‘ReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre’ Exposes Brutal Moment In Ireland’s Troubles

On those occasions when music and murder cross paths, it tends to dominate headlines, especially when circumstances are still in dispute. Tupac and Biggie, Jam Master Jay, the black metal murders: these are stories which continue to grip our interest and imagination. Receiving far less attention and carrying more historical weight are the brutal 1975 murders of three members of The Miami Showband, who were gunned down by terrorists during “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland. The killings, their political implications and the search for truth are the subject of “The Miami Showband Massacre,” the latest episode of Netflix‘s ReMastered music documentary series.

Referred to as “Ireland’s most glamourous band” and “The Irish Beatles,” The Miami Showband were among the premier Irish pop groups of their day. Formed in 1962, the group had a succession of hit singles in the Irish music charts and were a popular concert drew in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. Band members hailed from either side of the border and were from both Catholic and Protestant backgrounds, a rare example of unity on an island which at the time was beset by political violence which ran down sectarian fault lines.

The Troubles erupted in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s and would claim thousands of victims during its 30 years. ReMastered defines the conflict as being between Catholic “Republicans,” who sought a united Ireland, and Protestant “Unionists,” who wished to preserve Northern Ireland’s union with the UK. This oversimplifies the situation and omits critical subtext, including the nearly 800 year fight for Irish independence from British rule, the confiscation of Irish lands which were then given to Protestant settlers from Scotland and England in the 1600s, and the history of discrimination against Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland.

Each side had its own armed wing, which used bombings, assassinations and other violence to press its cause. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (I.R.A.) represented what they believed to be the interests of the native Irish population, who were overwhelmingly Catholic. Opposing them were various paramilitary groups, most notably the Ulster Volunteer Force (U.V.F.), made up of Protestants who considered themselves ethnically British. The I.R.A.’s main targets were the British military, whose presence in Northern Ireland increased in tandem with the violence. In retaliation, Unionist groups targeted Irish Catholic civilians, a minority in Northern Ireland, but a majority in the Republic of Ireland. This created natural alliances; the I.R.A. found sympathy and support across the border (not to mention in the United States) while the Unionists and British military found themselves united against a common foe.

On the night of July 31, 1975, The Miami Showband were returning from a gig in Northern Ireland, when they were pulled over at a military checkpoint, a common occurrence at the time. In the episode, bassist Stephen Travers recalls joking with the soldiers until a British officer arrived. As their vehicle was being searched, a bomb exploded, killing two of the soldiers, whose body parts were sent flying. Three of the band members were then shot dead by the soldiers, who afterwards fled the scene. Travers was seriously wounded but survived, as did saxophonist Des Lee, who identified two men convicted of the crimes. Within 12 hours of the incident, the U.V.F. would claim responsibility, naming the dead soldiers, who were also members of the Ulster Defence Regiment, a British Army regiment.

After recounting the details of the event, “The Miami Showband Massacre” covers Travers physical and emotional recovery and his search for truth and some sense of justice. After the 30th anniversary of the killings, Travers began trying to uncover the U.V.F. leaders behind the attack. The more he investigated, the more it became apparent that Unionist paramilitary groups were encouraged and enabled by members of the British military establishment. Whether they were rouge agents or officially sanctioned remains undetermined but their existence is indisputable, with both the U.V.F. and former members of the military acknowledging their involvement.

Over the course of its inaugural season, ReMastered has vacillated between unsubstantiated conjecture and in-depth exposés of important moments when pop music and current events crashed into each other head-first. “The Miami Showband Massacre” is among its best episodes, and contains almost too many facts, overloading you with proof, players and leaving questions for further investigation. Ultimately unable to find justice for his dead bandmates, Travers makes peace with the past both metaphorically and literally, meeting with a representative of the U.V.F. in present day Ireland. As Travers ponders the future, he says, “The sound of the music will far, far outlast the sound of their guns and their bombs.”

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter:@BHSmithNYC.

Stream Remastered: The Miami Showband Massacre on Netflix