Graham's Shed Extension

Eleanor's Alone Tour isn't spent in solitude

2011-10-08T19:40:00.015+01:00

ELEANOR McEVOY
Bury Met
Friday 7th October 2011

The Bury Met chooses its artistes carefully. So I doubt that there was little hesitation in giving an affirmative answer when Eleanor McEvoy expressed a wish to play then venue.
Six months earlier Eleanor marked her Met debut when she shared the bill with Dave Rotheray. However, there were one or two empty seats on that occasion.
So if you couple this observation with not the greatest amount of local airplay, then there is no logical reason other than word of mouth and The Met's recognition of a quality musician which brought about a near sell-out for her headlining at the same venue.

(first middle bit to come)

I didn't take note of the setlist but every song , as per usual, knocked me out. Highlights included You'll Hear Better Songs (Than This) from her Early Hours album. The album version is fantastic as of right , but the stripped down live version spotlights the lyrics and it melts the coldest of hearts. There wasn't a dry eye in house when Sophie (Snapshots) was delivered on piano and the mortgage payer , Only A Woman's Heart got the audience singing the chorus.

(second middle bit to come)

Bury Met was one of the last points of call on the Alone tour, so if you didn't manage to catch Eleanor this time round then I strongly advise that you grab a copy of this album - if you like hearing her performing live, then this album is a must have!

50 miles to see a support act ? A blonde moment maybe !

2011-03-24T23:33:00.046Z

ELEANOR McEVOY
Bury Met
Wednesday 23rd March 2011

Well, to drive off on a 100 mile round trip just to witness someone doing a support slot for a band, who you'd never heard a song from, might be considered a bit irrational, especially during these times of austerity. However, after taking into consideration that the support act is Eleanor McEvoy and the last time I witnessed her singing live was 2 albums ago, then this journey was fully justified.

I was lucky enough to obtain a copy of Eleanor's latest album - I'd Rather Go Blonde - a couple of months before the official release in September 2010. I was really into it within days of receipt but I had to put it down for a while because I was focussing my attention on another Dublin singer/songwriter who I believe deserves similar public recognition.Click here if you're curious
A couple of weeks ago I returned to Eleanor's latest album and fell in love with it all over again. Come the day of the show I was gagging for this gig , be it witnessing Eleanor as a support act or a main event, it didn't matter !
A few minutes before the gig , a couple sat down next to us. They too were Eleanor fans. I was asked what my favourite track was. "The lusty one with the tubular bells at the end of the track (Take You Home)" was my hasty reply, while gnawing away at the back of my mind was a kick-ass (kick the Catholic church in its present state) song, Deliver Me. Guess what for openers ? Two and a half years evaporated with the opening bars of the first song. I couldn't give a monkey's whether she was billed as support or not. Happily, Eleanor's set was scheduled for far longer than the obligatory half an hour with an obvious weighting towards her current album, I'd Rather Go Blonde. I was absolutely mesmerised with the guitar and percussion looping on her delivery of Oh Uganda- (Video : Phillip Russell , taken at Birmingham's Glee Club) Her violin was featured a little later in the set. Eleanor used it for 2 songs (Look Like Me and So Wrong) and an instrumental, each of the three saw her using a different way of playing. Add to the above her brilliant wit, exemplified in the way Eleanor sees Nick Lowe's I Knew The Bride from a female perspective, and I can't see any reason why she can't win over the hearts of the fans of the main act.

SETLIST
Deliver Me
Just for the Tourists
Oh Uganda
If You Want Me to Stay (Sly & The Family Stone)
Take You Home
Look Like Me
So Wrong
(A couple of "Trad Arr" jigs - violin)
The Way You Wear Your Troubles
I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock 'n' Roll (Nick Lowe)

As for the main act, I was the one who was navigating unchartered waters. The gig was billed as Dave Rotheray's Life Of Birds. Apart from The Beautiful South and a bit of co-writing on Eleanor's last 2 albums, that is where my knowledge, and indeed interest, had reached up to the night of the gig. Were it not for Eleanor , I would have given the event a miss. So enter stage Dave Rotheray , wearing a hat, coat & scarf, plus four band members: keyboard player, male lead vox, female lead vox and a percussionist whose paraphenalia could only be equalled by Duke Special's mate , Chip Bailey. Once settled , Dave utters, "I wrote this song while I had and ear infection , watching the birds in the back garden...it's all about the music industry (etc).... it's called The Sparrow , The Thrush & The Nightingale" Have I wasted my money ? was one of my first thoughts. My second thought was that I'd better not glance over to the missus for the nod of approval. As it turned out , it was a really catchy song, lyrically cohesive and vocals by Jim Causley & Bella Hardy blended perfectly. Each song therefater was described in a witty manner as the audience became increasingly immersed into the complete delivery of The Life of Birds album. Eleanor appeared as lead vox mid way through the set for Almost Beautiful , a sad song about a loved one suffering from Altzheimer's. Needless to say a copy of The Life of Birds CD made its way into my collection at the end of the show.
Eleanor , Bella & Jim along with an array of prominent musicians including Kathryn Williams and Eliza Carthy are listed amongst the co-writers. It should be a collecters piece for any discerning music fan.

THE BAND
Dave Rotheray - Guitar, vocals, narratives
Gary Hammond - Percussion (various)
Damon Butcher - Keyboard
Jim Causley - Lead Vocals, Accordian, Portable Xylophone and keyboard
Bella Hardy - Lead Vocals, Violin, Portable Xylophone, shakers
Eleanor McEvoy - Lead Vocals (guest)

FOOTNOTE I went to see Eleanor and The Dave Rotheray Band performing at Edge Hill Station, Liverpool a couple of days after this gig. There were a couple of changes from her Bury Met set. The most significant difference was that she changed from Fender to acoustic. Oh Uganda was even more impressive. There were also a couple of song changes. One noticable addition was a switch to keyboards for Harbour - for the intellectual, check the lyrics for the use of Harbour (verb) and Harbour(noun) !
A friend of mine (Mark Huddart) shot this video of Eleanor singing Almost Beautiful

1-2-3 , It's as easy as BBC for Celine Carroll in the UK

2010-11-08T09:07:00.018Z

1-Growing Fan Club , 2-High Profile Gigs, 3-Radio Interviews
[myspace][web][facebook][iTunes]

CELINE CARROLL’s visit to the UK at the end of October 2010 witnessed her tending the airplay crops from her impressive list of radio stations in North West England. There was also a small matter of 2 gigs at established music venues, coupled with press releases across the full spectrum of media publication platforms.
This 5 day tour of Merseyside and Cheshire was always going to be unforgettable – the fun started straight after she left home. Ryanair Flight FR445 was still on the Dublin tarmac at the time it was due to arrive in Liverpool.
Fortunately for Ernie Welch and Roger Westwood at Winsford’s Cheshire FM (Wed 8pm-10pm), their guest, Celine Carroll, was only delayed by about an hour. So there was plenty of time to hold an interview , perform a couple of live songs and plug the forthcoming gigs in Liverpool and Chester.

The following morning saw Celine visit Andy Wrob at 7 Waves Radio(Mon-Fri 7am-10am) to say thank you to the weekday breakfast show presenter for all his support and airplay.

Two UK radio stations supporting an Irish independent musician is good going in many people’s eyes, but the best was yet to come. There was a small matter of an interview and 2 song set with Billy Butler on BBC Radio Merseyside on the agenda. This Liverpool based station proudly boasts the largest local radio audience outside London. An impressive coup indeed, especially as this was her 2nd appearance in 12 months. More importantly, the letters BBC stand out like an honours degree on anybody’s CV. Even major musicians are flattered by a return visit to BBC Radio Merseyside’s legend, Billy Butler !

The third radio interview and live set fell between Celine’s gigs. And like many a feast it was rather fitting that the best was saved until last. Tony James has been playing Celine’s music week in week out for the past 12 months or so. So it was fitting that Celine should be afforded airtime on 7 Waves Radio(Sat 7am-11am & Sun 7am-10am). Both discussed their in depth knowledge about the music world as a whole as well as Celine’s music and forthcoming gigs in particular. Between them they provided a refreshing escape from the same old same old which has now become the tiring monotony of UK radio output.

Celine’s two gigs were at high profile music venues. The first of which saw her headline a Liverpool Acoustic show at the View Two Gallery in Mathew Street, just about opposite the Cavern Club. The show was listed as part of the annual Liverpool Irish Festival.

Her other gig was at Alexander’s Jazz Club, Rufus Court, Chester. This particular venue is a nationally recognised music venue.
The gigs at each venue were well publicised on several websites as well as their respective press releases. The write up for the View Two Gallery made its way to the Liverpool Irish Festival annual brochure, while Alexander’s gave Celine a full column in the Chester Chronicle.
Gig reviews will duly warrant the same enthusiasm as those that have been previously published because her quality never waivers. Couple the pre-gig publicity with the fact that both of the aforementioned venues and radio stations have no hesitation over welcoming her back, then the result is without question. Celine Carroll has well and truly announced her arrival in the UK.

Click here for Celine Carroll's website

The week after her visit to the UK Celine headed off for a tour of The Netherlands. Here is Celine singing All I Want Is You at Hardewijk.

Nothing Rhymed ? ..... more like Nothing Changed !

2010-09-30T05:50:00.007+01:00

Nothing Rhymed - Gilbert O'Sullivan

40 years or more ago the inequalities of this world inspired Gilbert to compile this classic line.

"When I'm drinking my Bonapart shandy eating more than enough apple pies, will I glance at my screen and see real human beings starve to death right in front of my eyes".

And yet still this remains a familiar story.

I bet the word "Genius" was included amongst the foremost of your thoughts.

Please please get me Don't Get Me Wrong ! Right?

2010-07-14T19:26:00.011+01:00

I'm looking for CD album by Frances Black called Don't Get Me Wrong. The title track was written by Celine Carroll.
It was released in 1998 on one of those big conglomerate record labels. For reasons best known to themselves this big record company has decided to sit on it.
You can buy the original song from Celine - please do so by the way. It's on her debut album called Catch You As You Fall, (Produced by Declan Sinnott) from iTunes or Celine's website
I can't tell you what Frances' version sounds like , but it looks a bit like this

Celine Carroll - Amazing Musician ! So Tell Everyone Regarding Debut At Mulligans

2010-06-06T15:55:00.052+01:00

CELINE CARROLL
Mulligans
Amstel 100
Amsterdam
Thursday 3rd - Friday 4th June 2010
(The initials in the title after Celine Carroll spell Amsterdam)

As for spelling ....
Think Netherlands, think artists and Van Gogh and Rembrandt will appear somewhere near the top of your list. So when the Dutch received another fine artist into their midst , it wasn't too difficult to forge a connection with one of the above. Mr Rembrandt was renowned for such beautiful use of light when creating his pictures. Celine created Such a Beautiful Light,which is now an integral part of her musical tapestry.
Overlooking the River Amstel , within a paintsplash of the Rembrandt Museum , Mulligan's Bar witnessed the first live Celine Carroll performance on the European mainland.
Mulligan's is an Irish Pub where musicians are invited to play and the public enter and depart freely, as opposed to a music venue with a bar where people pay and stay to see musicians perform. So with a pub it is almost certain that the audience at the start of the gig will be a somewhat different one than that at the end. A quick glance at the setlist it may appear that some songs were repeated, but a closer examination will reveal that different instruments were played the second time around. It may be also worth noting that at an average gig you will probably get to hear about 12 songs plus an encore. Celine's performances contained an unprecedented 28 songs on the first evening and an even more astounding figure of 37 on the second night.
The 65 song epic got under way somewhere between 9 and 9:30 when Celine addressed a healthy , somewhat chatty, gathering comprising a balanced mix of both new and established Mulligan's customers.
The discomforts of a humid evening were more than compensated by a perfect pint of Arthur's finest coupled with the sight and sound of Celine stood singing against a dusk-time display of the dominating sun descending over the 'dam.
All was not entirely perfect, however. There was the inevitable pub chatter causing occasional disruption to one's aural pleasure, but that is par for the course. Something a little more irksome was about to disturb proceedings. A electrical glitch was beginning to perform an increasing number of simulcasts over the PA system.
After many traces through Mulligan's wiring web the finger of blame was beginning to aim towards Celine's guitar. Her disappointment was clear to see over the fact that her prized instrument had fallen victim to Aer Lingus baggage handlers. After all, this was just the first day of a 5-date tour.
When Daisy Lady eventually signalled the time to put her suspect strings to grass, she hopped over to the piano to console herself with a beautiful delivery of Elvis Presley's Wonder Of You. Somehow this crisis seemed to focus the attention of those who weren't so previously and a couple of songs later the entire pub were singing with her on I'll Get By With A Little Help From My Friends.
Her piano set closed with Apologise , once again dedicated to yours truly. This song seems to gather more in sentimental weight each time she sings it.
A welcome sigh of relief greeted the arrival of a replacement guitar, and just when all appeared to be settling into an all round cozy state , with an attentive audience and an interference-free sound system , an eccentric yet pleasant individual decided to entertain us with her dancing skills, her entrance was rather aptly timed as she joined us during Standing On My Own Two Feet Again.
The surprises just kept on coming , whilst still reeling over this chick's (turkey to be closer to the point) jigging skills , Celine threw in her own surprise. Nothing surprising about a couple of Beatles songs , but the debut appearance of her Ukelele certainly was.
The evening's entertainment ended with the opener from her current album , You're Every Beat Of My Heart. An entertaining and most definitely eventful evening came to an end in the early hours of Friday morning. But just before we headed back to our hotel I bumped into a couple of blokes at the bar. One of whom had salt 'n' pepper coloured shoulder length hair and the other was a little more follically challenged. To the latter , I jokingly called him Christie Moore , while the former chipped in with a comment "And I'm Rick Parfitt". Little did I realise at the time that there was a certain relevance about this encounter.
And so to Friday.... Friday afternoon... Our relatives came over from Den Haag to say hello and catch up on a few missing years over a meal. Sadly, it was revealed that they had to return before the start of the gig, and they really would have loved to hear Celine play live. No problem for Celine, she promptly played a 6 song set on acoustic and our relatives headed back for home armed with 2 CDs, beaming smiles and a promise to attend at least one of Celine's gigs on her next scheduled tour of the Netherlands in November.

