10 Hard Rock Bands From The '80s That Should've Been Bigger

These Irish rockers are among the forefathers of the boozy pub rock subgenre. From the mid-'70s through to the mid-'80s, the pop-friendly Dubliners racked up several respectable hits in the UK and Ireland but failed to catch fire to such a level anywhere else beyond one notorious single.

These days, the group are best remembered for their infamous 'I Don't Like Mondays' single from 1979. The track was focused on the Cleveland Elementary School shooting from that same year, immediately ensuring it was arguably the group's darkest ever track.

Beyond the controversy, however, is a wealth of intriguing material from a seminal time in British and Irish rock music. All three of their '80s LPs: 'Mondo Bongo', 'V Deep' and 'In The Long Grass' are criminally underrated efforts that opened to increasingly deflating levels of disinterest.

Lead by future Band Aid legend and controversial quotes kingpin Bob Geldof, the group rode the punk rock wave as the '80s moved in. Despite their punk-friendly fans, they were much more in line with the budding new wave movement at the time, mixing punk with art rock and pop. Blending upbeat, catchy hooks and riffs with Geldof's often dark and confronting lyrics, the group ultimately fading away remains an especially disappointing result in '80s music history.