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Cleethorpes Folk Festival24th May 2003
24th May 2003
The onstage enjoyment is palpable as Sarah Allen, Brian Finnegan, Ed Boyd and John Joe Kelly blast through a tune set inspired by disastrous journeys; Ed's jazz chords in The Empty Pod have evolved into something even more spectacular since the version on their latest album Rubai. The audience in the Winter Gardens' wonderfully rococo hall has never heard the like, as Gordon Duncan's Pressed For Time fills the room with an incredibly fluid, light soundscape.
I recall being dismayed way back when Michael McGoldrick quit the first Flook line-up but although the dynamic is different it's absolutely as exciting and original, especially with the permanent addition of John Joe Kelly - unequivocally the best bodhran player in the known universe. With metronomic, off-the-wall guitarist Ed Boyd, the two make a driving underscore to flute, whistle and Sarah's accordion.
Through slow airs and Hungarian tunes to their own brilliant compositions, the four exhibit a symbiotic relationship; sets start bang-on without count-ins, rhythms unknown to man are executed with quadruple precision. It's a joy to see Brian working the airspace between flute and microphone, moving with the grace of a dancer and eyeballing with Sarah, who stands on one leg (her trademark - what is it about metal flute players?), rock steady at the mic. After a percussive spitty start from Sarah, Michael McGoldrick's Dub Reel gets syncopated brushes from John Joe, liquid input from Brian and delicately picked guitar from Ed; after scary gaps and a flying thrash, the others leave John Joe alone on stage for a long, rivetting solo.
The relaxed onstage craic is also a treat as Ed sets a competition for the audience to guess what esoteric item he used in his B&B the previous night (answer: a hot water bottle). After the encore, Beehive, huge grins abound in the audience. Flook: intelligent, sophisticated, seriously good-vibe music. What more could you want?
Mel McClellan - May 2003
See also:
More from Flook in our reviews archive.
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Folk & Acoustic
