Cry Before Dawn

Four players from Wexford gave late-1980s Irish rock a sound that travelled well beyond the island. Cry Before Dawn released several singles and two albums in that decade, and their first album, Crimes of Conscience, drew notice in Britain after its 1987 release on CBS. They toured Ireland, the UK and the United States.

The lead single, "Gone Forever", came out in Ireland in February 1987 and was re-released in both countries in 1988. The album did well in Ireland and was critically acclaimed in Britain, but that success did not carry over, even though the band supported Big Country on their 1989 "Peace in Our Time" tour. Witness for the World, recorded in Wales, arrived later that year to a lukewarm reception, and its title track reached number 67 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1989 they also won the IRMA award for best Irish group. After parting with their label, they split, reformed in 2010, and in 2025 released the EP Open Water, which reached No.2 in the Irish album chart.