From a fan's viewpoint Friday evening didn't get off to the best of starts. The offices were empty , and in customary fashion the weekend started down at the pub. And for a group of about half a dozen , occupying the chairs and tables immediately in front of Celine, this was the case. Totally oblivious to the finer points of common etiquette and the realisation that several people had travelled considerable distance to support and appreciate our musician, this obnoxious group were convinced that the sounds of their enjoyment should be set to maximum volume.

The professional entertainer's motto is , The Show Goes On, and rather than let this minority spoil the night, Celine played with ,as well as to them. In an act of an equal pretence of interest she asked them what type of music they liked. One asked for a Cranberries song while another replied, "He just likes cheesy songs".Returning the wit, Celine replied that she didn't know too many Jesus songs , but I'll dedicate the next one to you,and reeled off Plastic Jesus Sitting On The Dashboard of My Car. Such a pity there wasn't a banjo close to hand to deliver the song in its fullest splendour.

A few songs later the ignorant individuals decided it was time to go. They couldn't even wait until the end of a song before their goodbye hugs and Kodak moments, revenge is so sweet when served up cold and they were given the ultimate send off - Show Me The Way To Go Home. A thoroughly enjoyable sing-along for the rest of us.

An uninterrupted Daisy Lady was heavenly but the air of contentment was somewhat short lived. A couple of songs later, mid-way through Heart Of Gold, who should walk through the door but our wannabee Rick Parfitt with Fender Strat in hand. He rested it on stage and ordered a pint of Guinness. As Celine strummed the opening bars of You And I , the simplicity of which makes it so beautiful, he picked up his "axe". As he felt for the strings I feared the worst.
My apprehension was short-lived this guitarist listened intently and complemented Celine perfectly. Little jams at the end of the occasional song resulted in a distinct lift in Celine's mood. She had found herself a great ally and a quality musician. His name, Alan McLachlan.
He played on every song to the end of the show , except one, Bird in A Cage, a special dedication to her niece Michelle who had travelled over from Prague, listened intently throughout and took all the official photographs.
All too soon the show had reached the end , I was so immersed in the final 16 duets that I forgot to take notes beyond keeping the setlist. However, I do recall that the audience participation on O Bla Di O Bla Da reached almost football crowd proportions.

Sweet Heart of Mine drew the curtain on this epic leg of Celine's 5 date tour of The Netherlands and dates are being finalised already for a November tour. I'd love to be there for that one, but if circumstances prevent me from being in attendance I'm confident that there'll be someone else who'll be eager to fill my seat.

So at the closing of two gigs in the Famous Mulligan's Bar in Amsterdam, we witnessed Celine performing with a Scottish guitarist (Alan McLachlan) in an Irish Bar in the Capital of the Netherlands. Numbered amongst the happy audience were her niece and her student friends from Prague, a couple of new Dutch fans from The Hague, a couple who had flown in from England and there were a couple from Germany who would have loved an encore. Add to that a numerous retinue of new Dutch fans, also some Turkish and African fans who met her on later dates of the tour. we have gathered a bit of a World Party. And to coin the words from World Party's epic song, the message is Celine Carroll, and the word is , "Put the message in the box, put the box into the car....." you know the rest !

Finally , well , as for Mr. Van Gogh , if he were alive today, he would have thought twice about chopping his ear off after hearing Celine.

SETLIST -
Thursday 3rd June - Part 1
[Acoustic Guitar]
1. Itch
2. Home
3. Yeah
4. I'd Rather Be In Jail Than To Be In Love With You Again
5. Bird In A Cage
6. Slow My Wheels

[Piano]
7. Grey Sky Blue
8. I Believe In Love
9. Better Than This
10. Sweet Heart Of Mine

Thursday 3rd June - Part 2
[Acoustic Guitar]
11. Fence
12. Daisy Lady

[Piano]
13. Wonder Of You
14. Nothing Rhymed
15. Laugh While You Can
16. With A Little Help From My Friends (pub joined in)
17. Apologise

[Acoustic Guitar2]
18. So Wrong
19. You And I
20. Don't Just Sit And Call Me Honey
21. On The Water
22. Standing On My Own 2 Feet
23. Heart Of Gold
24. I Love You I
25. Sweet Heart Of Mine

[Ukelele]
26. 'Til There Was You
27. O Bla Di O Bla Da

[Acoustic Guitar2]
28. You're Every Beat Of My Heart

Friday 4th June - Part 1
[Acoustic Guitar]
1. You've Got A Friend
2. You And I
3. I'd Rather Be In Jail Than To Be In Love With You Again
4. I Will
5. Stay (Just A Little Bit Longer)
6. O Bla Di O Bla Da
7. Itch
8. Plastic Jesus (Sitting On The Dashboard Of My Car)
9. I Believe in Love
10. Laugh While You Can
11. I'll Never Fall In Love Again
12. Grey Sky Blue
13. Better Than This

Friday 4th June - Part 2
14. Sweet Heart Of Mine
15. Show Them The Way To Go Home (a parting shot for the noisy feckers who decided to go at last}
16. Daisy Lady
17. Yeah
18. Don't Get Me Wrong
19. Heart Of Gold
(Enter ALAN McLACHLAN on his Fender, who featured in all the following except No.36)

20. You And I
21. I Love You I
22. On The Water
23. Standing On My Own 2 Feet Again
24. Slow My Wheels

Friday 4th June - Part 3
[Piano]
25. We'll Always Have This Song
26. I Believe In Love
27. Nothing Rhymed
28. This Guy's In Love

[Acoustic Guitar]
29. Danny Boy
30. Fence
31. I'd Rather Be In Jail Than To Be In Love With You Again

[Ukelele]
32. 'Til There Was You
33. O Bla Di O Bla Da

[Acoustic Guitar]
34. Itch
35. Stay (Just A Little Bit Longer)
36. Bird In A Cage (Solo -Especially for her Neice, Michelle who came up from Prague)
37. Sweet Heart Of Mine

Celine Carroll's Charismatic Cinematic Cameos

2010-03-24T17:12:00.012Z

Choose from
On The Water|You And I

ON THE WATER feat TEXAS

Back to Top

YOU AND I .... (shot on a windy day)

Back to Top

Rich pickings at the Cherrytree for Celine Carroll

2010-03-01T21:12:00.066Z

CELINE CARROLL
The Cherrytree
Walkinstown
Dublin
Saturday February 27th 2010
[myspace][web]
Carlsberg don't do gigs at The Cherrytree in Dublin , but if they did, then this was the one.
Without a shadow of a doubt it was Probably the best gig I've ever attended. Celine Carroll was en forme, in both playing to , as well as with, the audience. There wasn't even a moment, let alone a song, in the entire set which lost the attention of those in front of her.
Essentially , Celine Carroll has just entered 2010 in the same vein as she left 2009 with another full house at The Cherrytree. Those who were lucky enough to be there are hoping that those less fortunate will get to hear about Celine pretty soon.
Returning to a venue just 2 months after a successful gig might appear to be a bit of a gamble to some, especially when spare cash is at a premium at this time of year. Not so for Celine Carroll and her band.
Audience figures were at least the same and there were many new faces in that number.

Little needs to be explained about the fact that Celine's music is the reason why she can command such a healthy following. Her biggest critic is her dear mother, Maureen, who won't hold back if things aren't right in her world. So when the hardest one to please gives the nod of approval in the direction of her beloved, no one can complain.... except Celine and her devoted followers. The reason for the air of unrest is the inability of the music media to do anything to stop such talent passing them by. There are more radio stations than RTE Radio 1, BBC Radio Merseyside and WDAR. There are other venues besides the Cherrytree and there are agents and promoters with blank pages in their diaries. But rest assured, there is but one Celine Carroll, and if she doesn't find any of you this year , her growing army of fans certainly will.
Celine's music possesses some peculiar attributes, one of which is that her albums refuse to stray from my CD player. New material will come and go but Celine will return to sound even better.
The same can be said for her live performances. Just two months previously , her set began with Home and Slow My Wheels. But it didn't matter , these two openers still lifted me back into the clouds just where she put me but a few weeks before.
To balance the previous statement , there was some new material to feast the ears upon too. One of which was so new that Celine had to have it written out on a couple of sheets of A4. Rather than make use of a music stand , she invited the subject upon to the stage to hold those sheets before her while she sang it to him. (The song title : Hey John). Needless to say electricity filled the air afterwards. So what happens straight after, she focuses the hearts and minds of the masses upon another new one (We'll Always Have This Song) before hitting them with a very successful single , Sweet Heart of Mine, which launched her latest album, Such a Beautiful Light.
This little cluster of songs just provides a window into a well planned setlist which even kept the most experienced Celine Carroll fan curious as to what might come along next.
There was also a couple of borrowed ones amongst the older and the new in the form of Gilbert O'Sullivan's Nothing Rhymed and Daisy Lady by Leo Kelly. The former being a solo by Celine , the latter featured Siobhan taking the lead.
Even the encore threw in more than the odd surprise, the Gilbert O'Sullivan song for one was an unexpected cover. Apologise was once again dedicated to yours truly and every time I feel the throat muscles tense when she does. Celine played guitar for Bird in a Cage while the album version sees her playing piano , and I doubt that many noticed the difference, such is the sheer quality of the song.
Two and a half hours came and went in what felt like two and a half minutes, yet it only took a fraction of the shorter time for everyone present to stand and applaud another fabulous evening in the company of Celine Carroll and her band at The Cherrytree. And to a man, each one in that audience will give you the same message, Celine Carroll's music must not remain Ireland's biggest secret any longer !!
PS: Carlsberg is available on draught at The Cherrytree.

THE BAND
Celine Carroll - Lead Vocals , Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Jerry Fehily - Drums
Johnny Campbell - Bass
Paul Seymour - Keyboards
Siobhan Lennon - Backing Vocals

SETLIST
Home
Slow My Wheels (See Video)
Itch
Yeah
Grey Sky Blue
I Believe In Love
I Won't Be Your Fool Anymore
Before You Go
Fence
Standing on My Own Two Feet Again

INTERVAL

You're Still Here
So Wrong
You And I
Hey John (See Video)
We'll Always Have This Song
Sweet Heart Of Mine
The Wheels Fall Of Our Love
Love Disappear
Better Than This
Heart Of Gold
Daisy Lady (See Video)
You're Every Beat Of My Heart

ENCORE
Apologise
Bird In A Cage (See Video)
Nothing Rhymed (See Video)
Laugh While You Can (See Video)
I Love You I (See Video)

ALBUMS
Celine Carroll's latest album , Such A Beautiful Light , is available on iTunes, and for those who prefer to paw their way through the sleeve notes, this CD is available from the following Dublin outlets : HMV in Grafton St, Tower Records in Wicklow St and Celtic Note in Nassau St. You can also email Celine via her website, Ask nicely and you might get an autographed copy. Her previous albums, Itch and Catch You As You Fall are also available from her online sources.

PHOTOS
Baz O'Brien
Graham Ashmore
John Loughlin

SUPPORT
Peter Fitzpatrick
The very least that this guy deserves is a mention on this review . The support act is usually one of the loneliest places in the house , but Peter certainly kept what was approaching capacity in attentive silence throughout his half hour slot.
Judging by what he provided during his timeslot , it won't be long before he commands his own full houses, especially when he lists George Harrison as one of his influences.

