View from the Bar

The last time Ryan Adams played a solo show in Ireland his mega-selling crossover album 'Gold' had yet to be released. Riding on the back of the critical praise heaped on his debut 'Heartbreaker', this modern day Keith Richards/Gram Parsons/Tom Waits/Bruce Springsteen (delete as appropriate) charmed a small appreciative audience at the 2001 Rhythm n Roots Festival in Kilkenny with a laid back acoustic performance.

Much has happened since - the single 'New York, New York' released the week of the Twin Towers terrorist attacks, appearances with Elton John & Willie Nelson, GAP ads, covers of Strokes albums and obnoxious drunken bratty behaviour have all contributed to the rapid illumination of this rising rock n roll star. After a messy performance at the Ambassador late last year and a less-than-satisfactory recent release (the 'demos' album Demolition) there was quite a bit of anticipation about these two Olympia shows.

Despite the size of the venue a smokey bar room atmosphere was created for the evening: a half-empty glass of wine sat on a small wooden table containing the requisite ashtray and pack of Marlboro Lights, while of a bunch of fresh roses rested against the leg. Throughout the evening Ryan shuffled from piano to guitar and back again swigging liberally from a bottle of wine under the red and blue spotlights.
Clearly relaxed and perhaps happy to be playing the last night of a short tour he traded good-humoured banter with the punters, regularly responding to requests (the by-now standard moronic shout for 'Summer of 69' was casually dismissed). Up-tempo rock songs from Gold such as the aforementioned single and 'Firecracker' were reinterpreted acoustic-blues style, while Heartbreaker was liberally plundered for wonderful performances at the piano and on the guitar. There was some fittingly sparse additional instrumentation from a cellist and violinist throughout the night but overall this was a demonstration of the art of Ryan Adams' song writing as well as a superb display of his vocal abilities. Forget the production sheen of 'Gold', the live setting is where Ryan Adams stakes his claim mostly strongly as the foremost modern incarnation of the troubled, broken-hearted troubadour. His songs are so good, so beautifully crafted that they don't really need drums, bass and horns.
After two hours and twenty minutes of an engrossing performance any bad aftertaste lingering from his last Irish visit was comprehensively washed away. There is still some doubt as to which direction Ryan Adams will take. Much evidence from recent months points to a worrying trend of rock n roll self-destruction. Maybe the boy from North Carolina hasn't quite escaped from under the dark shadow of his idols. If he eventually does so he may just be able to stand proudly alongside those names, rather than hanging expectantly on to their coat tails.
Daragh O'Halloran.

What a contrast between the Irish 'summer' and Calexico's lush Arizona sun-baked music. On this cold and drizzly midsummer's night we needed something like this to cheer us up. To remind us that elsewhere the sun is piercing the solid plate of blue sky and the air is thick, humid and scorching. Well, it felt like that, for just a second at least.

The core duo of Joey Burns (acoustic and electric guitar, electronic noises) and John Convertino (drums - brushed, flicked and pounded brilliantly) were joined by four other musicians tonight filling out the intricate sound- stand-up bass, pedal steel guitar, xylophone, accordion, trumpets, maracas and for the encore, bongos. Quite a bit of the set consisted of new material, with other offerings from the two most recent long players, the quite wonderful 'Hot Rail' and 'The Black Light'. The instrumental pieces on those albums were largely forsaken in place of vocal-led pieces sung with strength by Burns. This show was far more impressive than their Temple Bar Music Centre performance a couple of years back. Not least because of the superior sound, but also because of an increased confidence, evident in the exuberant playing and the fact that the band did not feel the need for a backdrop of spaghetti western movies. The songs worked perfectly well on their own. A band who are much more popular over here than in their native America, Joey Burns told the crowd that they would like to visit Ireland a lot more frequently, possibly to do a mini tour of the country. On the strength of tonight's gig their return can't come quick enough.
Daragh O'Halloran.

No gong this time. Instead, at the back of the stage at the base of the giant screen were three huge mirror balls, rotating slowly. The 3 man band took to the stage, two of them wearing full size bunny suits, the lead singer, Wayne Coyne, with a light beige suit and a grey-flecked beard looking like he was about to embark on an archaeological dig to Egypt.

