Having
obtained a complimentary ticket for this event, I was more than happy to brave
the freezing wind that swept along the banks of the River Tyne last night. The
Gloaming are being billed as a folk 'super-group' being made up of very well
respected musicians from both sides of the Atlantic.
Their
brand new eponymous album is also beginning to garner glowing reviews in the
music press. The three Irishmen, Caoimhin Ó
Raghallaigh (10 string fiddle), Iarla Ó Lionáird (soulful voice
and ipad harmonium) and super fiddler, Martin Hayes, were flanked onstage by
Americans Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman) on piano and guitarist Dennis Cahill.
Switching between slow mournful ballads and exuberant fiddle
driven jigs and reels, the band enthralled the welcoming crowd with a virtuoso
display of musicianship. Bartlett in particular added a different dimension to
the traditional Irish folk sound with some glorious, tasteful piano playing. At
times his work bordered on avant garde though it managed to blend perfectly
with the more conventional folk tunes on offer.
Their music combined with the between-song Irish humour,
ensured that a fine night was had by all. That is until we spilled out of the
Sage once more into that biting cold wind.
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