Breabach to kick off with, and their usual 5 person line up, with double bass, guitar, cajon, fiddle, whistles and Highland bagpipes. Plus vocals from Megan Henderson, Ewan Robertson and Calum MacCrimmon, and the excellent step dancing of Megan.
Most of the set featured material from their newest album, Fàs. Beautifully orchestrated and contemporary. Songs about change and wind power. And a lot of laughs - both James Lindsay and newest member Conal McDonagh can be very dry.
And they saved the best for last, with MacCrimmon and McDonagh blowing up the bags and letting the pipes rip. Stirring stuff to end an entertaining set.
Dervish might be a generation ahead of them, but still bring passion and wildness to their music. Confident, relaxed, professional, funny and gifted. It was a strong and very varied set, and every member of the six piece line up had a chance to show off their solo talents.
But it's always Kathy Jordan's vocals that stand out above all else. With a wide range and expressive phrasing, she always remains unmistakably Irish, no matter the material. Dervish also brought on a bit of step dancing, importing a youngster to undertake the duties and save their energies!
For the finale they were joined on stage by Breabach for a rousing singalong to end the evening. Great stuff.
No comments:
Post a Comment