The Flaming Lips songs deal with questions, science, mankind, space, the potential of life, more questions, puzzlement, hope. Their sound? Vast, cinematic, expansive, epic, melodramatic, spacious, overwhelming, HUGE. Still, everything that the Oklahoma band did here on this amazing night was infused with a sense of fun, not self-aggrandising pomp - the fake blood streaming down Wayne Coyne's face; the guy in the frog suit on the right of the stage and the guy in the bear (dog?) suit on the left; the clips on the big screen from American talk show hosts announcing the band; the white confetti sprinkled liberally over the audience throughout; the enormous strobe light hung around Coyne's neck; the billowing mists of dry ice; the gigantic pink and white balloons bouncing around the crowd all night. The Flaming Lips are the finest live act on the planet because they really know how to put on something that we rarely see these days - a SHOW, in the truest sense of the word.

Visuals, theatre, music, performance. What more could we want? What more could we take? The crowd roared and applauded all the way through this gig, baying for more songs, feeling the waves of astonishing sound wash over them, in communion with The Flaming Lips. At times you got an indication of what it must have felt like in the UFO club in London in 1967 at some of those early Pink Floyd shows, or what it felt like hearing punk for the first time, or indeed what it feels like to be Superman.

Ridiculously magnificent.
Daragh O'Halloran

Daragh O'Halloran

On Thursday night at the Olympia Lambchop played a stormer. Not everyone's favourite live act and possibly struggling a little in the aftermath of their latest release, the low-key 'Is a Woman' for which they have received mixed reviews, Lambchop ultimately brewed up a storm.

Opening with the first three tracks from 'Is a Woman' it was obvious from the start that Kurt Wagner was on form and the crowd loved it. Wagner, a natural entertainer with a cheeky twinkle, will always delight and excite and the main question mark was about the performance of the band as a whole. We needn't have worried. Playing as if operated by the hand of Wagner they performed with energy and polish to produce a stunning two hour show.

Wagner sang, not like an angel, but rather like god himself, producing a full range from the quiet musings of 'The Daily Growl' to the schreeched but perfect tones of 'Nixon's' majestic 'Up with people'. To see Wagner, mouth gaping, leaning back and screaming in perfect harmony with his band was to feel one was in the presence of a man possessed, possessed with the desire and drive to produce an almost supernatural performance. He didn't just sing the words, he was living them. A poet to rank with Dylan at this best and most infuriating one came to realise at this performance that to not understand the words didn't matter as by witnessing him perform the songs live one would experience something special and conventional meaning would become irrelevant.

Wagner's range is stunning, drifting along on a slow and melancholy tide with the others supporting in the background, only to suddenly whisk the whole stage into a frenzy of well orchestrated noise and energy as Wagner himself brought an almost unnatural air to his singing as he reached incredible heights of raw excitement. Wagner knows how to work his crowd and having lulled us all into a safe and relaxed trance-like mood with his quieter moments knew we would be too weak to resist his incredible upward surges when they came.

Finishing strongly with the later tracks from the new album including Autumn's Vicar and the superb title track the crowd pleaded for more and we were duly treated, including one track from an older album. By the time they departed the stage for the final time one felt uplifted for having spent an evening in the company of Kurt Wagner and Lambchop.

Kevin Loughlin.

As a kick off for the Rhythm & Roots Weekend in the Marble City, Scott Miller did just what you would hope for - he made himself a tough act to follow. But then again Scott knows a thing or two about delivering shit kicking live shows. As leader of the V- Roys, Miller toured extensively with Steve Earle & there is more than a passing resemblance to Galway's adoptive son in Miller's tunes.

Backed by his band, The Commonwealth, the boyish looking 33 year old kicked straight into 'My Daddy Raised a Boy', an acoustic led hillbilly stomper which set the tone for the next 90 minutes. The band looked a little ill at ease on the cramped stage, but soon found their own space to cut loose. Between song banter was kept to a minimum, but when he did expand on an introduction Miller's warm Virginian drawl was warm, friendly and funny - a little like Boomhauer from King of the Hill as I overheard someone describe him.

