilary Woods to complete the lineup. With the group intact, they circulated demo versions of “Oxygen” to various radio stations and music publications. Though early curiosity about the band’s name lingered—some guessed at a washing-machine model or Janis Joplin’s weight in stone—DJs and critics soon embraced JJ72 as one of indie guitar music’s most promising acts for 2000. In February 2003, Woods departed to pursue other personal ambitions, leaving no permanent bassist in place at that moment. More than a decade after forming, JJ72 formally disbanded in June 2006, citing ongoing tensions with their record label and insufficient support to finance a third album.