Irish duo The Guzzlers – release shanty debut single for St. Patrick’s Day

Irish brother duo The Guzzlers have finally released their debut single ‘20 Pints To Cherbourg’ this St. Patrick’s Day, accompanied by a campaign of pop-up performances at their favourite Liverpool pubs. 

The Guzzlers’ Tom and Cian O’Dowd have been making waves on the Liverpool music scene since relocating from Limerick last year. While gearing up for their debut album, they are now surfacing with the first single ‘20 Pints To Cherbourg’ – a lively, authentic shanty and the perfect soundtrack for St. Patrick’s Day. 

The Guzzlers: “We wrote the song after getting fired from a ferry gig for drinking too many pints. It’s a love letter to bad decisions, late night sessions and the kind of stories your mam doesn’t need to know about. Some bands write heartbreak songs, we wrote one about drinking 20 pints. It’s all related to love.”

The release will be accompanied by a campaign of love letters to the brothers’ favourite pubs and bars in Liverpool; they’ll be performing the song at a different venue every day for the 20 days leading up to release day concluding with a special St Patricks Night show at the Jacaranda. 

The Guzzlers’ debut single ’20 Pints To Cherbourg’ was born on board the Dublin to Cherbourg ferry, where brothers Tom and Cian O’Dowd were employed playing Irish songs to entertain the customers. One particularly riotous trip – numerous pints in French bars and a near miss making the ferry – was immortalised in song, and they were on their way.

In Summer 2025 the band packed up and left their home of Limerick for Liverpool, armed with guitars, banjo and a raft of original songs. Busking outside notable Irish bars led to invitations inside, word got around, and soon The Guzzlers were gracing the stages of The Jacaranda, The Cavern Club and The Philharmonic, supporting local legend Ian Prowse. Reputation grew further with a residency at Anfield, playing for arriving fans at every Liverpool FC home game this season and a special guest slot alongside The Highstool Prophets at Liverpool Academy in January. 

In December, the band entered the studio with producer Jon Withnall (Coldplay, Rihanna, Echo and the Bunnymen), emerging with Drinking The Dream – a debut album packed with autobiographical songs inspired by the greats of Irish folk, but with their own unique and intoxicating charm. The album is set for release this Autumn, with further singles to follow throughout the year and live dates across the country, culminating in three more shows with The Highstool Prophets in December. Full dates below:

March 13th – Liverpool, Irish Centre 

March 17th – Liverpool, Jacaranda Basement (headline)

December 11th – Liverpool, O2 Academy (with Highstool Prophets)

December 12th – London, Shepherds Bush Empire (with Highstool Prophets)

December 13th – Manchester, O2 Ritz (with Highstool Prophets)