For anyone familiar with the album 'Thus Always To Tyrants' (which is incidentally the State motto of Virginia), the live set rocks much harder with the absence of the records more subtle instrumentation and harmonies. The rockier tracks such as 'Absolution' and 'Goddamn The Sun' turn the knobs to eleven and the guitar heroics inspire huge cheers and big shit eating grins from the sardines in the crowded back room. It wasn't all hard rockin though and in between the RAWK Miller found space to explore the records more bluegrass inspired moments, such as the marvellous 'Highland Country Boy' and the closing number on both the record and the nights main set, the neo gospel 'Is There Room On The Cross For Me, which tonight was mostly unaccompanied.

Given the cramped conditions both on stage and off it was obvious there would be no ducking off stage to wait for the call back, so as Scott finished up 'Is There Room…' his band put down their beers & smokes and kicked into a blistering 'Goddamn The Sun' which left the crowd developing early signs of tinnitus and discussing tickets for the following night's show.

By rights this should be the last time Miller will have to play venues of this size, as he deserves the same crossover appeal enjoyed by the likes of Messrs, Earle, Petty, young and even Springsteen. And this exactly what I believe to be the spirit of this weekend, the feeling that you are witnessing the next big thing in a tiny back room. Savour it.

Spring was finally in the air on a bright, fresh, breezy Sunday afternoon in the grounds of Kilkenny Castle. Young families, small huddles of teenage girls and groups of inquisitive lads were lazily spread around the vast expanses of green in the peaceful garden. It was the perfect relaxed prelude to another excellent performance later that night by Ireland's favourite husband and wife modern US folk outfit.

The Handsome Family are a band that are much better appreciated in a live setting than on record. It is on stage that the humourous interaction between Brett and Rennie adds that extra dimension lacking across the seperated tracks on a CD and provides a proper backdrop for their quirky, black tales.

'Oh Susanna!', a solo female singer/songwriter from Canada provided support. Her voice sometimes echoed that of Emmylou Harris (although not as silky and crystalline). The guitar picking was very subtle, at time barely audible, fine for an intimate venue such as the back room at Cleere's but something which does not bode well for the indifferent attitude that she may encounter in the upcoming gig in The Temple Bar Music Centre.

Brett Sparks limbered up for the performance by draping his towelled head over a steaming bowl of yellow-coloured liquid, in order to loosen up the vocal chords which had been irritated as the result of a cold. Rennie looked on with the detached concern of a loving wife. They treated us to a selection of tracks from their most recent LP 'Twilight' and others from as far back as 'Through The Trees' that for want of a better phrase are fast becoming 'crowd favourites'. The banter between the two was as usual surreal, inspired and funny. Brett was in especially playful mood, despite his physical condition, letting rip with a couple of surprisingly noisy solos which livened up their mournful country tunes. Due to the lack of backstage area the happy couple merely stood back for about 30 seconds at the end before proceeding with their two-song encore.A great illustration of how music and humour can actually mix.

Daragh O'Halloran

Featuring only singer-pianist, John Grant and guitarist, Roger Green, The Czars were introducing themselves to Irish audiences for the first time in a scaled down format - there's five of them usually. Unfortunately for them the combo of a wet Tuesday and a little known American alt country act couldn't tempt any more than about 20 punters to the Kilkenny show.
I guess the lack of a larger crowd in the stylish underground nightclub gave the show the feeling of a chamber recital rather than a rock show. Grant's voice is a rich soaring baritone and although criticised for his hands in pockets approach to performing, with his voice who cares. Picking their way through most of this years The Ugly People vs. The Beautiful People Grant and Green mesmerised and serenaded the audience with the haunting Drug, the spellbinding Lullaby 6000 and intense Black and Blue.
In between song banter isn't part of a Czars performance, however you don't go to church and expect the priest to introduce his sermon or readings with amusing anecdotes, you go to listen and receive a little something for your soul, so it is with The Czars. Only when introducing a song written by Green did Grant break from his respectful thank yous, "This next song's called Roger's Song because the words are crap" he tells us. They weren't particularly and the song itself is a beautiful love song.
There was to be a real treat right at the end of the show with two cover versions which seemed to make sense of where The Czars fit in, first up a truly breath taking rendition of Patsy Cline's I Fall To Pieces during which nobody dared breathe and was followed by a Simon and Garfunkel song I was sadly unfamiliar with.
Tonight was one of those special nights where you felt that you were seeing an act on the verge of greatness. The Czars are indeed great but I wonder if they will be helped up the ladder or remain on the cult rung. According to Grant they are keen to return with the rest of the band and if that happens seek them out and help them up the ladder.

