Joe Jewell steps back from Aslan after four decades
His farewell night is locked in at Vicar Street on 27 December, and the Dublin band will keep going with Lee Tomkins out front.
Joe Jewell, founding guitarist of Aslan, is stepping back from live performances and touring with the band after more than 40 years. His final show with them will take place at Vicar Street in Dublin on Sunday 27 December 2026.
On 13 October, Jewell said: "After more than 40 years with Aslan, I've decided it's time to step back from live gigs and touring. The band and management have been incredibly supportive and I'll still be proudly cheering the lads on from the background."
He added: "Over the years, we've sadly lost many dear friends and colleagues. Yet continuing to play our music and sing our songs has been a great comfort and a kind of therapy for us all. It has brought me an incredible amount of joy and I want to thank all of our fans, both old and new, who have been there with me throughout the years. It's been an incredible journey and I've loved every minute of it. A huge thank you to our fans, crew, promoters, venues and everyone who has shared this journey with me. Thank you for everything. It's been an absolute privilege."
Northside roots and a rapid rise
Aslan took their name from the lion in C.S. Lewis's Narnia books. Coming out of the working-class areas of Finglas and Ballymun on Dublin's Northside, the band formed in 1982. Their breakthrough arrived four years later. In May 1986 they released the demo single This Is, which became the longest play-listed single on Ireland's pop station 2FM. That same summer they crossed to Britain for a run of well-received shows. Melody Maker wrote that any label would be lucky to sign them. Janice Long recorded the band in session for BBC Radio 1, airing the session three times in the weeks that followed. In 1986 Aslan also took the Stag/Hot Press Most Promising New Band award.
In 1988 they recorded their debut album, Feel No Shame, which went straight to No. 1 in the Irish charts and stayed there for weeks. Within a couple of months it was certified Gold. At the height of that run, with the option for a second album already taken up, Aslan split in August 1988. The break did not end the story. The album Goodbye Charlie Moonhead followed in 1996, and the single I Need a Little Time appeared in 2014. Through those later years the band remained a fixture of the Irish live circuit, carrying a catalogue built on the early breakthrough and the records that came after the first split.
The line-up and what comes next
For much of that span the band featured the late singer Christy Dignam, who died in 2023. Jewell's reference to friends and colleagues lost along the way sits against that history without bringing the group to an end. Aslan will continue performing with a new lead singer, Lee Tomkins. The December date at Vicar Street is therefore a farewell for the founding guitarist, not a full stop for the band itself.
What changes is the stage picture fans have known for more than four decades: Jewell will no longer be on the road or on the boards with Aslan after 27 December. Neither the body of work that took the band from Northside rooms to Irish No. 1 status nor the decision to keep playing it changes. Jewell has framed the step back as a choice made with the support of the band and management, and as a move that leaves him supporting them from the wings. For an act whose story has always been as much about the gigs as the records, the Vicar Street night is the clear marker — the last time the founding guitarist takes that stage with them, before the next chapter under Tomkins begins.
Tour dates
DECEMBER 2026
17 – Belfast, The Limelight 2
27 – Dublin, Vicar Street
On 13 October, Jewell said: "After more than 40 years with Aslan, I've decided it's time to step back from live gigs and touring. The band and management have been incredibly supportive and I'll still be proudly cheering the lads on from the background."
He added: "Over the years, we've sadly lost many dear friends and colleagues. Yet continuing to play our music and sing our songs has been a great comfort and a kind of therapy for us all. It has brought me an incredible amount of joy and I want to thank all of our fans, both old and new, who have been there with me throughout the years. It's been an incredible journey and I've loved every minute of it. A huge thank you to our fans, crew, promoters, venues and everyone who has shared this journey with me. Thank you for everything. It's been an absolute privilege."
Northside roots and a rapid rise
Aslan took their name from the lion in C.S. Lewis's Narnia books. Coming out of the working-class areas of Finglas and Ballymun on Dublin's Northside, the band formed in 1982. Their breakthrough arrived four years later. In May 1986 they released the demo single This Is, which became the longest play-listed single on Ireland's pop station 2FM. That same summer they crossed to Britain for a run of well-received shows. Melody Maker wrote that any label would be lucky to sign them. Janice Long recorded the band in session for BBC Radio 1, airing the session three times in the weeks that followed. In 1986 Aslan also took the Stag/Hot Press Most Promising New Band award.
In 1988 they recorded their debut album, Feel No Shame, which went straight to No. 1 in the Irish charts and stayed there for weeks. Within a couple of months it was certified Gold. At the height of that run, with the option for a second album already taken up, Aslan split in August 1988. The break did not end the story. The album Goodbye Charlie Moonhead followed in 1996, and the single I Need a Little Time appeared in 2014. Through those later years the band remained a fixture of the Irish live circuit, carrying a catalogue built on the early breakthrough and the records that came after the first split.
The line-up and what comes next
For much of that span the band featured the late singer Christy Dignam, who died in 2023. Jewell's reference to friends and colleagues lost along the way sits against that history without bringing the group to an end. Aslan will continue performing with a new lead singer, Lee Tomkins. The December date at Vicar Street is therefore a farewell for the founding guitarist, not a full stop for the band itself.
What changes is the stage picture fans have known for more than four decades: Jewell will no longer be on the road or on the boards with Aslan after 27 December. Neither the body of work that took the band from Northside rooms to Irish No. 1 status nor the decision to keep playing it changes. Jewell has framed the step back as a choice made with the support of the band and management, and as a move that leaves him supporting them from the wings. For an act whose story has always been as much about the gigs as the records, the Vicar Street night is the clear marker — the last time the founding guitarist takes that stage with them, before the next chapter under Tomkins begins.
Tour dates
DECEMBER 2026
17 – Belfast, The Limelight 2
27 – Dublin, Vicar Street
