 | | Reviews | | |  CELTIC CONNECTIONS FESTIVAL
(Malinky, John Tams & Barry Coope, Lúnasa, Four Men And A Dog, Kate Rusby & Friends)
January 2004
GALLERY >>
"What time does this bar close?" we ask. "Oh, maybe 5, 6, 7 in the morning," says the barman, "Whatever time Shane MacGowan wants to stop drinking." So, happily, it's Situation Normal in Glasgow's Central Hotel, social hub of Celtic Connections festival. We've just arrived, the gloriously timeworn Victorian pile has had a disorientating makeover (hence the question) but the familiar ambience remains, generated by the presence of the great and good of the international Celtic scene. 2004 sees the hugely successful Scottish festival of traditional music entering its second decade with a programme spanning almost three weeks and a dozen city venues and we're here again to broadcast a live edition of Mike Harding's weekly folk, roots and acoustic music show for BBC Radio 2.
It's Wednesday evening in the sold-out Strathclyde Suite of the Royal Concert Hall and Mike warms up the audience: "I'm going to rub your legs". The 8 o'clock news bulletin ends and young Scottish band Malinky take over the airwaves with Karine Polwart's song Thaney: big sound, intricate rhythms, a bit of Eastern thrash and some subtle bodhran tipping. A song from guitarist Steve Byrne (sparse accompaniment, lovely three-part harmony) and a set of uplifting, leg-plaiting tunes further showcase the versatility of this great five-piece.
John Tams and Barry Coope take the stage for a trio of heartwarming songs of the people. With Coope on keyboards and Tams on guitar plus Dylanesque harmonica, their beautifully-matched voices sing the haunting Lay Me Low and a gentle, reflective Amelia, Where You Bound To? before All Clouds The Sky, a tribute to the fishing community, takes the breath away with its stark perceptiveness and the line from Walter Scott, "This is not fish you're eating, it's men's lives".
A few minutes later the air is full of dancing notes as Lúnasa - the "hottest Irish band on the planet" (quote origin unknown but no-one's arguing!) - powerhouse through a phenomenal set: complex tempo changes, melodic string riots, demon fiddling, the fluid swing of flute and pipes, punctuated by hilarious asides from flautist/frontman Kevin Crawford (a man who can tell the most appalling fibs with the straightest face) … Just when you think the music can't get any more inventive or crank up another notch, it does. The gut-rumbling drones and slappy bowed underpinnings of Trevor Hutchinson's upright electric bass give the sound a real kick, especially on the mid-set slow cooler The Miller Of Drohan and final blast, The Merry Sisters Of Fate. The live broadcast ends on time, there's a short break and then the lads continue playing for a delighted audience.
Later, at the Central's Festival Club - the late-night venue where the bars stay open as long as there's people with a thirst - Lúnasa are on stage again, still daisy-fresh and dynamic. It's 1am and the high decibel madness of the concert room is in full swing. People are packed in like sweaty sardines and there's a filtering out to the bar for fresh air as Tony McManus takes the stage. Those who stay get a treat: who else could you hear playing Mingus's Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, an explosive Easy Club Reel and a Jewish prayer on a guitar with such skill and panache? Half an hour later, the dance floor is heaving again as Four Men And A Dog blast through a speaker-distorting set that paves the way for the rest of the night's revelry. The only problem with the Festival Club is deciding when to retire for some much-needed sleep in the sure knowledge of missing out on more spectacular music.
Next night in the brick/steel/mirrorball chic of The Arches, Four Men And A Dog perform their main festival spot, brilliantly combining the sublime and the ridiculous with their witty Celtic/Americana virtuosity. They play a wild Rambles In Russia, a "Donegal version of The Girl From Ipanema", a beautiful slow twin fiddle tune (Song For PJ). The inimitable Gino Lupari has the audience in stitches and the palm of his hand as he segues an impossibly sexy version of the traditional song Marrowbones into a bodhran solo which stills the room to silence then whips it up again, all the while trading running gags with the crowd. Guitarist Kevin Doherty leads a storming Baby Loves To Boogie All Night Long before Music For A Found Harmonium and a light-speed Easy Club Reel (Jim Sutherland's modern classic will no doubt be played countless times at this festival!) wind up the set to raucous shouts for more.
Earlier in the day I'd attended a stimulating concert featuring European folk/jazz from the Chris Stout Band, classically-based folk from the James Ross Trio and the techno-trad sounds of Jim Moray's full band. Back at the Festival Club after The Arches concert I caught a rare on-stage combination of the legendary Paddy Keenan and Tommy O'Sullivan with Gino Lupari and Scottish fiddler Chris Stout - half an hour of sheer bliss to round off two days of top musicianship from Scotland, Ireland and England - just a fraction of the widely international cast of Celtic Connections.
Celtic Connections runs from January 14th to February 1st 2004. For all the latest on the festival as it happens, including news, reviews, interviews, photos and gig guide, visit the special minisite at BBC Scotland's Celtic Roots website.
Mel McClellan - January 2004
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 A friend has been ranting and raving for some time about Kate Rusby so I bought her "Underneath the Stars" album direct from the website. Yeh, quite good and she has lovely voice.
On stage at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall on Wednesday 28th was a very different experience. And it is an experience seeing her live as her personality and obvious enjoyment sweeps like a tidal wave from the stage.
Her stage ensemble of friends featured Eddi Reader, Tim O'Brien, Simon Fowler (Ocean Colour Scene) Dave Burland and for the first time on stage with the group five members Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band. Chemistry is much used phrase, so one more time won't make much difference, but here it's so obvious and infectious. Humour is essential amongst the band and this added to the audience’s enjoyment of this event - which just has to be repeated as an annual diary occurrence.
Time taken to tune the many instruments of Andy McCusker was brilliantly covered by Kate telling stories about nothing-in-particular with then by Andy Cutting who shared a recipe for leeks with the audience – tried it and they’re delicious.
I have rarely seen an artist, or a group having so much fun on stage and sharing this enjoyment with their friends, the audience. Kate Rusby's has a smile and a ‘chookle’ in her voice when speaking and an angel in her voice when singing. It is so pure and haunting you are genuinely moved, especially her encore number with just the accompaniment of the Grimethorpe Brass gentlemen, truly tearful.
Ronnie Bergman, Glasgow
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Folk & Acoustic