Originally booked as The Pernice Brothers, before 11th September, the very fact that Joe was going ahead with two of the Irish shows (Dublin being the other) made this date unmissable. This was his fourth appearance in the back room of Cleere's, and was typically full.
Joe trawled through his back catalogue for this set, only choosing to perform two tracks from his band's new record 'The World Won't End', an album of world weary power pop a la Jimmy Webb or Big Star. It was a familiar set but every song sounded subtly different, given the events of last month. In between chat was kept to a minimum, with Joe preferring to communicate through his very literate songs. 'Bum Leg', 'Silo' and 'Prince Valium' & 'Crestfallen' were all present alongside 'Our Time Has Passed' and 'Cronulla Breakdown' from 'The World Won't End', both songs unreliant on the hooks and harmonies supplied by the rest of the band.
Joe told us that he had spent six days in a London Hotel prior to taking the ferry to Dublin and was understandably worried about the flight home (he's a nervous flier anyway). He then sprung a surprise on us by introducing a song he found himself 'rediscovering' since the World Trade Centre attack, 'Love Vigilantes' by New Order, a fantastic song with a powerful topical message.
He will be back to do the Pernice Brothers thing properly, but for now I just hope he got home ok.

After 2 magnificent shows at last years Rhythm & Roots weekend and the disappointment of a cancelled show last April, Howe Gelb made a more than welcome return to Kilkenny. This was as intimate as it gets and with the anticipation almost consuming Howe launched into…'Fly Me to the Moon'! He had decided earlier after walking in on a covers act in Cleere's to perform only covers tonight. Thankfully he gave up on the idea after running out of songs and instead treated us to a set made up of his recent 'Confluence' record; 'Sister Conformity', 'Blue Marble Girl', last years 'Chore of Enchantment'; 'Wolfy', 'Shiver', 'Way to End the Day' an old OP8 classic, 'Leather' and his usual experimentation.
Equipped with his battered Martin acoustic, a borrowed keyboard, an array of pedals and even his personal stereo, Howe Gelb enthralled and mesmerised the small room for 90 odd minutes. Here was a man who doesn't just write songs he creates desert soundscapes that bring the Arizona desert into the venue. Mixing snatches of radio buzz into his set or just jamming along with his friend Rainer Ptacek's last performance before his death in '97, Gelb took us out along a dusty highway in our heads. Dealing with the desert sound, Gelb put a copy of Miles Davis' soundtrack to the obscure 'Fire Escape' into his Discman and played the real sound of the desert. He later used a sample from the CD as accompaniment to 'Blue Marble Girl' from 'Confluence', the real Calexico perhaps?
Howe Gelb has been described as a maverick, his songs as windswept, sun bleached, desert fairytales and other such desert analogies, but for me he's a modern blues explorer. Always looking for sounds to add to his observations on daily life in the desert. Never afraid to toss a curve ball, Howe encored with Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man' from Giant Sand's forthcoming covers record. Giant Sand will be back in the autumn. Expect the unexpected.

