A Lurgan man who was part of Sting’s opening act during his recent European tour says it was “surreal” to share a stage with the legendary musician.
Declan McKerr was playing guitar for Belfast-based rock band Dea Matrona.
The group opened for Sting during his European concerts in June and July of this year.
Declan says he couldn’t believe it when he first heard he would be supporting the rock superstar.
“I was like, this can’t be real”, he told Armagh I. “I’m not just a Sting fan, I’m a massive Dominic Miller fan, who’s Sting’s guitar player. He’s one of my favourite guitar players of all time”.
A lover of rock music, Declan says touring with Sting was “fantastic”, explaining that the singer made everyone “feel at home”.
Looking back on the experience, he says there was one moment he’ll “never forget”.
“I was sitting there jamming on his [Sting’s] base”, he recalls.
“Sting walks on stage and I thought ‘oh no, I’ve got his base’. Because I’m left-handed and I was playing his base upside down, he said ‘you’re playing it the wrong way round’, and he goes, ‘that’s impressive!’”
While performing at sold out arenas was incredible, Declan says the travel involved in the tour made the experience “very intense”.
“We hadn’t got to the level of tour bus”, he explains, “so we were taking flights and carrying our equipment”.
“You’re getting up really early in the morning, you’re maybe getting four to five hours of sleep at night and you’re on the go all day…it was tough, but the show made up for it”.
Declan only started playing guitar when he was fifteen, picking up the instrument after watching his uncles play in traditional Irish bands.
“Even though I loved trad, it wasn’t the music that I wanted to play”, he says.
One day his dad introduced him to one of his work colleagues, a man named Sam Whitty, who used to be a ‘roadie’ with different rock-bands.
Sam offered to give Declan some guitar lessons and, in the process, taught him a whole new way of playing music.
“He got me introduced to more extreme guitar players like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, all the virtuoso guys”, he explains.
“He knew these guys and he took me to a few of these gigs and we got into them for free. It was surreal watching these legendary guitar players standing in front of you”.
Declan’s first big break was playing as part of a guitar duo with his friend Andy Toman in the Palomo Café in Lurgan.
After a successful stint there, they bagged a number a residencies at different Belfast bars and restaurants, playing under the name ‘Gypsy’s Wish’.
Declan on-stage with Dea Matrona
Then the covid pandemic hit, and Declan’s bandmate Andy decided to move to Canada.
Declan stayed in Northern Ireland and continued to play and produce music.
One day, out of the blue, he got a surprising text message from The Script’s drummer and founding member, Glen Power.
“He said I’d really like you to come try out for The Script”, Declan recalls, “I thought, of course I will!”
“Long-story short, I never got the job…but he [Glen] said there will be other opportunities for you, I can sense it. It wasn’t about two weeks later that I got a message from the girls in Dea Matrona”.
After a successful audition for Dea Matrona, Declan headlined some shows with the band and, soon after, they were opening for The Corrs during their tour of Spain.
“The Corrs are the sweetest people”, he says, “they make you feel right at home. If you were walking past them they’d say ‘come over and sit with us’. They’re just lovely people”.
After The Corr’s concerts were over, Dea Matrona got asked to support Sting on his tour, giving Declan the chance to share the stage with a “living legend”.
“Me and the drummer would go up and watch Sting at the side of the stage every night”, he recalls, “it was those moments there that I was saying…why’s this boy from Lurgan sitting here and Sting’s playing in front of him”.
Having experimented with different kinds of musical genres, Declan feels that his ability to play so many different styles of music has meant he’s got opportunities other musicians may not have.
“I’m a jack of all trades, but a master of none of them”, he jokes, “I’m still learning as I go along”.
Playing with so many incredible musicians over the past couple of years has made Declan eager to make a name for himself in his own right.
“I want to get working on my own stuff”, he says, “I’ve got ideas I want to get off my chest”.
If you want to listen to some of Declan’s music, you can check out his Instagram page @deckylad