ALSO PRESENT
A little bit of namedroppping , but while the camera still had room on the memory card ....
CELINE and FIONA LOONEY (The Irish Daily Mail, RTE 2FM, playwright and author)

ANDREA SMITH (Sunday Independant) and CELINE

FRANK PHELAN (WDAR) and MIKE MOLONEY (MOLONEY After Midnight)

SLOW MY WHEELS
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Part 1 Song 2)

Back to Setlist

HEY JOHN
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Part 2 Song 4)

Back to Setlist

DAISY LADY (Leo Kelly)
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Part 2 Song 9)

Back to Setlist

BIRD IN A CAGE
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Encore Song 2)

Back to Setlist

NOTHING RHYMED (Gilbert O'Sullivan)
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Encore Song 3)

Back to Setlist

LAUGH WHILE YOU CAN
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Encore Song 4)

Back to Setlist

I LOVE YOU I
Cherrytree Feb 27th 2010 (Encore Song 5)

Back to Setlist

My idol called ME a Legend !

2010-03-01T18:30:00.003Z

Picture by Brian Greene

Amidst this cluster of Celine Carroll tributes I would like to thank a very special person. His name is Mike Moloney. He had a show on Ireland's RTE 2FM called Moloney After Midnight. He knew all about quality music, and he conveyed that knowledge to the listener in such a way that made them want to be a fan of just about everything he played. There was no script to be read from , nor did it appear that he was given a playlist to stick to.
Because of his detemination to support the independant musician he had established a cult following which stuck by him for around 15 years.
If I had to select an example of a musician who would be likely to say thanks to Mike , it would be David Gray. Of course . over 15 yrs , there are hundreds more who owe him a bit more than a thank you.
Sadly , for reasons best known to themselves , RTE 2FM parted company from Mike. I, for one, was bitterly disappointed to see him go.
That man was responsible for about half of my CD collection.
Thanks to Google, I managed to find Mike over at Sligo & Donegal's Ocean FM. One Sunday evening he played Apologise by Celine Carroll. I followed it up , got myself the album and a best pal , and when Mike showed up at the same Celine gig as me, I was absolutley gobsmacked when he greeted me and called me a legend ..... talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Check this link

Celine and Jerry plus others in The Cherry

2010-02-15T19:22:00.005Z

Such A Beautiful Light is a blinder

2010-01-24T13:44:00.020Z

[myspace][web][download][musictipping][elbows]

For an independant, launching an album into the public domain requires a far greater leap of faith than someone who has got the funding and distribution power of a big conglomerate behind them.
For Celine Carroll, Such A Beautiful Light is the third such leap and it's high time that this Beautiful Light is dazzling , let alone dawning upon, the fogbound blinkered ones sat in the offices of the likes of Sony, EMI. Warner & Co.

To make matters easier still for them lot upstairs , this album has been mastered by award winners in the USA, the sleeve notes have been graphically designed and even the front cover shows Celine playing jazzy B minor on a Gretsch. She keeps good company. Duane Eddy , Chet Atkins and Ted Nugent are also noted Gretsch players.

And needless to say that when so much meticulous work has gone into achieving the finished product, the content should warrant the expense incurred. Well, if reassurances over that particular issue were needed, her previous albums , Itch and Catch You As You Fall have barely been away from my CD player for almost 5 years. Such A Beautiful Light carries the same hallmarks as its predecessors.

This album took about a month to get through its initial recording, but the rest of year was spent in listening remixing and adding bits here and there before release. This painstaking journey in pursuit of perfection is best summed up in Celine’s explanation of Sweet Heart Of Mine. This song set out with the intent to give the feel of Paul McCartney’s O bla di O bla da. , it evolved into something akin to C Moon and it was just wanting that final hook. Along came the brass section which was added to the top of the song for the final mix. The end product bathes you in Caribbean sunshine and will lift you out of the foulest of moods.

The key to any form of true entertainment is to experience emotional highs and lows. One of those highs has already been accounted for , the lows are in there too in the form of at least two tracks, namely The Wheels Fall Off Our Love and you’ll pause for reflection with I Remember A Time.
This album is a friendly passenger in your car , a bit of company with your glass of wine or someone to call up on your iPod. It’s safe to take anywhere. In fact, there is only one thing lacking on this album and that’s monotony.

There are names to conjure with as well. Apart from Celine herself, you will find Jerry Fehily , ex Hothouse Flowers on drums and Fiachra Trench, famed for string arrangements on Fairytale Of New York and one or two surprises in the list of thank yous.

Such A Beautiful Light is available on iTunes, and for those who prefer to paw their way through the sleeve notes, this CD is available from the following Dublin outlets : HMV in Grafton St, Tower Records in Wicklow St and Celtic Note in Nassau St. You can also email Celine via her website, Ask nicely and you might get an autographed copy.

WEST DUBLIN ACCESS RADIO
Check out Celine Carroll's appearance on WDAR (West Dublin Access Radio). Interviewing her is Frank Radio ....

Celine Carroll saves us from reality TV and touches the sky

2009-12-14T14:50:00.042Z

CELINE CARROLL
The Cherry Tree
Walkinstown
Dublin

Saturday December 12th 2009

CELINE CARROLL filled this venue in the middle of the office Christmas party season and the final stages of the X-factor.

I should imagine that most of the party goers would end up with a night to forget, while the telly viewers will end up forgetting what happened on Dec 12 in a few months from now , but those who witnessed Celine Carroll with her band will have unforgettable memories of what was one helluva gig.

That taken-for-granted term, full house, doesn't tell you much about the tremendous amount of hard work and the struggle over recent times that went into making this night happen. Had she done this a while ago, Celine , to use her words, would have "Fell on her arse in her own back garden". But thanks to the hard work of the few , there was now many waiting to attend this gig.

So, at around 10pm , Celine entered the stage. She seemed to be taken a bit by surprise, yet at the same time relieved at the size of the awaiting audience. How fitting it was to start the show with Home, to welcome the faithful to her patch. It's the first track off her previous album , Itch. A brilliant song to open with because it begins with just Celine and her acoustic guitar and the rest of the band gradually come in.

And before the audience's welcoming applause had chance to fade, we were treated to one of the best intros to arguably the most addictive song of the Itch album, Slow My Wheels. Driven along by a brilliant bass and kept in tight time with the tapping of the drum rims. Just two songs in and I was already up in the clouds.

As for the band , 3 lads popped up from Cork to assist Celine with the instrumentation, Paul Seymour on keyboards, Johnny (Green Tie?) Campbell on Bass, and Jerry (ex Hothouse Flowers) Fehily on drums. In perfect harmony on backing vocals was Celine's pal from round the corner, Siobhan Lennon.

This quintet delivered close on 3 hours worth of songs from Celine's three albums with a couple of, as yet, unreleased ones, to the point of and beyond perfection.
There were no repeats or plugs throughout the entire set. Apart from a couple of happy birthdays the first half focussed on the music. The second part of the show saw Celine giving out a few thank yous against each song to friends who have played a supporting role. Every person who was mentioned received the warmest applause. As for jokes and banter, let's just say here was a Dubliner on her own patch loving every minute.

The biggest challenge in this report is to describe her music, suffice it to say that putting words to music is a great art , putting music into words is nigh on impossible. Let's find a pigeon hole and say she's between easy and jazz , but there is of course the Irish section in the downtown HMV shop. So we'll dispense with that idea and take her CDs away from all of these categories and just file them under uncomplicated quality. Who does she sound like ? There's an easy answer - nobody else but Celine Carroll. How does she deliver her music ? With honesty and a lovely voice with the added edge of that beautiful female Dublin lilt. One guarantee is that once you hear a Celine Carroll song, it will never want to leave you. This tired old music world has many a gap in it and Celine is here to breathe a bit of life into at least one of them.

Back to the show and it's difficult to centre upon a highlight because it was perfection all the way, but Bird In A Cage definitely jaw dropped about a hundred people into total silence.

The main set closed with You're Every Beat Of My Heart which was dedicated to yours truly ... as was the first song on the Encore ... Apologise. (Her latest single, followed by my first encounter.)

The big finale consisted of a medley of Celine's Christmas Carrolls which launched the crowd into a big festive sing-song. And finally we said our goodbyes as we all headed for home , many armed with CDs, in the early hours of Sunday with Christmas, for the time being, on our minds and Celine forever in our hearts.

On a personal note , I believe that this was a wonderful finale to a year which saw Celine get significant radio airplay on both sides of the Irish Sea. From the solid foundations that were laid in 2009, may they enable Celine's musical career to become further established in 2010.

THE BAND
Celine Carroll - Lead Vocals , Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Jerry Fehily - Drums
Johnny Campbell - Bass
Paul Seymour - Keyboards
Siobhan Lennon - Backing Vocals

SETLIST
Home (Album : Itch)
Slow My Wheels (Itch)
Itch (Itch)
Yeah (Such a Beautiful Light)
Grey Sky Blue (Itch)
I Believe In Love (Such a Beautiful Light)
I Won't Be Your Fool Anymore (Such a Beautiful Light)
Before You Go (Such a Beautiful Light)
Don't Sit On The Fence Too Long (Catch You As You Fall)
Standing On My Own Two Feet Again (Itch)
Take It All In (Such a Beautiful Light)

**Interval **

You And I (unreleased)
You're Still Here (Such a Beautiful Light)
Bird In A Cage (Itch)
So Wrong (Itch)
On The Water (Catch You As You Fall)
Sweet Heart Of Mine (Such a Beautiful Light)
Love Disappear (Such a Beautiful Light)
Better Than This (unreleased)
Heart Of Gold (Such a Beautiful Light)
You're Every Beat Of My Heart (Such a Beautiful Light)

** Encore **

Apologise (Itch)
I Love You I (unreleased)
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Let It Snow / Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

** Take A Bow **

SUPPORT ACT
Mustn't forget a tremendous support act , JEZZEBELLE

FOOTNOTE
Next time you go to a live gig , spare a thought for the sound technician, the artist and the band. It's highly likely that a bit more than a 1-2, 1-2 followed by a quick tune up and line check took place in the half hour before the doors opened.
Celine , the band and the sound technician were at the venue a good 5 hours beforehand. Progressing from fizzes , bangs & feedbacks through to ironing out the finishing touches before settling for a finished item fit for public enjoyment.
The sound technician had this to contend with. Note the masking tape below the faders,just to help him cue in the right mic as Celine moved from piano to acoustic guitar.

Celine Carroll at Telfords Warehouse, Chester

2009-10-08T20:24:00.006+01:00

Celine Carroll - Sweet Heart of Mine

2009-08-06T19:29:00.036+01:00

[myspace][web][download]
Former RTE 2FM legend, Mike Moloney, worked for a little while on Sligo & Donegal's Ocean FM. He had a Sunday evening show called the Irish Album. He wasn't there all that long , but in that brief stint Mike uncovered some real gems. One such song was called Apologise by Celine Carroll. Such was the quality of that song , I had to buy a copy straight away. I tried all the usual places (HMV, Virgin, Amazon etc) with no success. So I wrote a speculative email to info at artiste name dot com - and I got a reply. I gladly parted company with a tenner and the album (entitled : Itch) was mine. This was followed a couple of days later by an email asking what I thought of it. Now you won't get that sort of service from U2 !
It didn't take long for me to return a few words , the album was uncomplicated and easy to get into. A couple of tracks were already beginning to emit that play-it-again demand and I wanted the world to know that I'd managed to get hold of a quality album.
I decided to contact Chester's Dee 106.3, one of my local radio stations - and on Sunday 18th September 2005 on Gavin Matthews' Request Fest , Apologise got its first UK hearing. However, although I was thrilled at the time for myself and , more importantly for Celine, my particular quest to help Celine Carroll get due recognition had only just started. But a couple major family health issues put paid to that activity for a while.
Throughout our personal trauma, Celine was very supportive. And without getting too carried away, that support will always be greatly appreciated.
We weren't exactly confined to quarters during our son's illness. We've popped over to Dublin to see Celine live , and she has visited us in the UK. Indeed, health matters have much improved and this state of normality seemed to coincide with the release of her new album Such A Beautiful Light.
I will always treat Itch as a favourite album , like Celine, it's part of the family. However, in both songwriting terms and in the quality of studio production, Such A Beautiful Light is years ahead. Indeed, there is even a theme running through it. It's a "Love" album , not luvvy-duvvy stuff, but it addresses all aspects, from the happy go lucky summer sound on Sweet Heart of Mine through to the wintery cold of loneliness in I Remember a Time.
The release of this album signals the re-launch of my own quest to get more recognition for Celine's music. And to that end Celine posted me a copy of the first single from the album - Sweet Heart Of Mine with a view to getting UK radio airplay.
After much deliberation, I posted it off to Billy Butler on BBC Radio Merseyside. Our cheers on either side of the Irish Sea were so loud when Billy played it in July, I'm certain that we launched the Isle Of Man off its moorings.
Airplay in both Ireland and the UK led to several live appearances on various radio stations, the most significant being on Ireland's national station RTE Radio 1, where Celine and her band performed on the legendary Pat Kenny Show.
Here in the UK , Roger Day (BBC Radio Kent and other networked stations across the southern counties of England) and Aled Jones (BBC Radio 2) both played her current single. But it was BBC Radio Merseyside's Billy Butler who featured her regularly and on the afternoon of Friday October 2nd, Billy's audience witnessed Celine's first live UK performance.
That weekend saw Celine make a cameo appearance at Crystals in Birkdale on October 2nd followed on the Saturday by her first solo performance at O'Connors in Orrell Park, Liverpool. Celine's weekend finale was at Telford's Warehouse in Chester(see the video).
Celine recently appeared at the Cherry Tree, Walkinstown, Dublin on Saturday December 12th , the same night as the final of X-Factor. How nice it was to have a full house on her own patch. I flew out just to be with them all .... read it here
!
Recent links to this blog : [Roy Norry][Mike Wilson]

FOOTNOTE
Had it not been for that follow-up email in 2005, I shudder to think what would have become of Celine's musical career. I would have still been in posession of a musical masterpiece in the form of the album, Itch. Our family would have one less friend and the musical world would be missing out on a fabulous follow-up album . .