Rhythm & Roots Weekend stalwarts Boz Boorer Band played a memorable set as a warm up for Paul Burch. Self - penned material such as 'I'm a Rockabilly Guy' mixed with rock & roll standards kept the capacity crowd entertained for 40 minutes. Boz and band are always a welcome sight in Kilkenny and for any guitar lovers to see Boz in full flight is a joy. Despite Lyn temporarily blowing her amp they rocked the place.
A conquering hero returns. That was certainly the reception that greeted Paul Burch on Monday night. After his marathon performances during this years' Rhythm & Roots Weekend Paul was back in Kilkenny before his London debut the next night.
Most if not all the audience were familiar with the material and gave hearty cheers and yelps as each song was introduced. Despite the effects of a head cold Burch performed enthusiastically and there was warmth to his between song chat. The head cold meant that the voice wasn't quite there for the high notes, but at the same time added a slight roughness to his vocal. His material owes a debt to the old greats such as, Hank, Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, etc and songs like 'Isolde' from 'Blue Notes' show-off his skill s a writer of evocative and emotional songs. Requests were dealt with obligingly during the show and Paul also introduced material from his forthcoming record 'Last of My Kind'.
Boz and band were brought back to help out on set closer and audience par-tic-i-pation fave 'How Will I Know'. But there was to be no escape without an encore & for this reviewer they couldn't have chosen a better tune, 'I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine' from the Elvis Sun Sessions with Boz doing his best Scotty Moore. Jumpin'.
Here's hoping that Paul gets a warm reception in London.

Back across the water again, this time armed only with his acoustic & no friends for company. Since his first visit to these shores last year Mills gigs are an event similar to the visit of a friend from overseas. Taking time out from writing the follow-up to last years powerful "Kiss it Goodbye", to tramp all over Ireland and the UK Mills was his usual affable self, apologising for a personal hygiene problem and enquiring after the nearest launderette. Set opener "Take it Down" from his '98 debut "Every Night Fight For Your Life" set the tone and groove for the evening. Always a passionate performer it was a treat to hear songs such as "Watch Chain", "Crooked Vein" and "Sawtooth" stripped to the bones. In an intimate setting such as "The Eclectic Backroom" the songs are allowed to breathe and demonstrate Mills' maturity as a songwriter. There were a couple of new songs in amongst the live favourites, which point to a continuation of the sound, and themes of "Kiss it Goodbye". Also slipped into the set were two songs from his friend, label mate and occasional support act/cum drummer, Hawksley Workman, which showcased his talent as a songwriter. A great night and here's to the new record and tour.

The big show of the Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival. The hype currently surrounding Mr Adams is immense & following some fevered word of mouth reviews around his Vicar Street show the previous Wednesday, expectations were high. A guaranteed sell out this was the dream show with which to launch this years programme. Enough background, on to the show, with Tift Merrit staying behind in Nashville to work on her debut for Lost Highway, Adams was without proper support for his European tour. Ably stepping into the breach in Kilkenny was young Maeve Buckley from Cork. Obviously nervous Maeve gave us an endearing half-hour set of self penned songs. Sounding not unlike Dolores O Riordan but without the self-righteous bullshit, Maeve definitely has a strong voice, good ideas using beats on some songs and winning smile.
Enter Ryan Adams stage right. Cigarette & red wine in hand, without any further ado "To be young, is to be sad" was despatched immediately to rapturous applause. Three more songs from "Heartbreaker" followed in quick succession before the man greeted us. To say that between song banter was kept to a minimum is to be too generous to Adams. Considering his promise to play the nine songs written already on this tour, a brief introduction before playing new material tends to help an audience understand & absorb the song. The set was unbalanced, uneven and ultimately desperately disappointing. Highlights were definitely the Piano based numbers, particularly "Sweet li'l gal" from "Heartbreaker" and a new song possibly called "Dreams of a working class clown". Notebooks were thumbed continuously, Adams even stopped to add a new lyric to one of them, one such note book was entitled "Gold", the title of his new record, however, it's been nigh impossible to establish which songs were played. As expected he finished with a bile ridden "Come pick me up".
Overall a frustrating night for all. I just hope that Ryan's not become a victim of his own celebrity.

