Thin Lizzy met while at school in Dublin in the early 1960s. Lynott, born 20 August 1949 in West Bromwich, England to an Irish mother Philomena (1930– ) and Guyanese father Cecil Parris (1925–2010), was brought up in Dublin from the age of three. Downey, born 27 January 1951, is a Dublin native. Lynott joined a local band, The Black Eagles, as vocalist in 1963, and Downey was recruited as their drummer in 1965. In 1967, Lynott was asked to join Skid Row by bass guitarist Brush Shiels, who brought teenage Belfast guitarist Gary Moore (4 April 1952 – 6 February 2011)
Thin Lizzy Live at Sydney Harbour '78 Brian Downey was unable to take part in these tours due to the hectic schedule, and had taken a break from performing. He later explained his reasons as "exhaustion, and a lack of interest in seeing a stage again for a while". In early August 1978, during rehearsals with a number of drummers including Terry Bozzio, Thin Lizzy had chosen ex-Ian Gillan Band drummer Mark Nauseef to replace Downey. The Sydney concert was Nauseef's penultimate show as a member of Thin Lizzy, as Downey returned to the band in December. The opening acts for the concert were The Sports, Jon