Go Faster Stripes - Kat Flint

2009-02-15T22:09:00.003Z

[web]
Come on, let's make her famous - buy her latest album 'Dirty Birds' from hmv.com

In Tua Nua - All I Wanted

2009-02-10T21:43:00.006Z

Thought you knew your '80s,try this - I'm addicted to it. Oh yes !, and the singer ? ... She's Leslie Dowdall.
[wiki][web][myspace]

One of Eurovision's better songs

2009-02-10T21:10:00.006Z

Dawn Martin, singing Ireland's Eurovision entry for 1998, (Is Always Over Now) should have walked it,came 9th.
Written by Gerry Morgan

No Frontiers - The Corrs

2009-01-27T20:05:00.004Z

Just to show that I believe both versions of this Jimmy McCarthy song are as good as each other - here's The Corrs (Sharon & Caroline)

[Mary Black - No Frontiers]

Beth Hart - World Without You

2009-01-20T11:37:00.002Z

Just why Beth isn't a bigger star over here is beyond me .... reminiscent of Janis Joplin, don't you think ?

Eddi Reader - Ae Fond Kiss

2009-01-14T00:44:00.004Z

[web][myspace][wiki]

As Burns Night approaches , I dropped in on this on YouTube ...... isn't this just downright beautiful ?

Juliet Turner - Take the Money and Run

2009-01-13T22:45:00.005Z

[web][wiki]

Juliet is about to embark on a UK Tour, promoting her latest album, People Have Names. I'm off to see her at Telford's Warehouse , Chester March 9th and probably The Met, Bury, March 21st

Mary Black - No Frontiers

2009-01-07T20:37:00.005Z

[web][wiki]
You might have heard The Corrs sing this one on the Unplugged album ..... but feast your ears on this version by Mary Black.

[The Corrs - No Frontiers]

Eimear Bradley - Come Home

2009-01-07T19:49:00.008Z

[web][myspace]

Kat Flint - Silent Night

2009-01-03T21:54:00.002Z

[myspace]

Sinead Lohan - Whatever It Takes

2008-12-16T22:45:00.001Z

A few sentences on Cara Dillon

2007-11-11T18:02:00.000Z

CARA DILLON
The Met, Bury
Saturday 10th November 2007

[web][myspace]

According to Wikipedia, The Met, in it's former life, was a Magistrates Court. Happily, thanks to a registered charity called The Bury Metropolitan Arts Association, it is now an entertainment venue of good repute, where a gathering of about 250 good citizens of sound mind (or should that have read 250 citizens who minded what sounded good) took to the witness box.
Holding court was Cara Dillon who in my judgement presided over a really fine session.
Her support act warrants more than just a mention. The duo, collectively known as JamesAndSteve are James Meadows and Steve Lacey.
Steve played acoustic guitar and vocals and James played tenor banjo and mandola. They're a Yorkshire duo who play traditional folk songs and jigs&reels. I was impressed with James' banjo skills. The ears pricked up when I recognised one of his Scottish reels which turned out to be Puirt-a-beul, recently recorded by Julie Fowlis. And if you could imagine the Irish reels played on violin at such a rapid tempo and then match them note for note on a banjo then you'd get some idea of this lad's dexterity.
In the ensuing interval afterJamesandSteve's 25 minute set, I mulled over a couple of observations. The voices from neighbouring seats spoke in accents from many miles away from Bury. Indeed one was a friend of mine from Taunton. All adult ages were represnted although a the bulk was 30-40 somethings. Above all, it was a full house of around 250+.
The other observation was that it was just about 1 year to the day since I last saw Cara live (Buxton). On that occasion Cara was 26 weeks pregnant with twins. Understandably, she tired easily. Little did we know that those twins were going to give Cara & Sam the fright of their lives by making their appearance less than one week after that Buxton gig.
Twelve months on .....

(adjourned)

So as I rest my case, there will be no reasonable doubt that the audience will be demanding the release of her next album.

Setlist

She Moved Through The Fair
Craigie Hill
Black Is The Colour
There Were Roses (Cara & Sam)
Gem of the Roe (Cara & Ed)
Garden Valley
P stands for Paddy
Wish You Well
October Winds
Lark In The Clear Air (Cara & Sam)
Where Are You Now
Set of Tunes

Encore : Never In A Million Years

Band

Cara Dillon - Vocals, whistle, violin
Sam Lakeman - Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar
Ed Boyd (from Flook) - Acoustic Guitars, Bazouki
James O'Grady - various low whistles, Uillean Pipes, Violin

It's Buy One Get One Free at the Liverpool Phil

2007-10-22T08:53:00.002+01:00

MOYA BRENNAN / JULIE FEENEY
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Sunday 21st October 2007

Moya Brennan [web][myspace][wiki]
Julie Feeney [web][myspace][wiki]

When details of this show were published in the Phil's brochure, the prospect of Moya, accompanied by the RLPO, was good enough to sell me a pair of tickets. But this particular bargain at the point of sale wasn't the only one on offer.
Apparently Moya had discovered a phenomenal musician at the same time as I did. We both tuned in to a Duke Special concert on BBC Radio Ulster and sharing the bill that evening was Julie Feeney. I was so impressed with her that I just had to do my little bit to tell the world via Musictipping.com while Moya found out that there was more to Julie Feeney than just singer/songwriting. To cut a long story short, Moya invited Julie to score the music for the string section of the RLPO and conduct them as well.
So, with the needle on my anticipation dial pointing way past the red zone, and last night's Brian Kennedy concert still keeping me on a high, it was time to welcome Moya Brennan, the voice of Clannad with her 7-piece backing band on to the stage.
Robed in a resplendant royal blue Ciaran S. Grammy number, Moya was received by her awaiting accompanists.
Tapestry's intricate weavings of Eamonn Galldubh's Uillean Pipes, Sinead Madden's Violin and Moya's mesmeric vocals emerged from the fading applause and just to ensure that the audience's tansition into trance was complete, Moya reached for the bones and tapped us into Newgrange before saying Hello.
Apart from a minor distraction of a quickly quelled flash photographer and the whirring of the smoke machine during Pill A Run O, the first half continued as per the Signature Tour set - a steady flow of Clannad favourites, one or two from Moya's previous solo albums and a couple of jigs and reels. The penultimate song of the first half saw the introduction of Julie Feeney, who sat at the grand piano and delivered one of her songs from her 13 Songs album, Wind Out Of My Sails. Moya added BVs.
Julie returned the compliment for the first half finale, Many Faces.
The addition of the string section at the start of the second half made a mockery of the ticket price. A cluster of 4 whammies, 3 from Signature with Harry's Game in the midst, forced the body folicles to stand up on the goosebumps. For openers, Purple Haze was instrumentally lethal. Julie managed to split the group into two during the staccato bits.The arrangements of Merry Go Round and Black Night were of a equally high standard.
As was Harry's Game which seemed to be given a whole new life.
Prior to this concert I had this preconceived idea that the orchestra would be a dominant feature, but my fears were happily allayed. Everything integrated so well and each song just had this extra depth.
From this cluster of 4 the orchestra took a breather but returned here and there for more beauties from the Signature album,No One Talks,in particular, was just out and out quality.
An encore was demanded and as the backing band were doing there cameo solos during Nil Se'n La (It's Not Yet Daytime) it suddenly dawned on me that we were approaching the end of the show.
I wasn't keeping count, but apparently 9 songs were scored by Julie. She obviously has more strings to her bow (groan !) than just singer/songwriting.
Hour upon hours worth of rehearsal work must have gone into this by everyone on that stage. The whole presentation was immaculate right down to intricate details like Sinead's BVs harmonising perfectly with the violins.
Moya signed my copy of her autobiography after the show. I mentioned the Birkenhead gig and she told me that she enjoyed reading my review. So if Moya is kind enough to read my written works, it's only fair that I should read hers.
And to close this perfect weekend, I had to play that Beautiful Dreamer duet with Brian Kennedy once more.

The Band

Moya Brennan - Lead Vocals, Harp, Shaker & Bones
Paul Byrne – percussion
Fionan De Barra – Guitars, Vocals
Sinead Madden – Fiddle, (perfectly matched)Vocals and Shaker
Sam Jackson – Piano /Keyboards
Eamonn Galldubh – Uilleann Pipes, Clarinet and other wind instruments.
Yoshinobi Izumi – Electric Bass (left handed), Vocals
Cormac De Barra – Electric Harp, Vocals

Julie Feeney - Guest singer and conductor and the musical score for the string section of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

FOOTNOTE1: Thanks very much to Martijn from Moya's Forum for getting a copy of the setlist

FOOTNOTE2 : Moya talks about the Signature album.

Brian Kennedy, a Scouser from Belfast

2007-10-20T23:47:00.000+01:00

BRIAN KENNEDY
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Saturday 20th October 2007

[web][myspace]
Brian Kennedy abandoned all but one of his band, ditched his suit and tore up the setlist and then casually walked on to the stage at one of Liverpool's most prestigious venues, packed to the rafters, and provided a performance that will be cemented into the audience's memories for years to come.
After the obligatory half-hour support act - (Steve Roberts) - a local lad from Waterloo, who conjured up songs about taxi journeys from Speke, his Mother-in-law and New Brighton's nightclubs - the lights brightened to reveal a relatively well populated auditorium. Not a bad attendance, considering that there was a bit of a rugby match on the telly. However, as BK's appearance became imminent,this soon became a capacity audience when the orders were bellowed for the stragglers to leave the bar.
The lights dimmed once again and his backing band for the night, Callum MacColl, took his place on stage to receive Mr. Kennedy, whose arrival was greeted with a bit of a gasp due his shorn locks and attire of black t-shirt & jeans.
It could only have been Brian Kennedy as he grabbed his guitar and launched straight into one of the songs from his latest album. I've forgotten the title already because, like Brian, I didn't make a setlist.
That was the plan, as far as songs were concerned, totally ad-libbed from the off and all requests from the lively bunch of Liverpudlians were thrown into the mix. That is the beauty of the live performance. Expect anything, for when the singer has such quality and the songs are established favourites, the outcome is guaranteed enjoyment.
For his part, Brian was totally at home with the mass of Merseysiders. One request was for Christopher Street, which he repeated back in an acceptable Scouse dialect. This banter was stepped up a further notch as an American shouted his request which received a similar mimic.
On Brian's CV you will find that he has performed in Riverdance, been a backing singer with Van Morrison, accompanied countless other artistes ranging from Lulu to Sinead O'Connor and has represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Album releases are well into double figures, and two songs from his next album, Interpretations, was represented in the show. As you can guess from the title, Interpretations will be comprised of cover versions, and I for one can't wait for its release. If Clifford T Ward's Gay and Declan O'Rourke's Gallileo are anything to go by. I'm currently nursing a cold, the streaming eyes and runny nose were a brilliant excuse to get the hankie out for Clifford's cover.
His main set closed with Put The Message In The Box and returned with a 2 song encore. The first being last year's Irish Eurovision entry,Every Song Is A Cry For Love and, for any potential X-Factor entrants, a beautiful off-mic delivery of You Raise Me Up..... yes, the one that Westlife did, but go and find a copy of Brian's....
I joined the queue at the CD table after the show and picked up On Song and On Song 2, the latter had Beautiful Dreamer on it. I just had to play that one before resting my head, especially as it is a duet with Moya Brennan. Moya is appearing at this venue the night after....and I have tickets.

