Stephen Doyle, the Salford DJ , Sonic Diarist and Native Legend, died on 13 December 2024. His funeral can be held at Agecroft Cemetery & Crematorium, Swinton, Salford on Tuesday 14 January at 10.20am and afterwards on the Robin Hood in Clifton.
Right here, a few of his mates and native musicians pay tribute to the nice man who when Louder Than Struggle interviewed him again in 2017 mentioned… “There’s a great deal of nice bands enjoying in bars, golf equipment and pubs – one million occasions higher than bands which might be filling the arenas … There may be a lot extra thrilling stuff on the market to find.”
Stephen Doyle 1961 – 2024 (by his good friend Ian Moss)
Steve or SD as he was generally identified was a individuals particular person full of heat and a need to unfold slightly love wherever and every time he might. He was additionally, I’m proud to say, one of many closest mates I’ve had in a lifetime the place I’ve been blessed with many friendships. He was steadfast in his loyalty, trusting, reliable and sincere. What extra might anybody ask? Add to those qualities his mischievous humour and boundless enthusiasm for music primarily but additionally Movie, Comedy and Manchester United and it’s little shock that we bonded so properly.
Steve was passionate concerning the issues he beloved. Household and mates got here first in his priorities. He was a bodily large man and not using a trace of aggression in his coronary heart. A person unafraid of unveiling his feelings, he would cry unashamedly when touched by a tune for example. I’d tease him relentlessly till he rewarded me along with his enormous smile.
He was born in Hulme however relocated to Salford as an toddler the place he remained for the remainder of his days. His mother and father Tess and Jim had been of strong hardworking inventory and instilled in Steve the values of decency and integrity that had been the cornerstone of his being. He was a brilliant boy though it’s honest to say simply distracted and his major distraction was music. By his early teenagers he had change into besotted by the sounds of Slade, Skinny Lizzy and Standing Quo however by his mid teenagers he discovered himself swept up within the tide of Punk Rock that was rising. He devoured the music as an integral part of his being, shopping for data and regardless of his youth attending a lot of gigs at venues massive and small. He beloved Pleasure Division, The Distractions, The Freshies, Buzzcocks, Armed Drive and a bunch of Mancunian bands in addition to these from additional afield, most notably The Conflict who not solely excited him however mirrored and reaffirmed his values. Justice for the downtrodden in society and no persecution of minorities being central to that.
Steve was no fan of Margaret Thatcher and her depraved assault on the working courses and his tastes and opinions had been shared through letters to the nice Manchester fanzine Metropolis Enjoyable. As issues moved on Steve embraced the publish punk sounds but additionally Disco and Reggae – he was true to his tastes and by no means merely jumped on the subsequent bandwagon. As a person he met and married his nice love Yvonne and have become the daddy to her three youngsters. A shared ardour for the music of Kate Bush and The Smiths in addition to a vegetarian eating regimen made them good companions, soulmates in reality.
An opportunity encounter with Tony Thornborough and a visitor look on Tony’s radio program led to Steve starting his close to legendary radio reveals on Salford Metropolis radio. He and I had crossed paths throughout the years as we adopted Manchester United and Steve would enthuse about my punk period band The Hamsters: now he invited me to visitor on his programme and a friendship between us flourished. He championed a lot of acts on his present who had beforehand acquired scant encouragement or airplay though by no means ploughed them into an obscurist area of interest. Their music rubbed shoulders with the likes of The Beatles, ABBA, Stevie Surprise on his present , no boundaries , as he mentioned usually , ‘ if I prefer it I’ll play it ” . I’m happy to say he performed lots of my music, he attended lots of my performances usually performing as DJ and MC for the night, he even received to document and launch music on The German Shepherd Information label that Bob Osborne and that i ran he was there for me all through my well being struggles at all times exhibiting real concern and providing encouragement. I attempted to reciprocate when his beloved Yvonne handed away in tragic circumstances. Steve by no means recovered from that blow though he tried to current to the world a cheerful courageous face his harm was evident to those that actually knew and beloved him. For a decade or extra I’ve been blessed when not in his firm to obtain virtually every day phone calls that might run for an hour or extra. ‘I ought to document these as radio reveals’ he would say as our conversations pinballed from topic to topic. Now there can be no extra calls.
