Dallahan, Traverse

A Scots/Irish/Hungarian outfit playing a mix of traditional material, from all three traditions and beyond, and a few of their own tunes.  With such diverse influences they have created a sound that is very much their own and now, with the launch of their second album, they are showing signs of moving that sound on whilst retaining the signature elements that marked them out from the start.

Jack Badcock provides guitar that hints at an admiration for the work of John Doyle, whilst delivering lead vocals that are distinctive,mellow and beautifully enunciated.  Jani Lang plays Irish style fiddle with Balkan flourishes, and sings a delightful Hungarian folk song.  The multi talented Ciaran Ryan excels on banjo, mandolin and fiddle, with complex rhythmic work and sparkling solos.  New boy Andrew Waite plays piano accordion.  He's the third squeezebox player in the Dallahan line up to date and, in my opinion, the best yet, so it's to be hoped his tenure in the role will be a long one.  Completing the line up on the night was a guest appearance from the original double bass player with the band, the charismatic Balázs Hermann, one of the most visually entertaining musicians you could come across.

Take a standard set of jigs or reels, apply the Dallahanisation process, and what emerges is not just a stream of improvisations, but drama, unexpected changes of direction, multicultural influences and that wild Hungarian fiddle sound.  The band delights in uncovering some of the more obscure Irish and Scots tunes, and making them their own.  Song selection is eclectic too, a mix of lesser known murder ballads and love songs, and their now standard encore of the comic song 'Shame and Scandal in the Family'.  Whilst there are some haunting slower airs within the set list, this is mostly a high energy evening and exhilarating for the audience (who also get invited to join in on a few choruses).

Badcock continues to grow in confidence as the band's primary front man, Lang providing an alternative lead voice, between them letting us know something about the band's working methods, the origins of the music and providing a few laughs.  Waite adds a few amusing comments, whilst Ryan seems content to let his deft fingering speak for him.  As for Hermann, it's a simple joy to watch him work through a range of emotions as he plays, or seemingly disappearing into a wee world of his own....

Dallahan continue to confirm their place as one of my favourite bands, both live and at home, and I'm looking forward to giving their new album a lot of listening time.