 | | Reviews | | |  MICHAEL McGOLDRICK, DEZI DONNELLY, TIM EDEY
Cleethorpes Folk Festival
May 25th 2003
Confirmed a Universal Law at Cleethorpes Folk Festival 2003: no matter how many times you witness Mike McGoldrick play the most gobsmacking gig, the next one will surpass it. Apart from virtuoso musicianship on flute, whistles and uilleann pipes, it's his knack of gravitating towards equally gifted and intuitive players that results in music so organic you can almost hear the telepathy. Gigs with superb fiddler and long-time compadre Dezi Donnelly have always exhibited this phenomenon; now add Tim Edey to the club. Currently on guitar, this young multi-instrumentalist's jaw-dropping talent contributed immeasurably to an hour of instrumental heaven in Cleethorpes' Winter Gardens on a sunny Sunday lunchtime.
From the kickoff set, Ornette's Trip To Belfast coupled with Mooney's, the awesomeness of this collaboration was obvious. Mike and Dezi's gorgeous, steady swing ramped into another gear as Tim's nylon-strung Takamine ploughed in with rich, sweet depth. Farewell To Whalley Range/Johnny McDonald's really showed off the Edey range from bionic strumming to fast picking and vision-defying capo slides, before the milk-drinking guitar wiz played a slow air from Cork with a gravity and beauty to equal the earlier pyrotechnics.
Imagine a hypnotic Breton tune in mind-boggling rhythm; a Johnny Docherty air where Dezi's fiddle wept with Tim's guitar while Mike sat listening with closed eyes and a beatific smile; a Jewish waltz which segued into the best version of The Butterfly I've ever heard with emotive, slithery minor notes and the guitar part (an inventive guitarist's dream) taken to a whole new realm. All phenomenal. And Mist-Covered Mountain/Bass Rock - Mike's whistle and Tim's guitar playing timing games, following highspeed syncopation with pregnant pauses and breathtaking stops - sharp as a fish, as they say in Barnsley. And no 'side', no flash-for-the-sake-of-it, but total love of the music and communication skills to die for.
To get to Cleethorpes, the lads had driven overnight from Dumfries. Straight after the gig, Mike was back on the road to play in Edinburgh that evening. What's that they say about the link between genius and madness?
Mel McClellan - May 2003
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Folk & Acoustic