I’ve misplaced my expensive candy good friend as have many others touched by this lovely soul and gigantic presence. We salute you SD: Punk Zelig, Teenage Propshaft, you allow a large sized gap in our lives. (Ian Moss 15/12/2024)
Tony Thornborough writes… 
It was a Saturday afternoon in early 2009 once I walked right into a Swinton pub and heard my title being referred to as out as I used to be ordering a pint. Earlier than I rotated to see who it was I already knew. How might I not! I’d not heard that voice in years, but it surely was a voice I knew properly, an excited, barely excessive pitched voice for an enormous man. At that second I knew I wouldn’t be ‘simply having the one’ as I’d deliberate. “Good to see you pal, what you having? I’ll get this, that is Yvonne, Yvonne that is Tony an previous mucker of mine, I’ve not seen him in ages, what you as much as mate? Come and sit down, how’s your good woman? are you out for a sesh? We’re simply having a pair, been doing the procuring, having a little bit of a moist lip, you know the way it’s, sit down lad”
And that’s how SD unknowingly auditioned for Salford Metropolis Radio.
I’d been on the station for about six months and I knew that presenters got here and left after a short while. I wasn’t in any place to recruit him myself, however I might positively put a phrase in for him if he was . Which he wasn’t but, however that was about to alter within the subsequent jiffy.
As we sat ingesting and rekindling our 25 yr friendship the dialog ultimately got here round to what I used to be as much as. “I’m on Salford Metropolis Radio” and after one other 20 query I received to say “Sure, I’ll put a phrase in for you, I believe you’d be nice since you by no means shut the fuck up and silence is your enemy when doing radio” And that’s how the story begins.
The way it ends, is why your studying this now…..or is it?
Stephen “Sonic Diary” Doyle will dwell on so long as individuals take heed to his reveals. He was an incredible radio persona with a lot charisma. I assumed I knew lots about data and music, however I might at all times be taught extra by listening to SD. I like many others, will dearly miss him, however he’s left a lot for us. So, I’d wish to ask you all, particularly if you happen to’ve by no means heard him earlier than. Please verify him out on Mixcloud. You may simply be taught one thing and you’ll most definitely be entertained.
Could he relaxation in peace, however maintain making noise. (Tony Thornborough)
Bob Osborne of Half Edge Information paid his tribute to Stephen Doyle on his Completely different Noises Substack. Right here is an extract.
It’s protected to say that German Shepherd Information and subsequently Half Edge Information wouldn’t have existed with out the help and intervention of Stephen Doyle. Stephen handed away immediately, at far too younger an age, yesterday and I needed to acknowledge his contribution to the Salford Music Scene and to all the things we now have finished as a label through the years….
Stephen was a beneficiant, humorous and type colleague with an abiding love for the punk rock period, particularly The Conflict, and had an encyclopaedic data of bands, with related anecdotes from throughout the musical spectrum. He was additionally an avid gig goer and notably was well-known on the native scene for his rallying cry “I Was A Teenage Propshaft” at gigs. He additionally was eager to have his {photograph} taken with the nice and the great of the punk period and past and developed a status because the Punk Zelig. (Bob Osborne)
Matt Davies & Susan O’Shea from the band Manufacturing unit Acts
Manufacturing unit Acts are shocked and saddened to listen to of the passing of our nice good friend Stephen Doyle. We frequently referred to him because the John Peel of Salford / Manchester, due to his absolute dedication to selling new music on his many radio reveals – most notably for Salford Metropolis Radio – and his encyclopaedic data of punk, post-punk and pop on which he appeared to have an limitless retailer of information. Ever since Manufacturing unit Acts began gigging he was a part of the furnishings both as a punter or DJ at lots of our favorite haunts – The Crescent (now sadly closed), The Peer Hat, The Fortress, Gullivers, The Eagle Inn, and lots of others. We knew we’d managed to tickle his musical tastebuds when he made one among our songs Quantity One in his annual prime 50 tracks. However, in fact you knew you’d actually made it when the cry of “I used to be a teenage propshaft” rang out in between your songs at dwell reveals – a badge of honour! And he was answerable for considerably boosting our CD gross sales at gigs. His never-ending enthusiasm for and open-mindedness about music was infectious, enjoying and waxing lyrical about something from Abba to Zappa and all in between, disregarding music snobbery and tribal attitudes to genres. We frolicked with him on the Revolt punk pageant in Blackpool in 2022 the place he would sit outdoors the Rose and Crown pub in between units and be welcomed by a cavalcade of previous punks who couldn’t wait to speak and have their photograph taken with him.
