A few thoughts on the Gloaming.

Sunday night at the NCH: brilliant singing, great fiddle-playing, mostly inaudible guitar, and silly Tori Amos-style histrionics from the pianist. (In fairness though, his uncharacteristic, delicate intro to Saoirse and the ‘dampening’ of the strings on another song were both memorable). To my ears, the real problem with this band is how the piano has sidelined Denis Cahill’s guitar. The unbalanced mix on the night exacerbated this, but even on the album, I’m disappointed by how one of the great guitarists in traditional music is consistently usurped.

I was lucky enough to be there on Saturday night and had the same experience. There was one point during their encore when Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Denis Cahill were playing which was ruined for me by Iarla Ó Lionáird and Thomas Bartlett suddenly joining in. It overpowered what the fiddle and guitar had been doing and totally changed the whole tone of the piece, and not for the better. I really hope the band give both Denis Cahill and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh a bigger role on the next CD. That said it was a great concert and the song you mentioned, Saoirse, is an absolute gem in which both Bartlett and Ó Lionáird were brilliant.

My problem a year ago was the foot-tapping: https://thesession.org/discussions/32055

Haven’t seen them live but chatting to a pal who had, he said they were both ridiculous and brilliant (or something similar), and I knew just what he meant.

Don’t know if it’s really relevant, but when I started playing in an Irish Country 2 piece, the main man told me to stop beating time with my foot. He said that was what the drum machine was for - listen to the percussion, let yer strumming hand follow that. DON’T STAMP YER F***ING FOOT!! I’ve been very conscious of foot stamping ever since, maybe to the extent that I notice it more than I should, but I find it very noticeable, and often, detrimental to the overall sound.

Drum machine? Very traditional.

Everyone is raving about this new supergroup, but It just does nothing for me. Iarla Ó Lionáird , as good as he is at his craft, just bores me. Everything he does seems slow, ponderous. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him doing anything rousing or lively. And Hayes is still trading on his decelerated, treacly shtick. Can’t hear enough of Cahill to judge. The pianner is tasteful and atmospheric. But the whole thing just seems like ambient music I’d put on to help me get to sleep on a restless night. Heretical of me perhaps, but it don’t set me alight.