The Original Rudeboys
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | March 2011 in Dublin, Ireland |
| Headquarters | Dublin , Ireland |
| Products | Music albums, singles, live performances |
The Original Rudeboys (abbreviated as O.R.B.) are an acoustic pop and hip hop ensemble originating from Dublin. Their initial album, This Life (2012), reached the top position on the Irish iTunes Charts, while their track "Stars in My Eyes" climbed to number 2 on iTunes and received widespread national radio exposure. Their live performances have included notable venues such as the Olympia Theatre and major festivals like Oxegen and the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
The group is composed of Sean "Neddy" Arkins (rap vocals), Robert Burch (guitar and vocals), and Sean "Walshy" Walsh (ukulele). Their musical approach fuses elements of hip hop with indie influences.
Formation
Raised together in Dublin's North Inner City, the trio became friends around the ages of seven or eight. Prior to forming The Original Rudeboys in March 2011, each member explored music independently. Several tracks featured on their debut album were penned two to three years earlier.
The band came into existence following an unplanned songwriting session at a friend's residence, which was recorded and shared on YouTube. This session yielded "Stars in My Eyes," their debut official single. Although they did not initially plan to establish a band, growing viewership encouraged them to pursue a career in music. The band's name was inspired by a T-shirt worn by Arkins, which they adopted for their identity.
Within just one month, they attracted significant media attention, leading to appearances on TV3 talk shows, national radio broadcasts, and RTÉ's The Saturday Night Show. They also rapidly sold out three headline concerts at Dublin's Academy 2.
Summer 2011
Following their early YouTube popularity, the group swiftly gained momentum, securing festival slots and performances throughout Ireland and England. They released several additional songs accompanied by videos—including "Live Your Life," "Sunny Days," and "Bringing Me Down"—each achieving viral recognition. The video for "Sunny Days" focuses on suicide awareness and is dedicated to a friend who died by suicide.
In Ireland, The Original Rudeboys shared stages with UB40, The Coronas, and The Rubberbandits at the inaugural Strawberry Fest in Wexford during June. In July, they performed alongside 50 Cent and Faithless at Waterford Music Festival’s debut event. Their appearance at the Oxegen Festival featured them on the Vodafone stage before an audience of 5,000. A BBC journalist spotted them there, which led to invitations to perform on the Introducing Stage at Leeds and Reading Festivals in August. While at Reading, producer Jake Gosling approached them, resulting in studio sessions that produced tracks including the finalized version of "Stars in My Eyes," later released as part of the Travelling Man EP. The band returned to Sticky Studios afterwards to record their debut album, This Life.
This Life
During winter 2011, The Original Rudeboys completed their debut album This Life in the United Kingdom. It comprised ten original compositions along with re-recorded versions of their popular YouTube songs. Their first official single "Stars in My Eyes", released on 14 October 2011, reached number 2 on Irish iTunes and peaked at No. 18 on the Irish Singles Chart. The album itself was released on 23 March 2012, debuting at No. 1 on Irish iTunes and The Independent Charts, as well as securing No. 3 on the Irish Albums Chart. The subsequent single "Travelling Man" also topped the Irish iTunes chart and reached No. 23 on the Singles Chart.
Building on this success, the band toured prestigious venues across Ireland and served as supporting acts for international artists such as American rapper The Game and British rapper Professor Green, alongside Irish musicians Sinéad O'Connor and Damien Dempsey. In December 2012, it was announced that they would support Irish band The Script during their European tour dates in 2013. By December 2013, This Life had earned platinum certification.
Touring challenges
On 7 July 2012, they performed as supporting acts for Swedish House Mafia during the group's final Irish concert at Phoenix Park, Dublin, sharing the stage with Calvin Harris, Snoop Dogg, and Tinie Tempah. Unfortunately, the occasion was overshadowed by two fatalities caused by drug overdoses, nine stabbing incidents, and 30 arrests related to assault, drug offenses, and breaches of public order.
In November 2012, The Original Rudeboys opted not to open for Chris Brown at Dublin's O2 Arena, citing his 2009 assault on Rihanna as the reason. Walshy explained in an interview with RTÉ that accepting the support slot would convey an inappropriate message to their audience.
Sophomore album
The band unveiled a new song titled "Never Gonna Walk Away" on 7 October 2013, which was officially released on 22 November 2013 and subsequently earned the Song of the Year accolade at the Meteor Choice Music Awards.
Their follow-up single, "Feel It In Your Soul," was revealed on 18 February 2014 and launched on 25 April 2014, achieving the number one position on iTunes within just one day.
On 19 February 2014, the group adopted the new name O.R.B.. They announced their second studio album, All We Are, on 23 March, with its release on iTunes occurring on 2 May 2014. This album reached the top spot on the Irish Independent Albums Chart.
The third single from this album, "Can't Let Go," was released on 3 June 2014. The fourth single, "Never Alone," came out on 14 November 2014 as a charity release supporting Console Ireland's suicide prevention initiatives.
Activities in 2015
On 15 April 2015, they introduced a new track titled "I Wanna Fly" through their Facebook platform, followed by its availability on their YouTube channel six days later.
Personnel
- Core members
- Sean "Neddy" Arkins – rap vocals
- Robert Burch – lead vocals and lead guitar
- Sean "Walshy" Walsh – ukulele
- Touring musicians
- Ciaran Donnelly – bass guitar
- Alan Connon – drums
Farewell announcement
The band declared their split on 12 June 2016 and arranged a final concert set for 27 August that year.
Reunion
On 26 January 2020, they announced their comeback via Instagram; however, Sean "Walshy" Walsh did not rejoin due to residing overseas.
Throughout 2020, they released multiple singles: "Hypocrite" (31 January), "Better Days" (20 March), "All Falls Down" (June), "Guiding Light" (25 September), and "I Called It Love" (18 December), each accompanied by promotional artwork and announcements shared across social media platforms.
Their first single in nearly four years, "Fragile," was released on 29 August 2024.
Albums
| Title | Album details | Chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRE | |||
| This Life | 3 |
| |
| All We Are |
|
2 |
Extended plays
| Title | EP information |
|---|---|
| Travelling Man |
|
| Written Songs (Feeling Good) |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRL | |||
| "Stars in My Eyes" | 2011 | 18 | This Life |
| "Travelling Man" | 2012 | 23 | |
| "Written Songs" | 39 | ||
| "Blue Eyes" | 67 | ||
| "Never Gonna Walk Away" | 2013 | 9 | All We Are |
| "Feel It in Your Soul" | 2014 | 5 | |
| "Can't Let Go" | — | ||
| "While We're Young" | 2015 | — | rowspan="7" Template:Non-album singles |
| "Hypocrite" | 2020 | 16 | |
| "Better Days" | — | ||
| "All Falls Down" | — | ||
| "Guiding Light" | — | ||
| "I Called It Love" | — | ||
| "Fragile" | 2024 | — |