A star studded, who’s who of Irish music was put on last night in the 3Arena in celebration of Hot Press’ 50th anniversary and it was an absolutely stacked night that went on for over five hours.
To structure this blog I will just be rating each individual acts performance, including special guests and comedians, rather than breaking it down as I usually do, as things like stage setup and the likes obviously wouldn’t be in much control with such a quick turnaround.
Clannad: 7/10, A very short set of one song from Clannad, very nice atmospheric music to open the show with, just wished they would’ve done a bit more.
Michael D Higgins and Myles O’Reilly: 9/10, Hard to score these men lowly, delivering a spoken word poetry reading of one of his own poems, backed with soothing tone-setting music by Myles O’Reilly.
Irish Women in Harmony: 8/10, Irish supergroup comprised of women, as the name would suggest, sang a medley of famous Irish songs, followed by covers of “Crazy World” and “Nothing Compares 2 U”, as tributes to Christy Dignam and Sinead O’Connor Respectively. Heartwarming and harmonic, they delivered an emotional and powerful set.
Gavin James: 8/10, After joining Irish Women in Harmony for the end of “Nothing Compares 2 U”, Gavin James came out and delivered an acoustic piano rendition of his song “Always”, and I always seem to forget just how powerful of a voice that man has.
Laura Murphy: 6/10, Another spoken word poetry piece delivered by Laura Murphy, Poet and self proclaimed healer, an intriguing poem but very strange stylistic delivery choices.
Van Morrison: 6/10, I love Van Morrison, but it didn’t really feel like he was there, standing on the stage in his hat and sunglasses, rarely glancing at the crowd, and walking off before the last song even finished. That being said, he delivered a performance with an absolutely powerful voice that seems to grow better with age.
Florence Road: 8/10, Up and coming Irish rock band Florence Road played on their biggest stage yet last night, after just being featured on the cover of Hot Press magazine, in their small time slot they put on a hell of a show, this is a band that, next time they come around, very well may be headlining that stage.
Emmet Kirwan: 8/10, Poet and Playwright, Emmet Kirwan performed a extract from one of his plays about Dublin, incredibly rhythmic, entertaining and quite funny, he has an incredibly control of his words and tempo.
Belters Only: 3/10, A very low energy set, the two lads from Belters Only hardly moved while standing behind their DJ mixing desk, while it certainly isn’t music I like, the least they could’ve done is put a bit of effort behind it.
Denise Chaila: 8/10, A very politically motivated, sensitive and defiant set of songs sang by Denise Chaila, who sang about trying to find cooperation between her Zambian and Irish heritage, and the challenges from society, sang with conviction and confidence, and an absolutely stunning voice.
Picture This: 8/10, Athy locals Picture This, who I had seen on their own one week earlier, took to the stage and delivered a fully acoustic set of songs, both old and new. In particular the song “Go Gently” is an absolutely beautiful song, that sounds even more vulnerable and powerful when done acoustically.
Tony Cantwell: 7/10, Our next comedian up, delivered a very witty set with a lot of societal commentary disguised within. Very good comedy and a very good personality to be doing it.
Damien Dempsey: 8/10, If Denise Chaila wasnt political enough for you, then Damien Dempsey might be what you’re looking for. From songs about online harassment, to global unity, and anti-racism, Damo as his fans call him, performed a very diverse set with a very rich sound to it.
Emma Doran: 6/10, Our next comedian, Emma Doran, who my mother is a big fan of, put on a comedy show that would seem to be mostly tailored towards those of the female gender, so a lot of it didn’t appeal to me, still, lots of funny parts in there, even for a man like me.
The Frames: 10/10, I very often overlook Glen Hansard’s voice, and I am absolutely floored when I hear it again. Back together with his band The Frames, they put on a high energy, powerful show, with one of the best voices in all of music, maybe ever.
Rachel Galvo: 4/10, Another comedian in the interval, she did not seem to appeal to the crowd at all, it would be one thing if I didn’t find her particularly funny, but that opinion seemed to be shared with most the audience judging by the lack of reaction.
Imelda May: 9/10, I am aware of Imelda May in name only, or at least I was, until last night. An incredible stage presence, one of the best and most unique voices I’ve ever heard, with a tight backing band that just came together perfectly.
Tommy Tiernan: 10/10, Irelands most popular comedian, Tommy Tiernan, treated us to a comedy set all about the madness inherent in the Irish people, referencing hurling as proof because no mentally stable nation would produce such a sport. Incredibly witty, incredible comedic timing, it’s easy to see why he’s so popular.
The Cranberries ft Dermot Kennedy: 8/10, I’m not as opposed to new singers in band when compared with others, and Dermot Kennedys voice, while certainly very different to Dolores O’Riordans hauntingly beautiful voice, his raspy tone gave a new feeling and life to the songs. While his voice didn’t suit the softer songs such as “Linger”, it worked wonderfully on “Zombie”, and most importantly to me, the two brothers from The Cranberries looked like they were having the time of their life, finally back on stage.
The Boomtown Rats: 9/10, Another band I saw just a week ago, The Boomtown Rats closed out the show, after five and a half hours of non stop music, they had a lot to live up to, and in my opinion, they certainly lived up to it, if not exceeded it. Starting with “Rat Trap”, which is a wonderful song to get a crowd going, but then ditching the traditional Rats setlists, and opting instead to do a cover of “The Boys are Back in Town”, as a tribute to Phil Lynnot, with Imelda May joining on vocals, and even Adam Clayton of U2 playing the bass, one of the best frontmen in the business, with an incredible backing band.
Jays Concert Blog 