Meet the band who created a Welcome to Wrexham anthem

‘Bring on the Deadpool and Rob McElhenney!’

Rob McElhenney calls it ‘the song they’ll play at my funeral’, while Ryan Reynolds introduced the world to the tune via his millions of followers on Tik Tok.

The catchy composition in question ‘Always Sunny In Wrexham’ by The Declan Swans is about to go global in the next 24 hours when the group feature in the latest episodes of hit docuseries Welcome to Wrexham.

With the seal of approval of the Wrexham AFC co-owners, this staple of the terraces home and away, is also set to be released on limited edition vinyl thanks to its burgeoning popularity.

Tonight’s episode includes the song they’ll play at my funeral. This and “Whoomp! There It Is” #WrexhamFX pic.twitter.com/XKJatCkKvQ

— Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) September 7, 2022

Describing themselves as a ‘comedy indie’ band, The Declan Swans created the Wrexham anthem when the first improbable murmurings of Hollywood interest were in the offing.

“We wrote the song when we heard rumours of the Ryan and Rob takeover,” recalls guitarist Mark Jones. “We didn’t realise then that people were going to like it this much.”

A paean to a town and a football club that had seen better days and the two men sent to rescue it, the song which takes its name from Rob McElhenney’s long-running hit comedy series ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’, is now woven into the fabric of the town.

“The song is a story of how Wrexham AFC, the ground and Wrexham in general was crumbling down, then how we were suddenly blessed with the two saviours come to help,” says Mark.

Those two saviours in question have also gotten behind the song, something which the group are still pinching themselves about.

“Rob and Ryan have both told us that they liked it. However, we didn’t expect them to get behind it too, by sharing videos of Wrexham fans singing our music at games and across their socials.”

The band first met the co-owners at the hostelry that has become something of a Wrexham citadel – The Turf Pub next door to the club’s Racecourse Ground.

“We met them both last October in The Turf,” recalls Mark. “It was overwhelming to begin with. We had a quick chat and it very quickly appeared that they were both very normal people and very nice.

“Ryan gave us a challenge to get his surname into a song. And we’ve written a new song with it in!”

@vancityreynolds Came to Wrexham to make this @TikTok. @rmcelhenney @wrexham_afc ♬ Always Sunny In Wrexham – DECLAN SWANS

So what did the group think when they first heard these Hollywood stars were interested in their beloved football club?

“When we first heard that they wanted to take over we thought that it was a joke,” remembers the musician. “After we all endured the bad years we were naturally a little sceptical of their acquisition.

“Thankfully they are excellent owners and are actively helping the club and the town.”

The Declan Swans, who started out around the year 2000 and feature Mark on guitar, alongside singer Michael Hett and Ben Jones on drums, are reassured that whatever happens next, the Hollywood owners only have the best interests of the club at heart.

“Over the last 18 months we can see that they’ve been rebuilding the infrastructure with new players, what looks like a redeveloping a new KOP and the team’s brand presence,” says Mark. “Ryan is also leaning on David Beckham to offer advice on the club. I feel that the club and Wrexham are in for good times. Ryan and Rob are clearly taking this investment and commitment seriously.”

The band will feature in the latest episodes of Welcome To Wrexham to be screened in the US tonight and the UK tomorrow and they confess they’ve loved what they’ve seen of the TV series.

“After watching the first episodes it was very very good,” says the guitarist “It has portrayed the facts well. The town were sceptical, we needed commitment, we needed investment and a new approach. They have come in and worked to build that trust which you can see straight away.”

As for what’s in store for The Declan Swans themselves, a band who’ve been together for more than 20 years – having so much exposure for their song on such a global stage ironically could be the big break they’ve been waiting for.

Whisper it quietly, but this could be the longest overnight success story in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.

When it comes to the magic of the Wrexham story, you wouldn’t bet against it.

You can order the It’s Always Sunny In Wrexham vinyl HERE

Find out more about The Declan Swans HERE

It’s Always Sunny In Wrexham lyrics

He ordered a medium doner kebab
Saving a tenner to pay for his cab
Seems no harm in jumping the queue
Showing the owner his latest tattoo

Guy in his forties is rolling a joint
Pleased his team has rescued a point
A wicked deflection in time added on
Can see in his eyes he was totally gone

Chorus

Less than a mile from the centre of Town
A famous old stadium crumbling down
No-one’s invested so much as a penny
Bring on the Deadpool and Rob McElhеnney

Repeat chorus

Vеrse 2

King Street was calm for a Saturday night
Apart from the usual worrying sight
Of zombified corpses parading the streets
Arched over flower beds slumped across seats

Past the bus stop for Moss and Brynteg
Zombie apocalypse modern day plague
A stone’s throw away or a 2 second ride
Wetherspoons locals are smoking outside

Chorus x 2

Bridge

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
An ocular patdown and thrown in the Gwenny x 2