Ferry follows up with Fourth Street and first time feelings follow forthwith

2007-09-21T19:22:00.000+01:00

Just around the time when Beatlemania was becoming a worldwide epidemic, I popped into my local record shop and bought my first single - Positively 4th Street by Bob Dylan. Even at the tender age of 11, I was already showing signs of developing a non-conformist taste in music.
Whilst I was perusing YouTube the other day I casually entered 4th Street into the Search box, and - deep joy - there it was.
A quick glance to the right, and Bryan Ferry's name appeared in the list of related videos.
This song cannot be covered without doing it a total injustice, I thought.
Curiosity got the better of me and I gave Bryan's thumbnail a click. It was like hearing it for the first time all over again.
So while I go off to find out what CD this cover available on, go and play the video - HERE

You need to pay more attention to CCTV these days

2007-07-02T08:22:00.000+01:00

[web][myspace][youtube][musictipping]

CCTV - That's Celine Carroll TV on YouTube. The YouTube link above takes you to the first in a series where the theme is 2 new songs in a different shirt. The songs are new (original) because they are all written by herself. This could be quite a long series because Celine claims that she will never run out of songs (I'll guarantee that statement), although she might run out of shirts (can't comment on that one).....now chose one (or more) of the following :

1. ITCH and YEAH

2. HEART OF GOLD and SO WRONG

3. WE'LL SEE and GREY SKY BLUE

4. DIME and APOLOGISE

5. HUMAN TOUCH and BLAME THIS WORLD

6. BETTER THAN THIS and SWEET HEART OF MINE

7. FAIRYTALE ON ICE and BIRD IN A CAGE

8. I'D RATHER BE IN JAIL THAN BE IN LOVE WITH YOU AGAIN and LOVING YOU

9. JUST GOTTA GET AWAY and SHINE

10. YOU'RE STILL HERE and I LOVE YOU I

11. YOUR WORLD and STAND BY THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE

May I also direct your attention to Celine singing live at Bewley's with Siobhan Lennon. The song is called DAISY LADY - if you click this link I promise that your ears will love you forever !
And here is an example of what makes the Irish music industry so fascinating, as you delve a little further, you find another group or artiste that you just have to find out a bit more about. Here's Tir Na Nog with thei version of DAISY LADY.

Julie's Aching Is So Soothing

2007-06-02T14:05:00.000+01:00

[web][myspace][youtube][musictipping]

Thanks to a newsletter e-mail from Duke Special, advertising a show on BBC Radio Ulster, I discovered Julie Feeney, a wonderful Irish singer/songwriter.

She opened the show with a (I'm beginning to hate this over-used descriptive) haunting song called Aching. She holds the note on the 'A' for around 30 seconds or so while the string section seems to do the breathing. Suffice it to say, Aching is a truly beautiful song and it is the opening track on an understandably, much acclaimed debut album entitled 13 Songs.

To say Julie is articulate and educated is an understatement. I found this on Wikipedia :- "Feeney played with the Galway Youth Orchestra, studied music and psychology at University College Cork, and after moving to Dublin, graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2002 with a master's in music and media technologies."

With credits from the likes of The Guardian and Sunday Times, appearances in Lord of the Dance and Riverdance, as well as an exemplorary education record, you won't need too much convincing that '13 Songs' is a top-class album and an asset to any discerning music lover's collection.

Julie Fowlis breezes into Chester with the force of a Gael

2007-04-19T17:43:00.000+01:00

JULIE FOWLIS
Telford’s Warehouse
Chester
Monday 16th April 2007

[web][youtube][myspace][musictipping]

Such is my enjoyment of live music and the atmosphere of the whole event, that when someone recommended a singer who I’d never heard of, I bought a pair of tickets for the first available local gig.
Not only was this singer unknown to me, she sang totally in Outer Hebridean Gaelic.
As is what has now become common practice on Myspace, I signed this singer up as a friend, but I refused to satisfy all curiosity by deliberately avoiding listening to the songs that were uploaded on to her page. The idea was to attend this gig without any preconceptions and have a totally open mind about what was about to hit me.

I had no intentions of compiling a set-list. I didn’t know any songs and more to the point, I couldn’t even spell them. One thing, which did strike me as peculiar, was that there were no instruments at rest on the stage and, apart from 4 microphone stands, there were no trailing wires.

Well, that’s all the negatives cleared up. A glance up at the nameplate on the speaker revealed the word BOSE, a second glance to the left saw the quartet arriving on stage. From hereon, we’re talking quality.

Any fears about Gaelic vs. English were put to rest as each song was explained with clarity and humour. The subject matter ranged from elopement, being seasick and good old fashioned tales of love and romance.

Julie Fowlis, second left, was lead singer, tin whistle player and chief story-teller. To her immediate left (audience’s right) was a fellow Scotsman, Duncan Chisolm, on Violin, the pair were flanked by her fiancé, Eamon Doorley on Bouzouki and Tony Byrne on Acoustic Guitar. The latter two were from Dublin.

The celtic fusion and humour is best exemplified by the introduction to one of the medleys of jigs and reels. Duncan, in a fine Scottish brogue, said “The second one is a traditional Highland tune entitled ‘Morag, please trim your toenails because they’re ripping the blanket’ ”. Eamon replied, “Over in Donegal, the very same tune goes by the title ‘Mary. Please cut your toenails, you’re scratching my ankles’ ”

Julie’s vocals were clear, confident and captivating. The opening song, Hug air a Bhonaid Mhoir, (Celebrate the Great Bonnet) was the first from her latest CD, Cuilidh (pronounced Ku-lee). It was so catchy, it immediately claimed your attention. It might be worth noting that not too many people possess CDs by female folk singers from the Outer Hebrides, so there’s many a prized collection with a noticable gap. Another thing that I noticed was that there wasn’t an Aran sweater or pair of corduroys to been found in the wide age-ranged, attentive, audience of over 100.
Word has already got around, it appears. One explanation for the healthy attendance might be put down to the fact that her music has been endorsed by the likes of BBC R2’s Mark Ratcliffe and Radiohead’s Philip Selway.

Songs of varying tempos were delivered with clarity. The storylines which preceded each one gave the listener a strong enough understanding to almost translate the lyrics. Not that the lyrics mattered anyway, the sincerity and purity of Julie’s singing coupled with the quality of the instrumental backing was good enough to satisfy my aural requirements. These songs were interspersed by a couple of instrumental jigs & reels and excellent solos & duets, both vocal and instrumental.

The two hour trad-arr trip ticked away with tormenting rapidity and encore time came all too soon.
Eamon and Julie returned to the stage and after a brief Gaelic tutorial we were invited to join in the chorus !

If you ever get the chance to witness Julie Fowlis, don’t use the fact that it’s all in Gaelic as an excuse not to go. Learning about it is a delightful ear-opener……..so if will excuse me for a while, I’m off to translate The Theme From Harry’s Game !

Celine Carroll's follow-up to Itch won't be a rash decision

2007-03-30T23:26:00.000+01:00

[web][myspace][musictipping]
Here is a video of Honey, a little taster to whet the appetite for those who are hungry for more after her current album, Itch. This was taken during a recent gig at Bewley's, Grafton St. Dublin.

CELINE CARROLL - Live Show, Honey

Moya Brennan's Signature is worth all the polycarbonate it's written on

2007-03-28T22:23:00.000+01:00

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Compiling gig reviews is relatively straightforward because it’s a descriptive snapshot of a moment in time. Throw in a few nice words about the performer(s), the effect on the audience, maybe tag on a setlist and you’ve cracked it. However,an album review is a different kettle of fish.

You should therefore appreciate that it’s going to take a very special album to make me wax lyrical about its merits. Ladies & Gentlemen, I now present to you my views on the best album that I’ve heard in years, Moya Brennan’s Signature.

Signature was produced by Moya Brennan and mixed by guitarist/pianist/backing vocalist, Fionan De Barra. It was released on the BEO record label, October 2006. The album contains 12 quality tracks which takes little effort from the listener to get totally immersed in.

A quick feather of the cymbals, then we’re dropped into a rolling Purple Haze. From a lyrical aspect there are no more than half a dozen phrases. Musically, it’s lethal. Rolling piano, wild Uillean pipes and Moya’s pure vocals will beat the aural recipient into submission. By the time Merry Go Round , track 3, comes around the listener’s grip on reality has become totally loosened.

Study the quality of the weaving of voice and violin in Tapestry, track 5. Dream your way through Black Night, track 6, and sink to your knees to Hear My Prayer, track 7.
Maire Breatnach’s name appears in the sleeve notes of this album. Although this virtuoso of the violin is not associated with any given track, I suspect that she might have joined in on this particular song at least.
Many Faces, track 9, has the backing music from the League of Nations. It has an Egyptian sand-dancer’s beat, the odd plink of the harp takes you to Latin America, while the Uillean pipes could well be charming snakes in the depths of India. The penultimate song, Gone Are The Days, track 11, allows you to reflect on your carefree days of youth before closing with the beautiful simplicity of a ‘trad. arr.’ , entitled Pill A Run O.

Getting tired of listening to this album is not an option. It’s just impossible to put down. Even if you attempt to do so, then please take extreme care when listening upon return. It has the cheek to sound even better. Signature not only takes over your life, it gnaws away at your soul.

To those who may still have second thoughts about accompanying this CD on the journey from the display shelf to the checkout till, then rest assured that the seal of quality is Moya Brennan, the voice of Clannad. This album doesn’t need the help of self-centred radio stations to push sales. In fact, they might have to air this album to attract the listeners.

Two autographed CDs , but no Signature

2007-03-24T09:52:00.000Z

MOYA BRENNAN
Pacific Road Arts Centre
Birkenhead
Friday 23rd March 2007

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I’ve been in possession of Moya Brennan’s Signature CD for about two weeks or so now, and I’ve absolutely hammered it. And, boy, I was more ready for this concert than a footie fan is for a Wembley cup final.

At the rear of the stage at Pacific Road Arts Centre is a tram museum. Black drapes just about hide the audience’s view from these relics of yesteryear. To further assist the optical protection, there is a constant stream of dry ice and the artistes enter the stage like they do on Stars In Your Eyes.

This was no tribute act though, Moya, (vocals, harp & shaker) and her 7 piece band were about to take us from these mists of the ‘Pacific’, across the Irish Sea to drop us on the other side of the Wicklow Mountains into the fields of the 32 counties and 40 shades of green.

Such is the mystical power of the music of Moya Brennan. Moya’s voice has the purity of Waterford Crystal and her songs are simply mesmeric. From the first song onwards the optical view of the band is overwritten by images from the mind’s eye and you just float away.

I didn’t take note of the setlist, but the show lasted for around 2hrs plus a 20 minute interval. The essential content was a plentiful supply of songs from her latest album, Signature, with some favourites from Clannad. There were also a couple of instrumental medleys of jigs & reels which saw Moya on the harp.

Irish jigs & reels are interesting enough with a conventional set of instruments, but when you include 2 harps, Uillean pipes and the obligatory fiddle within this array. then your ears are in for a bit of exercise.

Tapestry (Moya’s Signature) and New Grange (Clannad’s Lore & others) opened the show before Moya conversed. She was pleased to back on Merseyside and felt almost shocked that it was several years since she last appeared over in Liverpool. The mere fact that that the venue was just about sold out proved out the proverb about absence and the heart.

Old favourites form the Clannad days included Robin the Hooded Man, Theme From Harry’s Game and In A Lifetime. The Signature CD was well represented, although the album wasn’t available at the CD table.

Two hours just whistled by, and as she came to introduce the last song, Gone Are The Days, Moya explained that Signature is a snapshot of her life and that particular song reflected on her younger times. Judging by her looks and her voice, the fountains of youth are still flowing.

Moya returned for the encore which closed with an old Irish fighting song, Against the Wind, which features some fantastic drumming by Paul Byrne. Golden uplights on the drumkit make for a spectacular finale.

At the end of the show I added a couple of CDs to my collection, one being her Christmas album (shop early !) and her debut solo album , Maire (RCA 1993). This album features her sisters, Dee, Bridin and Olive and it’s well worth a listen just for the natural sibling harmonies from the Irish equivalent of the Von Trapp family !