Jason & the Scorchers did for country music in the eighties what the Pogues did for trad; they played it at 100mph and called it Cowpunk. In the 90's after being unceremoniously dumped by EMI America Jason attempted to inject a little normality into his life after nearly 10 years of serious abuse, he married, bought a farm and started a family. Last year Jason released "Pocketful of Soul" on his own Courageous Chicken label to wide critical acclaim. The record was a more introspective & traditional offering than the Scorchers output.
Jason looked like he was up for a party when he took the stage on Saturday afternoon. He ripped through the first few numbers without pausing for breath or barely even applause. Always witty and self-depreciating Jason ran through his life story the way he burns through songs like "Self Sabotage". He opened up the floor for requests and obliged by playing Scorchers faves such as "Broken Whiskey Glass" and "Renegade" amongst others. A new song written on his arrival in Ireland was aired for the first time, "Erin's Seed" told the moving story of the Battle of Fredericksburg where Irishmen fought each other during the American Civil War. He later enlisted the help of travelling companions and fellow performers, Kristi Rose, Fats Kaplin and Paul Burch. Cover version mayhem ensued culminating in a glorious sing a long rendition of The Band's "The Weight"; the roof was truly lifted.

The flight case, which sat at the back of the stage, was covered in stickers for T-Rex, Ramones, Iggy, Slobberbone, Lou Reed, The Clash and Johnny Cash amongst others. Ed Hamell is all of those and more. Bespectacled, shaven headed and dressed in Brooklyn T-shirt and combat pants, only the stickers on the flight case give any clue to what's going to happen over the next 90 minutes. Hamell is a storyteller, his latest record; "Choochtown" concerns a group of petty criminals, dealers and chancers in his native New York City. The songs are high on adrenaline, humour and volume. In-between songs the jokes and put downs flow freely, how effective a quick "Hey Fuck You" can be in silencing annoying chatter. Most of "Choochtown" was played along with songs from his brief flirtation with a major label. New to me were the hilarious "I hate your kid", "John Lennon" and a beautiful song for his mother written after she had passed away. Considering that only last year we nearly lost Ed Hamell in a horrific car smash the man shows no sign of the life threatening injuries he sustained. He is a compulsive songwriter, consummate performer and a witty fucker. With his encores, Ed tipped his hat to two obvious influences from his home city. The Velvet Underground's "I wanna be your man" and Ramones "Rockaway Beach".
Despite the Pixies declaring Ed is Dead, he most definitely is not, Hamell on Trial is Punk Rock.

Kristi's friends today were Paul Burch & husband Fats Kaplin. Described in the programme as "Elly Mae of the Beverly Hillbillies with attitude", Kristi is a charming singer with one of those voices that stops clocks and breaks hearts. Kristi's husband Fats is no stranger to these shores, having toured with Tom Russell & those who saw him then or were familiar with his old band the Dead Reckoners were obviously aware of just how talented the man is. Fiddle, pedal steel and guitar were all played with virtuosity and warmth. The name of Kristi and Fats' new record is "This is Pulp Country" which is quite an apt description of their sound and themes. Spanning trad country, flamenco, mountain ballads and a bit of gospel and swing, the set list allowed for the audience to familiarise themselves with the "Pulp Country" record, with songs such as "Johnny Guitar" (originally sung by Peggy Lee), "Rise and Shine" and "You break it you pay", whilst being treated to favourites from Patsy Cline, Nancy Sinatra and Johnny Cash. As with many of the performers over the weekend, the enthusiasm being displayed onstage by Kristi Rose, Fats and Paul touched the hearts of all those who were at the shows. I think we all made new friends over the weekend. As the car stickers declared: "America needs….God, Guts & Kristi Rose".

The final piece of the Nashville Gang playing over the weekend. Paul's name maybe familiar to fans of the Lambchop collective with whom he has played drums and vibraphone. Paul also fronts his own band, WPA Ballroom where he exercises his considerable song writing talents. For a set opener Paul tore through a passionate "Rave On", which instantly raised the temperature in the small back room of Ryans. Paul Burch is a singer in the tradition of Hank Williams (those yodels!), Ernest Tubb or maybe Hank Snow, his own songs were regretfully unfamiliar to me prior to his show but I have to confess that myself and my friends were completely won over, not only by the quality of songs from his "Blue Notes" record but also his good humour and approachability. Backed for the show by Fats Kaplin, it was no surprise when Fats' wife Kristi Rose took to the stage for a couple of duets or when Jason Ringenberg took his turn with Paul. Jason in particular threw himself into his duet (a Jimmie Rodgers' number whose name escapes me), jumping onto the bar, to the delight of the sardine like crowd. Fortunately for Paul, Jason ignored shouts for more, allowing Paul to stretch himself. The highlight for me was the rendition of "I love you because" which came complete with passionate audience participation. Country music needs more people like Paul Burch and we are lucky that he had the opportunity to sing and play for us.

