{"id":28822,"date":"2026-08-07T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=28822"},"modified":"2026-08-06T20:00:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:00:45","slug":"thirsty-quireboys-celebrate-a-stunning-god-bless-america-album-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=28822","title":{"rendered":"Thirsty Quireboys Celebrate A Stunning &#8216;God Bless America&#8217; Album Launch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Thirsty Quireboys Celebrate A Stunning &#8216;God Bless America&#8217; Album Launch And Video Premiere in London&#8217;s Soho &nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Thirsty Quireboys - God Bless America\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EOnDhH2Qe-k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Thirsty Quireboys lit up The Spice of Life, Soho with a sold\u2011out, high\u2011energy celebration for the launch of &#8216;God Bless America \u2013 Best of Thirsty&#8217;. The intimate basement venue was packed with fans, friends, industry and long\u2011time supporters, all there to honour the legacy of Guy Bailey and the new chapter brought to life by his friends Spike, Chris Johnstone, Irina D, Simon Hanson and producer Chris Kimsey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The night opened with a blistering set from Bones of the City, setting the tone for an evening that blended nostalgia, storytelling and pure rock \u2019n\u2019 roll spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guests were then treated to the world premiere of the brand\u2011new video for the title track \u2018God Bless America\u2019, a cinematic tribute to Bailey\u2019s songwriting and the emotional core of the album, explained beautifully in detail by Chris Johnstone (featured below). The premiere was followed by a lively Q&amp;A with the band and Chris Kimsey giving fans a rare behind\u2011the\u2011scenes look at the project\u2019s creation, alongside a few laughs and memories from back in the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Thirsty-Quireboys_SpiceofLife_300726_020.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Thirsty-Quireboys_SpiceofLife_300726_020-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Thirsty-Quireboys_SpiceofLife_300726_020-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Thirsty-Quireboys_SpiceofLife_300726_020-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Thirsty-Quireboys_SpiceofLife_300726_020-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Thirsty-Quireboys_SpiceofLife_300726_020-1140x855.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Thirsty-Quireboys_SpiceofLife_300726_020.jpg 1324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Pic: <strong>James Cochrane<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The atmosphere surged again as Spike took the stage with Tom Golzen, Chris Johnstone, Matty Cassidy, and Simon Hanson, delivering a powerful, heartfelt performance, including poetic vocals from Guy&#8217;s songwriting partner, Irina D &#8211; &nbsp;that had the room buzzing long after the final chord. It was nothing short of intimate and moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The intimate 100-capacity venue was filled wall\u2011to\u2011wall with energy, emotion, and the unmistakable spirit of Guy Bailey, whose legacy powered the evening from start to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With proceeds supporting Nordoff &amp; Robbins in Bailey\u2019s memory, the launch became more than an event \u2014 it was a celebration of community, legacy and the enduring magic of Thirsty\u2019s music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The album &#8216;God Bless America \u2013 Best of Thirsty&#8217; is out now on all major platforms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Listen:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/2jkWiPjxr1KXCvKbpwylsU?si=f3MvalKITfSPJd0Zpfx5nA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Buy:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cadizmerchstore.com\/products\/thirsty-quireboys-god-bless-america-best-of-thirsty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>The analysis of the track \u2018GOD BLESS AMERICA\u2019 \u2013 &nbsp;by Chris Johnstone<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;God Bless America&#8217; is a song about a less well-known tragedy involving the Kennedy family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Kennedys are perhaps the best-known family in 20 century US political history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone knows about the assassinations of JFK and Bobby. Events Defining the 1960s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not so many know anything about the tragedy of their older sister Rosemary. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This song &#8216;God Bless America&#8217; is her story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rosemary Kennedy grew up in the 1930s with mild educational and behavioural issues; and later with angry mood swings that embarrassed her father Senator Joe Kennedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Seeking a &#8220;cure&#8221; &#8211; in 1942 Senator Joe had her lobotomised whilst fully conscious by US surgeon Mr James Watts with tragic consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The operation was botched and she was left with the mind of a two-year-old. &nbsp;Her father had her hidden away for over 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are Only 10 lines in the Song. &nbsp;But Each of the lines is very specific \u2013 and each line reflects an entry on Rosemary Kennedy&#8217;s Wikipedia page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;She had a gleaming smile&#8221; &#8211; Rosemary was not super intelligent, but she was sociable and known for her beautiful smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&#8220;She would escape at night&#8221; &#8211; as a teenager Rosemary used to run away from her convent boarding school to consternation of all the nuns<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Danced for the English queen&#8221; &#8211; when her father was in London as US ambassador &#8211; Rosemary was presented to Queen Mary and danced at the Debutante Ball in London<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Like a Lily of the valley&#8221; &#8211; this was the favourite flower of her famous sister-in-law Jackie Kennedy &#8211; wedding bouquet &#8211; White House flower arrangements- coffin &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The &nbsp;in Charge&#8221; this is her father Senator Joe<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Mr Watts said sing some notes for me &#8221; God Bless America God Bless America &#8221; &nbsp;Mr Watts was the surgeon who undertook the operation<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are Mr Watts\u2019 own words describing what happened during the &#8220;operation&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We went through the top of the head,&#8221; Dr. Watts recalled. &#8220;She was awake. I made a surgical incision in the brain through the skull. We put an instrument inside&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Dr. Watts cut, his colleague asked Rosemary to sing &#8216;God Bless America&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watts continued: &nbsp;&#8220;We made an estimate on how far to cut based on how she responded.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Rosemary stopped singing &#8211; so did Mr Watts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The operation was a total failure. Rosemary was left incontinent and with the mind of a two year old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe Kennedy had her locked away in secret location &nbsp;for over 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What happened to Rosemary Kennedy \u2013 in the context of the Kennedy family &#8211; and what happened to her as she sang &#8216;God Bless America&#8217; can be seen as a powerful parable about US politics and even the US itself .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thirsty Quireboys Celebrate A Stunning &#8216;God Bless America&#8217; Album Launch And Video Premiere in London&#8217;s Soho &nbsp; The Thirsty Quireboys lit up The Spice of Life, Soho with a sold\u2011out, high\u2011energy celebration for the launch of &#8216;God Bless America \u2013 Best of Thirsty&#8217;. The intimate basement venue was packed with fans, friends, industry and long\u2011time [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9106,6862,8186],"class_list":["post-28822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-chris-johnson","tag-digital-rebel","tag-thirsty"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28822"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28824,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28822\/revisions\/28824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}