Moya’s Band :

Moya Brennan - Lead Vocals, Harp, Shaker & Bones
Paul Byrne – percussion
Fionan De Barra – Guitars, Vocals
Sinead Madden – Fiddle, (perfectly matched)Vocals
Sam Jackson – Keyboards
Eamonn Galldubh – Uillleann Pipes, Saxaphone, Clarinet
Yoshinobi Izumi – Electric Bass (left handed), Vocals
Cormac De Barra – Electric Harp, Vocals

Click Here for the Signature album review

Not radio, I regret, but the 'net which filled the Met for Juliet

2007-03-12T23:03:00.001Z

JULIET TURNER
Bury Met,
Friday 9th March 2007

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Apart from a change in the support act and just one song previously unheard, there has been no great change in Juliet Turner's offerings since her last appearance at this venue some 13 months ago.

She hasn't had the momentum of a big UK tour to call upon either.

Even radio airplay has been almost non-existent recently. The odd play on Wogan here and there have been my only JT encounters over the past 12 months.All this relative inactivity is hardly the best foundation for a successful live show on a cold Friday March evening in the heart of Lancashire.

So we have to choose from, good venue promotional work, word of mouth, the internet, the undying support of the faithful followers or the quality of Juliet Turner & guitarist Brian Grace as the reason for filling the Bury Met.

Draw your own conclusions, but the quality element is what drags me out of my armchair.

It's common knowledge that the reason for her musical inertia is that Juliet is studying Speech Therapy at Trinity College, Dublin. Although the studying is probably intense and most of her time is now dedicated to achieving her anticipated qualification, she assured the audience that she does manage to visit the studio now and again and a new album will be forthcoming soon.

As for the content of the gig, the Bury faithful (and any newcomers) were treated to about an hour and a half of her `old' favourites. Starting with `Pick A Story' and closing with `Everything Beautiful Is Burning', the performance was faultless, the banter was friendly, the between-song stories were a-plenty and new. It was also difficult to imagine that Brian Grace and Juliet had not performed live together as frequently as say, last year. The best example of this natural musical togetherness was particularly noticeable at the closing of `1987' where they were racing along chord for chord and without even a glance to each other, they nailed the finish with perfection.

She returned for the encore, which closed with the much-requested `Vampire' , but the highlight of the evening – and probably for the entire duration of my Juliet Turner support – was that she agreed to sing `Broken Things'. She sang this song at the Memorial Service for the victims of the Omagh bombing. I don't believe she has ever performed it since. I have only called upon this song a couple of times since then during my own personal traumas, such is the gravity of this beautiful song.

Thank you Juliet Turner for the quality music that you have delivered so far, thank you also for promising to return. Good Luck with the studies.

Thanks to Paddycam for this vid from a gig at Whelan's , Dublin

Be upstanding for the Duke

2007-02-07T21:46:00.000Z

DUKE SPECIAL
The Barfly, Liverpool
Tuesday 6th February 2007

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Quite a bit has happened to the musical career of Duke Special since I saw him perform live in Wrexham last May. That show attracted little more than 20-odd die-hards and the souvenirs comprised of little more than a couple of EPs, a boxed set of vinyls and one or two egg whisks and cheese graters.

He’s since made a new album, Songs From The Deep Forest and he’s released Freewheel as a single from it. Freewheel was released this week and it is getting regular airplay on BBC Radio 2.

Bears are featured on the sleeve notes of his album, the cover of the single & video and also the ‘Duke Special on Tour’ T-shirts.

The original version of Teddy Bears Picnic announced the bands pending arrival on to the stage. The concert hall at the Barfly became the bear pit as a crowd of about 250+ welcomed Duke and his band to Liverpool with a great big hug.

Apart from sharing a tour with The Divine Comedy, airplay on BBC R2 for that last fortnight and a couple of minutes with Billy Butler on BBC Radio Merseyside earlier in the day, there has been little else, other than word of mouth and the internet, to explain the reason for this ten-fold increase in audience figures.

And as he sang Brixton Leaves to open the show, any malingering thoughts about the audience’s authenticity soon evaporated when they cheered as one to the line where Belfast was mentioned. As the applause eventually grew quiet at the closing of the song to make way for Duke to speak, he said “Hello Liverpool” in a somewhat surprised tone, “ Where did you all come from ?”

When you’ve witnessed someone come from humble beginnings as a support act and followed him to this point some three years later, it makes you feel that both audience and artiste are in this together. It promised to be, and it proved to be, one glorious night.

I didn’t make a note of the setlist, but tracks from Songs from the Deep Forest accounted for most of the show which included a few favourites from previous tours. Wake Up Scarlett, Freewheel, and Last Night I Nearly Died are taking on an anthemic aura.

On stage Duke (piano and accordion) is accompanied by, The Temperance Society Chip Bailey (percussion) and two others whose names I didn’t catch. If the instrumentalists match the album sleeve notes, they are Ben Castle (clarinet, saxophone & synth) and Paul Wilkinson (bass & guitar). The latter two played well as straight-forward out-and-out quality musicians.
Duke, apart the odd first-night-on-tour lyrical slip-ups, was excellent, of course.

But the visual delight was Chip Bailey. He makes Animal off the Muppets look as boring as a politician. One moment his arms are waving about like windmill sails clattering everything in sight, next moment totally disinterested, next moment poised for a dab on a cymbal like a cat ready to pounce. Add to that the array of items he makes use of besides the drumkit – stompf fiddle, egg whisk & cheese grater and goats toenails to name but a few, then you’ll appreciate that descriptive words will never match the visual.

If there were any complaints, it had to be that there were no seats and an obstructed view. One or two of the elder members of the audience would have put a bench or two around the perifory to welcome use. However, the lack of such facilities encouraged a spot of dancing now and again.

Liverpool was the first port of call on the Songs From The Deep Forest album tour. Catch him live on this one if you can, while the tickets are cheap – next tour might see him in the big arenas !

A brilliant oldie from Into The New

2007-01-04T07:44:00.000Z

I'm a bit partial to Irish female singers and I like my '80s - so if you combine the two, then the result is heavenly.
Courtesy of You Tube, I present to you IN TUA NUA featuring LESLIE DOWDALL.

I'm enlightened as Santa's sack was lightened

2006-12-21T03:52:00.000Z

While we were taking a weekend break in Dublin in November I was treated to my usual Christmas present, namely, a bundle of CDs from Dublin's finest music emporia. One of those CDs was actually a DVD. Sharon Shannon's Live at Dolan's.
When I got back home this DVD somehow managed to dodge the wrapping paper. And even if I had the slightest clue about the quality of the contents I still wouldn't have let this wait under the tree.

To the unfamiliar, Sharon Shannon plays the accordian....the tin whistle....violin.... Very good, so what's the big deal, you might say. Does she sing ? I haven't noticed yet......Hmmm, still not convinced then ? Well, all I'll say is that her previous album, released early 2006, and this DVD topped their respective charts in Ireland, almost immediately after release. That doesn't leave all that many besides you who are unconvinced.

Live at Dolan's opens with 3 instrumentals. I'll guarantee that before these 3 tunes have finished, your feet will have tapped, the top front teeth will have touched the bottom lip and the head would have nodded, your fingers would have clicked. If there's a pint of Guinness or a glass of wine nearby you'll be ready for the next one. Even the fellas will be ready to get up and dance. And no one has sung a note yet !

Sharon had managed to assemble an impressive 10-piece band for this DVD which was filmed in July 2006 Dolan's Warehouse in Limerick. As well as playing their respective roles within the confines of a band there were plenty of excellent solos and cameos within some of the tunes. The quality was high enough to warrant the creation of a DVD on the band's performances alone.

Gerry O'Connor playing banjo on Time to Time is worthy of over 8 minutes of your undivided attention. And before you've got chance to recover, lead guitarist, Jack Maher, gets behind the mike to give a superb bluesy number entitled Don't Give Up. The mood is impeccably enhanced with James Delaney (where've I seen him before?) on keyboards and Richie Buckley on Tenor Sax.

I could go on at length trying to describe the tunes which have become Sharon's anthems over the years. But I will point you to a couple. The Mighty Sparrow which ambles along at the start with Jim Murray strumming away on acoustic guitar while Sharon weaves patterns through it with her accordian. Robbie Casserly steps in with the drums and the tune chugs along into a brilliant Jack Maher guitar solo. Not to be out-done, Richie then steps in on Tenor Sax. If you haven't arrived in Chillville at the end of this tune, you've just got on the wrong train !

Another stormer goes by the title 'A Bag Of Cats' which sees Sharon, her sister Mary, Winnie Horan and Gerry O'Connor kicking off a reel on their violins. Each one of the band members build upon it until this wall of sound one by one until the crescendo reaches Michael Flatley proportions. The camera pulls back to take a view from behind the audience for a while. The whole place is bouncing.

All members of the band have been mentioned except for one person. Nobody seems to notice him, yet if he wasn't doing his job, there would be no-one to drive the whole thing along. He's been in Riverdance, he's featured on Juliet Turner's Live Album, he's appeared with Eleanor McEvoy & the RTE Concert Orchestra at Dublin's NCH. He's Bass Guitarist , Paul Moore.

As for the guests...... well, compere/MC is Jon Kenny who does a bit of stand-up comic stuff and sings a couple of songs. He's no mean singer either, sort of a cross between Johnny Cash and Meatloaf.
As for the real singers, Roesy is the first to be heard. As well as being vocally gifted he does a bit of painting too. He could pay off the mortgage, whichever carreer path he choses.
The Brennan Sisters ( another clan !) are definitely worth keeping an eye (and ear) open for in 2007. I've heard, from a reliable source, that they could be releasing their debut CD later this year.
Damien Dempsey is Dublin's answer to Billy Bragg. I've No Alibi is a song about his opinion on these boy bands and the like. I share his point of view completely. There's no point in arguing with him anyway - you should see the size of him !
Declan O'Rourke is another classy singer. Galileo has even been publicly endorsed by Paul Weller.
Dessie O'Halloran first appeared on Sharon's Diamond Mountain Sessions album. Everybody loves him.
I first heard about Mundy early last year when Mike Moloney played 'July' on Ocean FM - it's already an anthem.
If there are CDs available by any of the above, I'm on the look out for them.

The show draws to a close with a 3-song encore which sees the entire cast on stage. My 2006 Summer holidays were taken in Ireland. It appears that I missed this show by just a couple of weeks......If only I'd have known about it earlier.

I might have been a bit naughty, playing this DVD before Christmas. Santa, however, didn't appear to be too upset because he left me the double CD on Christmas Day !

Watch RTE's Late Late Show - Ring of Fire

Downtown Dublin for Christmas Shopping, Christmas Lights and Carroll Singing

2006-11-21T14:01:00.000Z

CELINE CARROLL
Bewley’s Café Theatre, Grafton Street,
Dublin
Saturday 18th November 2006

I popped into Tower Records in Wicklow St. and bought myself a copy of the new Beatles album. It didn’t get released in the UK until the following Monday so I was quite looking forward to getting back home on Sunday to don the headphones and get a head start on the rest of the UK. However, there was someone, a bit more special than a mere mini-exclusive on the Fab Four, who was my real reason for jetting over to Ireland.

Buying a CD is a token gesture of support, going to a concert in a nearby town is considered to be an act of dedication to some, so where does that leave a weekend return flight and overnight hotel on the fan club ladder ? The focus of this attention is Celine Carroll, the act of support was fully justified.

Most of the tables in this candlelit cabaret were occupied when Celine took to the stage. Her band remained silent while she sat at her piano and delivered Apologise. It was dedicated to yours truly and warmly received by all. From the first clap onwards the trend was set by a receptive audience in this intimate setting. All attendees shared the same intentions. They were here to absorb and appreciate the uncomplicated quality of Celine’s own music.

Her band joined in from song 2, Long Time Here. Reading across the stage from left to right, they were Siobhan Lennon, (assistant vocalist). Celine Carroll, (piano & acoustic guitars), Jim Tate (5-string bass), Jerry Fehily, (drums), Dave McGinley (lead electric & acoustic guitars).

Siobhan was perfect. Her vocals were so well matched with Celine’s that you’d swear they were sisters. Assistant vocalist as opposed to backing. She even had her own solo contribution on Take It All In which was duly appreciated by all present.

Jim Tate’s left hand was weaving some grand patterns up and down the neck of his bass guitar. However, the opening bars of Pink Floyd’s Money failed to convince Celine that she should increase his fee.

Jerry was faultless on his un-miked drumkit although his face was obscured from view by one of his cymbals.

Dave on lead guitar(s) also gave a top class solid performance. He’s by far removed from the ‘prima-donna’ type of lead guitarist, but he should have his own mike as we missed out some grand one-liners. He even had time to offer a ‘bless you’ to a sneeze on one of the front tables.