He would frequently telephone us out of the blue to ask for recommendation or simply natter about all issues musical. Our final contact with Stephen was a few weeks in the past, when he phoned for a “fast chat” to ask Matt “what’s your favorite Fall album?”, a dialog that was by no means going to final a few minutes. And that’s how we’d like to recollect him – as an awfully passionate, extraordinarily articulate working-class bloke blessed with the present of the gab whose tireless championing of latest music won’t ever be matched. (Matt Davies & Susan O’Shea from the band Manufacturing unit Acts)
Singer, songwriter & musician Tim Lyons
Steve Doyle knew me earlier than I knew him, appears odd? Effectively he informed me he used to see me on the Russell Membership with John The Postman, amongst others. it opened in could 1978, Steve was 17. He additionally mentioned he was too shy to talk to me, although he lived across the nook from me in Ordsall Salford! We received the identical bus he mentioned. He was a fan of the band I used to be in in 1979..The Issues. Nonetheless, I didn’t get to know him till he got here to see one other band I’m in.. The Sandells. I believe that was in all probability early 2000’s. We performed on the Crescent pub in Salford. He was a DJ with Salford metropolis radio and the SCR DJ,s used to have conferences on the Crescent and in addition promote gigs there.
Steve used to speak concerning the previous days of Punk and the venues and the bands we’d each seen and we turned mates. His enthusiasm for music was boundless and fully addictive and loving! However it was the way in which he made me really feel like I used to be simply speaking to a very good good friend that was endearing about him.
Steve suffered an enormous bereavement when his spouse Yvonne handed and it affected him profoundly! However his love and help for native artists and music usually appeared to assist him. He would ring me every now and then and communicate in a really private approach, the one approach I can describe it was virtually brotherly and I really feel privileged to have these reminiscences. It was a high quality I sense that Steve shared with lots of his mates and it was lovely and distinctive to him.
Steve had an sincere approach about him which allowed most individuals and naturally inventive varieties to open up.
He did lots to assist artists by enjoying their music on his sonic dairy reveals, his solely proviso “If I prefer it, I’ll play it”. Sandells are privileged to have a tune featured on Steve’s final Sonic Diary!
I’ll miss his onstage intros for me and his rock strong sincere help however largely I’ll miss the gorgeous soul that Stephen Doyle was RIP my good friend x (Tim Lyons)
Ged Babey (Louder Than Struggle author)
Steven Doyle was a good friend I by no means met in particular person, however due to the web, I felt like I knew him. We shared a ardour for the music and for telling anybody who’d hear how good it was. I write, he DJ-ed. In later life we turned ‘energetic’ contributors within the music scene. Evangelists. Obsessives. And the perfect feeling on the earth is when somebody says: I purchased that album. You had been spot-on, it’s superb. Thanks. We discovered our function and met like-minded individuals and funky individuals in bands needed to shake our palms. Although I by no means met him I’ll miss his on-line presence.
On this video beneath, (58 minutes in) he asks our hero Pete Shelley the query all true followers needed to ask. Politely, tentatively so to not trigger any upset…. Beginning with ‘the final time I met you was on the 37 bus….’. Pure magic and I’d say, his most interesting second. God Bless You SD. (Ged Babey)
Love and condolences to Stephens shut family and friends. He gained’t be forgotten.
Stephen Doyle’s SonicDiary and Noize Annoize podcasts are archived on Mixcloud HERE
Compiled by Ged Babey for LTW
Photographs taken from SD’s Fb. Photographers credited on request.
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