The Thrill of Irish Music

It was an evening to be remembered for up-tempo tunes mixing Irish, Bluegrass, Country and Folk. The support band, Cargo were a worthy choice, playing early on one of my favourite tunes of all time from the film, The Quiet Man. It’s the tune that Michaleen Oge Flynn hums to himself whenever he’s up to mischief. As the song grew faster and faster the crowd’s clapping kept pace ending in whooping and cheering to my great delight and I’m still only talking about the support band.After a break the Dutch band Harmony Glen were introduced and a group of fresh faced Brighton-looking Dutch musicians appeared. From the moment they began playing they brought an exuberant energy into the room. The songs ranged from fast jigs to mournful melodies, which the voice of their pretty rosey-cheeked female vocalist, Nienk Bijker suited perfectly. The band, who were evidently revelling in their tunes would pick up their instruments to play beside each other or move centre stage as the audience seemed to clap time by compulsion. Then a girl jumped on stage looking like an Irish banshee with her flowing black tresses and floaty long dress. She danced a jig and swirled her arms about in perfect time to the music as if it had been arranged in advance. Overhearing a conversation on the stairs between the singer and the girl it turned out to be a happy collusion that very night.On stage, Sjoerd van Ravenzwaaiz, the ‘friendly guy dressed in black, with the banjo and the smoking fingers’ gave each song a brief introduction which further revealed the band’s kooky outlook and individualism.Looking around I could see the evident joy that the band generated with their music mirrored in the faces of the audience. Catch them in Seaford 8 May or later on in the year at the Uckfield Festival in July.