As for Celine, we were treated to 21 of her very own songs. There were enough new songs to convince me that there is already plenty of material for a further 2 more albums to add to her existing releases. Her 2 hour show felt as though it had lasted for just 2 minutes.

Her songs are uncomplicated and intelligible. Her influences range from Sir Paul McCartney (check-out Grey Sky Blue) to Gilbert O’Sullivan (Better Than This). Celine says that she has been cleaning the stairs or walking along the beach when the inspiration kicks in

From what I witnessed tonight, I see no reason why Celine Carroll should not be up there alongside (and above) the cream of Irish female singer/songwriters.

If I have any misgivings, Celine Carroll deserves far more radio airplay.

Did the show warrant the journey ?– most definitely.
The Beatles Album ? – the jury’s still out

Set List

1. Apologise
2. Long Time Here
3. Grey Sky Blue
4. Slow My Wheels
5. Itch
6. Love Disappears
7. Take It All In
8. Yeah
9. Fool
10. You’re Still Here

Interval

11. We’ll See
12. Sunny Day
13. I Believe In Love
14. Home
15. Standing On My Own Two Feet
16. Watching The Wheels Fall Off
17. I Don’t Mind
18. So Wrong
19. Better Than This
20. You’re Every Beat Of My Heart

Encore
21. Sweet Heart Of Mine

Celine's web site : http://www.celinecarroll.com
Interesting link : http://wikicompany.org/wiki/Bewley's

Cara Dillon’s Orchestra Pit Manoeuvrements in the Dark

2006-11-13T13:43:00.000Z

CARA DILLON
Opera House
Buxton
Sunday November 12th 2006

I spent the first 23 years of my life in Buxton, so any visit back there is a little bit special. Surprisingly enough, this was the first time I set foot in the Opera House since I left the town. A town which I still refer to as home. Way back then, the Opera House was a cinema but it has since been lovingly restored to its original status.
(Check this BBC Radio Derby link for the panoramic view)

All the nooks and crannies of this beautiful example of Victorian architecture were as I had left them. However, with the cinema screen removed the place looked entirely different from how I had perceived it. The stage went back almost forever. It appeared even more oversized with the orchestra pit boarded over. Cara’s 4-piece band’s instruments, although widely spread, looked lonely on this chasm of a stage.

This plentiful supply of space was also available to the audience. The gathering of 250 to 300 were comfortably embedded in a sea of olive green velvet upholstery. Silver-grey hair seemed to outnumber the 30-somethings by about 3 to 1. So before the show got under way I had more than a gut feeling that the audience were going to attentive and composed.

At 7:30 prompt a fresh-faced young man, acoustic guitar in hand, ambled on to the stage and sat on the 2nd chair from the left. The softly spoken lad introduced himself, “Good evening, I’m John Smith”
Oh yeah, I thought….with a name like that, you’re really going to get yourself noticed. And he began to play.

A couple of random chords strummed on his guitar, held in a conventional manner, did nothing to change my mind. Then, suddenly, he flipped the guitar on its back, percussion sounds of varying pitches, chords appearing from all over the place, and he began to sing. He voice was akin to Peter Gabriel and the songs were as haunting as those by Damien Rice. Believe me, this kid is marvellous.

His 5-song, 40 minute set was all too brief. 3 of which were from his recently released album The Fox and The Monk. Autographed copies of the album was available after the show. Each song was vocally delivered in this mesmeric Rice/Gabriel style. If that wasn’t enough to command your attention, you were visually drawn in with the trickery on his guitar. During The Green Man he was retuning the top string whilst continuing the melody on the other 5. The subject matter was equally diverse. Pay attention to The Axe Mountain (not on the album) is a fictitious tale of a murderer on the loose on Dartmoor.

He interspersed the songs a few lines of smalltalk. Although his words were few, he did display a dry sense of humour. An example of this was his amazement over the difficulty in obtaining a website domain name. He claimed that even the Korean address was taken up. Incidentally, his website is http://www.acousticsmith.com

John’s setlist follows :-

1. Winter
2. So, so
3. Green Man
4. Axe Mountain
5. Seeds

After the interval, Cara and her band arrived on stage. The band came on first. Sam Lakeman on keyboards on the left, James O’Grady on flutes, whistles & Uillean pipes on the right. Centre left on acoustic guitar & BVs, John (yes him again) Smith. They played the opening bars of She Moved Through The Fayre before Cara arrived on stage for what was going to be an entertaining, yet abbreviated set. The reason for the abbreviation was because Cara is expecting twins. I’ve no idea when, but by the looks of things, soon.
Erin the Green saw the Uillean pipes making their first appearance of the evening. A quick glance at the stage floor proved that the lighting crew were paying attention.
After Where Are You Now, Cara explained that she hadn’t actually been pigging out on chicken pies, but she was actually expecting twins. Cara claimed that one of nature’s quirks for a young lady in this condition is that 2% of the brain cells get destroyed. In her particular case, she said that it could be more. The other night she managed to create a new word – manoeuvrement.
Cara mentioned that covered orchestra pit seemed to distance her from the audience. James later claimed that being pregnant affected her balance and that was the real reason that they were placed so far back.
Cara left the stage to sit-down for a while. The remaining band members then delivered a set of tunes entitled, The Rights Of Man.
Cara returned for a couple duets with Sam. The first being Garden Valley, the latter being There Were Roses. Audience participation was requested for this one. The chorus lines were warmly delivered by a healthy number and Cara applauded us afterwards.
Sam departed to be replaced by John for another duet. Both were seated and delivered a brilliant love song entitled The Lass of Loch Royale which was about a man who sets out to sea leaving his beloved behind.
The rest of the band returned to play a collection of jigs & reels. Cara remained seated, playing the bodhran. James claimed that they’d only just given these tunes titles, namely, John’s Intro, James’ Tea Chest and Sam’s (on guitar) Huntsman.
Cara got back on her feet for Black Is The Colour which received a singular, Whooh! from a young lady in the audience.
At around 9:30 Cara closed with P is for Paddy. Looking understandably tired, Cara thanked the Buxton audience and said that shoe hoped to be back very soon. My personal message to Cara is the title of Track 2 on her After The Morning album – if you’re still curious, buy it.
Cara and the band returned for the obligatory encore. It was a collection of jigs & reels which saw Cara playing the violin.

Cara’s setlist
1. She Moved Through The Fayre
2. Erin the Green
3. Where Are You Now
4. A set of tunes – The Rights Of Man
5. Garden Valley
6. There Were Roses
7. Lass of Loch Royale
8. A set of tunes – Intro/Teachest/Huntsman
9. Black Is The Colour
10. P is for Paddy
Encore – A set of untitled jigs & reels

Roots, Trad Arr, Acoustic .... It's the New Wave

2006-10-15T22:31:00.000+01:00

Let's big it up for Seth Lakeman. I tend to avoid the TV these days, escpecially when it comes to music. After all I'm 'up to here' with X-Factor and I reach for my headphones whenever my son flicks through his ear polluting electronica ! TV & music in our house is a lethal combo I'm telling you.
However.....
I was just about to amble up to the pub for the Saturday night half-gallon and while I was waiting for the missus to get herself ready I put TOTP2 on. Cliff Richard dancing away through We Don't Talk Any More....a couple more from somebody else and then.....Seth Lakeman - White Hare.
This lad has hit the big time , You Tube has got him on GMTV, Sunday AM, Sharon Osborne, BBC R1
Freedom Fields (different CD sleeve than the one I've got !) is in the album charts.
This is excellent news for not only Seth, but the entire acoustic movement. Music I've been pleading to be played on radio stations for years is now being championed by Seth Lakeman............and if you like what you hear, check out his sister-in-law Cara Dillon. And if you want more after that, then there's Eleanor McEvoy, Celine Carroll, Frances Black, Mary Black, Juliet Turner, Eimear Bradley......and lots lots more.

SETH LAKEMAN on the SHARON OSBORNE SHOW

An Entertaining Tale from the Rufus Court Chester

2006-10-06T19:10:00.001+01:00

ELEANOR McEVOY
Alexanders Jazz Club, Chester
Thursday 5th October 2006

As I queued outside the venue, patiently waiting for the doors to open at 8:00PM prompt, I just took a moment to ponder. Is this just becoming an annual routine? This was the 3rd time in as many years that I’ve come to see Eleanor McEvoy at this venue. I’ve dragged the missus away from her regular evening episode of Emmerdale, she’s not best pleased. We’ve arrived early because if we didn’t then we won’t get a decent seat. Eleanor won’t get behind the mike until 9:30. All this lot will have an hour and half’s worth of drink inside them by then. Is it really worth the hassle? Then the rain falls…..

As luck would have it we brought along a couple of friends, time passed quickly and it wasn’t long before the sound technician was at the desk and lights were dimmed. Eleanor popped up from nowhere and launched, accapello, into the opening lines of a slowed down I’ll Be Willing.

From the off the audience, whose ages spanned the spectrum, were spellbound. Every song was greeted with full attentiveness from all and each one received timely and generous applause. This was not lost on Eleanor and it was best summed up when a voice in the crowd enquired about the prospect of an Eleanor ‘Live’ album. “If I ever made a Live album, I’ll probably make it in Chester”.

This was Eleanor’s first UK concert since the release of her latest, and in my opinion, her best album, Out There. The album is a perfect example of pigeon-hole unfriendliness. Further evidence of her versatility was backed up with the array of instruments lined up across the back of the stage. The only one she didn’t have a go at was the barstool upon which her violin was resting.

In the afternoon prior to this show Eleanor was appearing at Liverpool’s Radio Merseyside being interviewed by Billy Butler. As well as correcting him on the actual venue, this was an ideal opportunity for her to encourage prospective attendees to shout out requests for their particular favourites. So as well as a healthy representation from her Out There album, there was a bit of audience participation.

Eleanor herself joined in with off-the-cuff song selection with a special lyrically adapted version of Joni Mitchell’s Cary, which contained a reference to Alexander’s Jazz Club.

This was yet another terrific performance by Eleanor. No doubt she will always be welcome to return to Alexander’s again and again – no doubt I’ll be queueing outside too – whatever the weather.

Chester setlist

Acoustic Guitar
1. I'll be willing
2. Fields of Dublin 4
3. Quote I Love You Unquote
4. Non Smoking Single Female
5. Whisper A Prayer To The Moon
6. Only A Woman's Heart
7. Did You Tell Him

Violin
8. Driving Home From Butlers
9. Paddy Carthy's Reel
10. Wrong So Wrong

(Interval)

Acoustic Guitar
11. Isn't it a Little Late
12. Days Roll By
13. Joni Mitchell's Cary (lyrically adapted for Alexanders)
14. Did I Hurt You (audience request)

Bass Guitar
15. Little Look

Mandolin
16. Suffer So Well

Electric Guitar
17. Ave Maria (audience request)
18. Territory Of Poets
19. The Way You Wear Your Troubles

(Encore)
Electric Guitar
20. Biochemistry
21. Apologise (audience request)

Editor's Notes

1. Said hello to a couple of very keen followers - Martin & Sue. If you think that a drive up to Chester from Essex was an act of dedication, they told me the were taking in the UK tour. The following night's gig was on the Isle of Aran ! Check the link to Tim Symes' review , Martin & Sue get a mention. (Tim's personal journey was from Taunton to Wolverhampton).

2. We were given lift to the Chester gig by Mr. & Mrs Butler - and after the show they gave us a lift back.....you could say we were Driven Home by Butlers.

3. Eleanor received the odd shout out from the audience for one or two songs (I don't shout out myself) but after the show I did mention a brilliant cover of I'll Be Your Baby Tonight by Bob Dylan. I heard it a couple of years ago on an RTE Radio 1 concert but I've never witnessed her do it at a gig.....now go and check Tim's setlist.

4. Eleanor closed with Apologise (Check out the cheeky Radio Caroline jingle between the opening chords on the Podcasts). I think that its rather fitting that she did. My next scheduled live gig is Celine Carroll in Dublin in November. It was the same title , different song, which sparked my interest in Celine.

Martin & Sue's UK Tour Report
We’re back and recovering from a holiday of a lifetime. We can hardly believe that 8 days seem to pass so quickly especially when you consider all that we packed in. Yes, if you haven’t guessed by now we are the folks Eleanor talked about in her recent pod cast.

The planning started some time ago when we decided that the joy of seeing Eleanor and the destinations on her UK leg of her tour had us hooked.
The adventure really started on Thursday 5th setting off from deepest darkest Essex and driving the 213 miles to Chester. Despite the rain we managed an open top bus tour of Chester and had the full devoted attention of the tour guide as we were the only ones on tour. Alexanders in Chester was an excellent location and a very well attended evening. We were both worried and amused when in the second half she declared that after a conversation with the promoter in Arran no tickets had been sold. Of course we knew that at least two had been sold or at least that’s what we hoped as the arrangement was to collect at the venue. We could hardly resist at the end of a superb performance letting her know that we too were Arran bound, much to Eleanor’s amazement.

