Having made a plethora of albums across numerous celebrated projects, cult hero Thomas Walsh has shed the Pugwash pseudonym, releasing his new album The Rest Is History under his own name – a decision I’m told was influenced by Walsh’s Duckworth Lewis Method partner, Neil Hannon.

“Neil’s told me to do it under my own name over the years. It’s his way of saying ‘I hate the name Pugwash,’” quips Thomas. “Join the queue, I hate it too. I sent a demo into Hot Press around ’95 and it got ‘Demo Of The Year’ under the name Pugwash, that’s why it stuck. I blame everything on Hot Press.”

Unintentional brandings aside, The Rest Is History is a fantastic, bright-sounding and uplifting record. An amalgamation of vintage influences like XTC, ELO, The Beatles and Thomas’ confessional songwriting, it’s a project that feels familiar yet refreshingly new.

Reuniting in the countryside with some old friends to make the album, Thomas also had the chance to follow in the footsteps of his heroes while piecing things together.

“We took it to Abbey Road to do the strings,” he says. “The players there are world class. Having an amazing arranger like Dave Gregory conducting makes it worth it.”

While Thomas could take the production process abroad, touring has become a challenge as of late. Nonetheless, his dedicated following have helped provide alternative settings for live performances.

“I’ve had some medical issues, so touring’s difficult,” he says. “People invite me to their houses. It works because I’m playing to people who love my music. I go around beautiful parts of America into lovely people’s homes and sing for three hours, I love it.”

He’s also found a modern solution in the form of pay-per-view live streams, allowing fans to tune in from across the globe.

“I might have 25 people watching, but they’re from 25 different parts of the world,” smiles Thomas. “People set timers to get up at 2am and watch me, that’s a great feeling – it’s better than 20 people talking in a fucking bar in Cork.”

Amongst these admirers is a string of legendary musicians – Brian Wilson, Dave Gregory and Jeff Lynne to name a few. Another high-profile fan is Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, who features on ‘All This Hurt’ from Thomas’ latest LP.

How did this friendship come about?

“I did Radio Nova’s ‘Rock Report’, and they’d say, ‘You have to play Billy Idol or you have to play Metallica.’ I’d say, ‘Here’s Billy Idol’ and play ELO. People rang up and said, ‘Who the fuck is this prick?’” laughs Thomas. “Joe Elliott was a big listener. I was doing it for a laugh and he loved that. One day he came into the show and went, ‘You’re a big ELO fan, check this band out, they cover Mr Blue Sky’, and it was me and Neil.

“He looked at me and went, ‘For fuck’s sake, that’s you isn’t it?’  We became good friends from then on.”

Amongst the acclaimed albums and rock star friendships, however, have been some personal struggles – a post-bender medical emergency leading Thomas to sobriety. Has this affected the veteran’s artistic output?

“The one Pugwash album that did the best in Ireland was The Olympus Sound,” he shares. “In the midst of writing that album is when I ended up in hospital. It contains songs that are very dark, near death, and ones that are upbeat from when I was coming out of it. That’s probably why that album works so well.

“Being sober helped me respect what I do. Before, there was an element of, ‘Get through the session and get pissed’. It’s not enjoyable. When you pull off a lyric or chord change, you enjoy it more when you’re clean.”

“I’ve since fallen in love with cakes,” he admits. “Mr Kipling became my dealer, as opposed to the guy just off Wexford Street.”