Stephen Doyle, the Salford DJ , Sonic Diarist and Native Legend, died on 13 December 2024. His funeral will probably 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 pals and native musicians pay tribute to the nice man who when Louder Than Conflict interviewed him again in 2017 mentioned… “There’s a great deal of nice bands taking part in in bars, golf equipment and pubs – one million instances higher than bands which are filling the arenas … There’s a lot extra thrilling stuff on the market to find.”
Stephen Doyle 1961 – 2024 (by his buddy Ian Moss)
Steve or SD as he was generally recognized was a folks particular person full of heat and a need to unfold just a little love wherever and at any time when he may. He was additionally, I’m proud to say, one of many closest pals 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 may anybody ask? Add to those qualities his mischievous humour and boundless enthusiasm for music primarily but in addition Movie, Comedy and Manchester United and it’s little shock that we bonded so effectively.
Steve was passionate concerning the issues he beloved. Household and pals got here first in his priorities. He was a bodily massive man with out a trace of aggression in his coronary heart. A person unafraid of unveiling his feelings, he would cry unashamedly when touched by a track as an illustration. I’d tease him relentlessly till he rewarded me together with his big smile.
He was born in Hulme however relocated to Salford as an toddler the place he remained for the remainder of his days. His dad and mom Tess and Jim have been of strong hardworking inventory and instilled in Steve the values of decency and integrity that have been the cornerstone of his being. He was a shiny boy though it’s truthful to say simply distracted and his foremost distraction was music. By his early teenagers he had develop 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 information and regardless of his youth attending a number of gigs at venues giant and small. He beloved Pleasure Division, The Distractions, The Freshies, Buzzcocks, Armed Drive and a number 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 lessons and his tastes and opinions have been shared by way of letters to the nice Manchester fanzine Metropolis Enjoyable. As issues moved on Steve embraced the submit punk sounds but in addition Disco and Reggae – he was true to his tastes and by no means merely jumped on the following 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 weight loss program made them excellent companions, soulmates in actual fact.
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 number of acts on his present who had beforehand obtained 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 Marvel on his present , no boundaries , as he mentioned typically , ‘ if I prefer it I’ll play it ” . I’m happy to say he performed loads of my music, he attended loads of my performances typically appearing as DJ and MC for the night, he even acquired to report and launch music on The German Shepherd Data 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 really knew and beloved him. For a decade or extra I’ve been blessed when not in his firm to obtain nearly every day phone calls that might run for an hour or extra. ‘I ought to report these as radio reveals’ he would say as our conversations pinballed from topic to topic. Now there will probably be no extra calls.
I’ve misplaced my expensive candy buddy as have many others touched by this stunning soul and gigantic presence. We salute you SD: Punk Zelig, Teenage Propshaft, you permit 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 known as out as I used to be ordering a pint. Earlier than I rotated to see who it was I already knew. How may I not! I’d not heard that voice in years, but it surely was a voice I knew effectively, 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 girl? 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 may undoubtedly put a phrase in for him if he was . Which he wasn’t but, however that was about to vary within the subsequent couple of minutes.
As we sat consuming and rekindling our 25 12 months 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 acquired 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 stay on so long as folks hearken to his reveals. He was an incredible radio character with a lot charisma. I believed I knew quite a bit about information and music, however I may 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 for those who’ve by no means heard him earlier than. Please examine 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 Data paid his tribute to Stephen Doyle on his Totally different Noises Substack. Right here is an extract.
It’s protected to say that German Shepherd Data and subsequently Half Edge Data wouldn’t have existed with out the help and intervention of Stephen Doyle. Stephen handed away out of the blue, at far too younger an age, yesterday and I wished to acknowledge his contribution to the Salford Music Scene and to all the things we’ve completed as a label through the years….
Stephen was a beneficiant, humorous and sort 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 fame 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 buddy 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 infinite retailer of information. Ever since Manufacturing unit Acts began gigging he was a part of the furnishings both as a punter or DJ at a lot of our favorite haunts – The Crescent (now sadly closed), The Peer Hat, The Citadel, Gullivers, The Eagle Inn, and plenty of others. We knew we’d managed to tickle his musical tastebuds when he made one in all our songs Quantity One in his annual high 50 tracks. However, after all 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 stay reveals – a badge of honour! And he was answerable for considerably boosting our CD gross sales at gigs. His endless enthusiasm for and open-mindedness about music was infectious, taking part in 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 Rise up punk competition in Blackpool in 2022 the place he would sit exterior 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 picture taken with him.
He would usually cellphone 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 a very passionate, extraordinarily articulate working-class bloke blessed with the reward of the gab whose tireless championing of recent 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 instructed 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 acquired the identical bus he mentioned. He was a fan of the band I used to be in in 1979..The Issues. Nevertheless, 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 likewise 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 pals. 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 buddy that was endearing about him.
Steve suffered an enormous bereavement when his spouse Yvonne handed and it affected him profoundly! However his love and assist for native artists and music usually appeared to assist him. He would ring me sometimes and communicate in a really private means, the one means I can describe it was nearly brotherly and I really feel privileged to have these recollections. It was a high quality I sense that Steve shared with a lot of his pals and it was stunning and distinctive to him.
Steve had an sincere means about him which allowed most individuals and naturally creative sorts to open up.
He did quite a bit to assist artists by taking part in their music on his sonic dairy reveals, his solely proviso “If I prefer it, I’ll play it”. Sandells are privileged to have a track featured on Steve’s final Sonic Diary!
I’ll miss his onstage intros for me and his rock strong sincere assist however principally I’ll miss the gorgeous soul that Stephen Doyle was RIP my buddy x (Tim Lyons)
Ged Babey (Louder Than Conflict author)
Steven Doyle was a buddy 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 sensible it was. I write, he DJ-ed. In later life we turned ‘energetic’ members within the music scene. Evangelists. Obsessives. And one of the best feeling on this planet is when somebody says: I purchased that album. You have been spot-on, it’s superb. Thanks. We discovered our position and met like-minded folks and funky folks in bands wished to shake our fingers. Despite the fact that 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 wished 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 best 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
Pictures taken from SD’s Fb. Photographers credited on request.
Now we have a small favour to ask. Subscribe to Louder Than Conflict and assist maintain the flame of impartial music burning. Click on the button beneath to see the extras you get!
