Paul Martin McLoone (born 11 February 1967) is an Irish musician, former radio producer, voice actor, voice-over artist and radio presenter from Derry, Northern Ireland. He is perhaps best known for being the co-creator and co-writer of the Irish comedy sketch series Gift Grub. He is also the lead vocalist/frontman of the Northern Irish pop-punk/new-wave band The Undertones, permanently replacing Feargal Sharkey when the band reunited for a series of live appearances in November 1999. From September 2008 to June 10, 2021, he hosted the weekday evening/night-time radio programme on the Irish national and independent radio station, Today FM titled The Paul McLoone Show which broadcast from Dublin every Monday to Thursday from 10:00pm to midnight. It focused on less-known Irish solo singers or bands, as well as those from other countries who are popular in the alternative and indie rock world, but who have yet to crack the mainstream line of the music industry.
McLoone also hosted a radio programme titled Another Side on TXFM (formerly Phantom FM), a sister station to Today FM that broadcasts to Dublin City and its surrounding areas. The programme, which aired from 17 January 2015 to 2 July 2016, was dedicated to giving an in-depth profile of a single major musician or band by playing various songs associated with the band or the musician's career, including ones that may not have been released as singles. The show aired for one hour at 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm every Saturday on TXFM and was repeated every Sunday night from 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm with fellow radio presenter John Caddell.
From March 2012 to March 2016, McLoone served as the main presenter for the main awards ceremony of the Choice Music Prize, an annual awards ceremony in Dublin every year; it began in 2005 with the Choice Music Prize awarded to a band or musician from Ireland whose album is deemed worthy of the prize by a panel of judges composed of various people from all aspects of Irish media. McLoone was originally involved in the background running of the awards before making his debut as M.C. at the 2011 prize ceremony, a role he held for five years until the Choice Music Prize started broadcast on RTÉ 2FM from 2017 onwards.
Career
Radio
Growing up in Derry's Bogside, McLoone began his radio career in the late 1980s. He first appeared on Gerry Anderson's show on BBC Radio Foyle in 1985. While on the show, McLoone successfully impersonated Prince Charles in a radio interview with Anderson which, in turn, launched McLoone's own career in radio with Anderson also serving as McLoone's radio mentor.
McLoone later performed in one band, The Carrellines, alongside future Undertones band member, drummer Billy Doherty in the late 1980s with McLoone serving as the main frontman/lead vocalist and guitarist for the Carrellines. Despite gaining praise from the Irish media, the Carrellines broke up after releasing two singles, "Bridesmaids Never Brides" and its b-side "Credence". After that, McLoone managed another band, Schtum, which disbanded while the group was touring America.
As such, McLoone eventually became a radio producer and was later involved in producing various programmes for the BBC, including his own satirical sketch series McLoone which ran for three series in the early 1990s on BBC Radio Foyle.
In March 1999, McLoone moved to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. He later joined the national independent radio station, Today FM, originally called Radio Ireland before its name-change and relaunch in 1998. He subsequently became a producer on The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, for Today FM. During his time on The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, McLoone produced the show and also co-created and co-wrote the comedy Irish sketch series, Gift Grub, alongside Irish comedian/impersonator, Mario Rosenstock. The pair also participated in sketches either together or separately. In 2004, after five years on The Ian Breakfast Show, McLoone resigned from Today FM.
The next years, McLoone went freelance, working with various TV/radio stations where he produced numerous programmes, including for the Irish national broadcaster, RTÉ. McLoone also worked on its two popular radio stations, RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ 2fm, including the RTÉ Radio 1 daytime radio program, Liveline.
In late 2005/early 2006, Tom Dunne, frontman of the Irish band Something Happens, asked McLoone to produce his own music show on Today FM, Pet Sounds.