The second of back to back midnight shows for the remaining two Marah boys. Helped out on these shows by three friends from their native Philly. The tone for the night was instantly obvious from the notice on the venue door, "Please refrain from using chairs, this is a ROCK show". With a stage bedecked in Stars and Stripes and a ramp jutting out from the stage into the crowd it was obvious we were going to get the full treatment. The Frank Sinatra tape fades out and all of a sudden we're hurtling down Main St on our way to Asbury Park. This is indeed a ROCK show. The crowd surges forward Dave Bielanko steps out to meet his people and his gang whips up a storm behind him. The set is based heavily on "Kids from Philly", one of last years great surprises. As it was a midnight show the crowd appeared to have been nicely lubricated and needed little cajoling to dance like monkeys. As the songs flew past, I think I caught "Barstool Boys", "Faraway You" and "It's only money, Tyrone" in the maelstrom. Being proud Philadelphia boys I guess it should have no surprise that they ended the show with a raucous, almost evangelistic "Love Train".
This was indeed a ROCK show.

A funny thing happened during the afternoon leading up to the final show of the festival. Imagine my surprise to see Big Steve Arlene, 6ft 6 tall wearing snake skin cowboy boots, racing up the street pushing a wheelbarrow with a young lady sitting in it. All in aid of charity mind you and a winning prize of free all day drinking. Poor Steve got into round two but alas no further. Although they played every night over the weekend this was my first time seeing The Arlenes. The focal points of the five-piece band are husband and wife Stephanie & Big Steve. Their harmonies rise above the tight rhythm section and soaring lead guitar. The material is at times reminiscent of the Gram Parsons / Emmylou Harris duets, with a slightly more modern feel. Stand out song would have to be "Stuck on Love" a mid tempo-ish song with a sixties feel. All credit to the band for managing to silence a noisy crowd and let their melodies do their thing. If you're ever in Camden Town check out Steve's Sunday afternoon club, 'Come down and meet the folks', sounds like the perfect way to pass a Sunday.

Unexpectedly after The Arlenes set and having played the last couple of numbers with them, Alan Tyler got his band together for a set of their own. Better known as The Rockingbirds, the band gathered a dedicated following during the mid nineties and recorded for the Heavenly label. A man with a rich velvety voice Tyler is Big Steve's pardner in crime in 'Come down and meet the folks' and a songwriter of no mean ability. They played for about 40 minutes both old Rockingbirds tunes, covers and new ATB songs. Highlight for me was a spirited 'Jonathan, Jonathan' written about Jonathan Richman from the 'Birds self titled '92 record. Although they were hairier in those days I have to say that drummer Dave Morgan looks the same as ever!
A great night and a reminder of times gone by.

Calexico:
Expect to see early Sold Out notices as Burns & Convertino play two dates in the intimate Whelans.

Coal Porters:
Sid Griffin takes his Bluegrass combo around the country on a whistle stop tour this month.

Neko Case:
Canadian ex-punk Case makes her Irish debut this month. Her current release 'Blacklisetd' was one of the records of last year.

Click here for more tour dates

Ryan Adams:
Ryan decides to plunder his catalogue for this crowd pleaser in Dublin.

Calexico:

Burns & Convertino's mariachi madness reminds us what summer can be like.

Flaming Lips:
Wayne Coyne & chums brought the Jelly to Vicar Street.

Neil Halstead:
Mojave 3 head honcho supported by our own Paul O'Reilly. Two talented young songwriters delivered a night of beautiful intimacy at the Shelter.

Lambchop:
Kurt Wagner & his lo-fi orchestra brewed up a quiet storm at the Olympia last month.

Scott Miller:
Miller and his Commonwealth opened the Rhythm & Roots Weekend and brought the house down.

The Handsome Family:
Brett, Rennie, Oh Susanna and some smelly yellow liquid. Another Handsome Family show.

Click here for more recent reviews of Paul Burch, Chris Mills, Ryan Adams, Marah, and more...

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