The journey to Arran was long and took most of the day on Friday, but we managed to get there in time for the 15:00 ferry. On arrival we had some more concerns, a notice that ferries may be delayed or cancelled due to bad weather greeted us. Something that wasn’t accommodated in our tight schedule! Fortunately the ferry was prompt and we hoped that the tour bus had made it too. If we were thinking of a song to sum up Arran on Friday it was definitely ‘The Rain Falls’. Torrential rain fell most of the afternoon and drenched us on our way to eat at a local restaurant. The McAlpine hotel, venue for the concert and our room for the night was just yards from the ferry terminal. The highlight of the hotel was the hospitality and the enthusiasm of Tam the hotel manager and promoter for the evening. Tam had an incredible sense of humour and this was evident in the sign displayed at reception – ‘Any unattended children will be sold as slaves’. The audience was small but not exactly just the two of us, about 30 people in an airy ballroom in the hotel with a magnificent mirror. We manage to fight through the crowds and get a table in the centre at the front and our quest for the day was rewarded with a fantastic performance including our request from Chester of ’To Sweep Away A Fool’. The audience were very appreciative and it was pleasure to have no background distractions of a bar in the same room, which usually brings with it washing glasses and stocking up.

Saturday morning the sun shone on Arran revealing the true beauty of the island and encouraged us to take a short walk along the coastal path.
But no time for resting when you’re OUT THERE on tour! We boarded the ferry and bid farewell to Arran. Next stop Coatbridge. A much shorter journey once we had reached the mainland but complicated by a SatNav failure. Resorting to a manual option of a map book and roadsigns we successfully reached the Georgian Hotel, once again venue and our bed for the night. We had expected to eat in the bar before taking our seats but had taken no account of Scotland playing France at football and a 5pm kick-off didn’t make eating in the bar a peaceful choice. So we set off to see what Coatbridge (small suburb of Glasgow) could offer and the best we could find was a kebab supper i.e. with chips. We guessed that France had scored with the roars and cheers from the bar and it all ended 1- 0 to Scotland. The venue for the concert was a large function room at the side of the hotel with a bar. The audience were the largest and the nosiest of the tour and the promoter even had to ask people to be quite during the first support act (well done that man). As Eleanor took the stage they were far quieter. She was brave enough to sign ‘C’est bien’ in the second set, but it was well received particularly as the Scots had won.

The journey was getting shorter each day. Sunday 8th October and Edinburgh was our destination. Just a 40 minute drive and no boats! We had decided that Sunday required some luxury for us and we checked into the Sheraton Spa and spent most of the afternoon indulging in pure relaxation in the Spa.

After dinner in the hotel we walked the rain drenched street of the Holyrood district and after asking directions from a couple of students we found the Cabaret Voltaire club. A small venue with no windows, which appeared to be set in the vaults of a tall granite building. The audience were quiet and very appreciative and some had travelled far. A man buying CDs after the concert had travelled down especially from Aberdeen (about a 4 hour drive)and was quite a recent follower. In fact he had heard the Out There CD in a music shop and was immediately enthralled. Our own discovery of Eleanor had been while she was supporting the Homespun tour in 2005 and we were delighted to hear an acoustic version of ‘Effortless Cool’. We were also surprised to hear ‘I hear you breathing in’ from Yola, which we hadn’t heard live before.

Monday 9th October and heading back to England. We had more travelling today to get down to Doncaster and the A1 provided us with a scenic journey through the borders. Unfortunately not both of us could attend the concert in Doncaster as an Open University exam needed Sue in London. We had told Eleanor in Edinburgh so she wasn’t too surprised when Martin attended with another woman – his sister who lives near Doncaster. She had a wonderful evening and got her copy of ‘Out There’ signed for her birthday. Recognised a few people from the Wath-Upon-Dearne festival in April and Ruth joined Eleanor on stage for a duet of ‘Only a woman’s heart’.

The Hull venue was the smallest. The New Adelphi Club is situated in a residential area of Hull quite close to Pearson Park. The crowd was few in number (about 35), but they were appreciative and there was plenty of banter, particularly when Eleanor asked if an Irish woman with a van would be required to pay a parking ticket. We were rewarded for our request in Arran and Eleanor finally played an excellent version of ‘Trapped Inside’ -a delight! Perhaps in recognition of the local connections with Homespun she also played a Homespun number, ‘You are here’. We had hoped that Dave Rotheray would make an appearance but unfortunately he wasn’t in town.

Thursday 12th October, and we had finally reached the last destination of the tour (for us anyway) in Wolverhampton. We thought it only right that just before the concert, we presented Eleanor with a token of our appreciation and the most appropriate gift was a ‘set list bag’. The bag contained a bottle of Beaujolais wine, Jameison whisky, Champagne, coffee,milk and of course bread. In return she played ‘Its mine’, ‘My own sweet bed tonight’ and ‘Biochemistry’. We were also thrilled to hear ‘Memphis Tennessee’ and ‘Stray thoughts’ for the first time on this tour.

We never tired of seeing Eleanor play for 7 nights and there were always changes to the set list. In total we must have heard about 40 different songs with regular appearances of ‘Non smoking single female’, ‘Fields of Dublin 4’ and ‘Suffer so well’. It was all the fun we had expected it to be.
And of course the finale was to arrive home and find that we even got a mention on Eleanor’s latest Pod cast. What a holiday!

Sue & Martin

Interesting Links

WOLVERHAMPTON 12-OCT-06 REVIEW by TIM SYMES

ELEANOR McEVOY - THE WAY YOU WEAR YOUR TROUBLES
(Balcony TV, Dublin)

Out There is up there so go out there, get into it and be where it’s at.

2006-09-12T14:14:00.002+01:00

OUT THERE
Eleanor McEvoy
(Released Sep 11 UK, Sep 8 ROI)

It never ceases to amaze me how some people are not only just creative but they can also set new standards as they do so. One such person who possesses such a talent is Eleanor McEvoy – and I rest my case with her latest album , OUT THERE.
OUT THERE is Eleanor’s 6th album and in keeping with the trend set on all her previous releases , it’s so much different from the one before. Each album I could happily return to and leave playing uninterrupted, but this latest offering is more complete as opposed to themed.
The opening track is also her latest single, Non Smoking Single Female. On first hearing I didn’t really like the song , but after a couple of takes all the clichés from those classified ads start to raise a smile. The backing music comes straight out of one of those 60s movies which always seemed to be set in London with voices and mouth movements invariably out of sync. The following track, To Sweep Away A Fool, is completely different and has a Streets of London style acoustic guitar running through it. Track 3 Wrong So Wrong, is as different again. It has a dabbed violin with ethereal synthesiser & warming bass delivering a steamy and sultry sound….. and so the diversity goes on ranging from Blues (The Way You Wear Your Troubles) through classical (Interlude) to Hill-Billy Country (Suffer So Well)
Look out for a stripped down cover of Marvin Gaye’s Mercy Mercy Me. She really manages to get you to focus on the lyrics and just how true they still are today. The Fields of Dublin 4 asks questions of how The Celtic Tiger economy is changing the character of Dublin folk.
I’ve only had this album a few hours, but I do believe it’s Eleanor’s best yet. Current favourite track is So Much Trouble – a mandolin backed song about a wife’s discovery of her husband’s web of deceit.
Out There sees Eleanor McEvoy playing a whole range of instruments, ably backed by Liam Bradley on drums and the occasional whistle.
Recorded in Norfolk and produced at Metropolis, London.

Gig reviews , maybe. Question is, can he do interviews?

2006-08-12T03:34:00.000+01:00

CELINE CARROLL

Every once in a while you'll hear a song on the radio which just hits you straight away. It will stay with you day-in, day-out and you will stop at nothing to get hold of a copy.
Such was the case with Apologise which was played on Mike Moloney's Irish Album on Ocean FM (Sligo/Donegal).

The combination of melody, vocals piano and violin would together melt the coldest of hearts.
Proof of the quality of the violinist requires just a namecheck - Maire Breatnach.
I hope it won't be too long before we associate that same quality mark with the singer and author of this song - Celine Carroll

Apologise can be found on an album called Itch. (Happy Trails Records).This album contains 10 quality songs all written,sung and produced by Celine. Celine also plays lead acoustic guitar and piano. Maire is featured on several other tracks the album.
Lyrics and samples are available on Celine Carroll's web site.

How I obtained the album is another story and I can safely say that I must have been the first person in the UK to get a copy. You should be able to buy Itch from Road Records and Nova Records, 9 Surrey Street, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 5AZ.

I met Celine in her hometown of Dublin the other day and she kindly agreed to take part in an exclusive interview.

Celine, Itch is a wonderful album and it has an almost ˜live" feel to it. How did you achieve this?
I purposely only had a few run- throughs of the songs with the band because I wanted everyone's playing to be spontaneous, kinda edgy, everyone playing off each other.'TIGHT BUT LOOSE' became our motto in the studio. In order to achieve this, we had one full rehearsal. When it came to recording, we set ourselves up in different rooms in the studio, put on our headphones and started playing. We could all hear each other playing. And it just sounded so natural and right.

I love the violin on Apologise and I've since discovered that the violinist is the legendary Maire Breatnach. When did you first encounter her and how did you get her to agree to perform on the album?
I always knew I was going to put a string arrangement on Apologise. I had recorded the strings myself on keyboards during the preproduction of this song. By the time I got to record it, together with the live feel of all the other songs, it was obvious that we'd have to record live strings. Enter Maire. My engineer, Ciaran Byrne recommended her. I called her up, had a chat, sent her my demos of the track. She liked the song and Bingo,came in and put it all down in a flash!!!!.
It was that simple.

Maire appears on other tracks too....
Yes, She layered violin and viola on Home, Itch, Slow My Wheels, Grey Sky Blue(awesome)and Flying .

While we're namedropping it would be wrong not to mention the other musicians involved...including yourself
My guitarist is Dave McGinley from Dublin, a wonderful musician, Paul Moore also from Dublin on bass and Jerry Fehily all the way from the Peoples Republic of Cork on drums. He's just amazing.
The entire band were great. Even Ciaran, my engineer played a mighty trombone solo on one track.

You've written all the songs on this album and your previous (debut) album Catch You As You Fall, have any of these been recorded by anyone else?
I've had one track from a previous album called Don't Get Me Wrong recorded by Frances Black. I think at the time, Frances was taking a departure from the folk angle that has appeared on all her other albums. She was going for a different feel on this particular album. Don't Get Me Wrong suited what she was doing and it became the title track of the album.

Is there a follow up album in the pipeline?
Not at the moment. Trying to shift this album on the masses is keeping me busy. But I do have a lot of songs ready to do battle. I just need someone to sponsor the musical war!!

You've no doubt been pleased with recent live shows, when is the next one and are there any hopes for touring Ireland and beyond?
We are in Bewley's Cafe Theatre in Dublin this Saturday, August 19th. It's a great gig because the venue is very intimate and cosy. Suits my style of playing and singing. After that, hopefully some gigs in the Autumn.

Your music has a rare quality of appealing to all ages. Is this fact reflected in the audiences at your live shows?
Absolutely. We get a great mix of ages. And I notice that everyone has their favourite song and they all pick different songs. With one exception-Bird In A Cage seems to win hands-down everytime with everyone.

A message to your fans (past, present & future)
Come on in, the door is still, and always will be, OPEN!!
Happy Trails,
Celine.

Celine Carroll...Thank you

Editor's Note
I must thank Celine Carroll for agreeing to take part , without whom this interview would never have happened. I would also like to thank Bernadette from Celtic Cafe for encouraging me to do this.

Recommended Links
Celine Carroll
Maire Breatnach
Frances Black
Celtic Cafe
Ocean FM

It isn't rocket science - these tracks from Stevenson will send you off the rails

2006-07-03T18:22:00.000+01:00

I would just like to call your attention to an unsigned singer/songwriter.
All I will say is think of Sarah McLachlan, give her a lovely Belfast accent and throw in a dash of disenchantment from male disappointments.
Now click on the image above and listen to Laura Stevenson.

Frances' singing strikes a chord at The Quays

2006-06-30T08:38:00.000+01:00

FRANCES BLACK
The Lowry
Salford Quays
Thursday 29th June 2006

All the Frances Black concerts that I’ve attended to date have started with Stranger On The Shore and finished with You’ve Got A Friend. After all this time, the penny dropped. We meet as strangers and depart as friends.
A simple approach really, but it works because that was what this particular evening was - a meeting of friends.

A new album was on release to accompany her tour. This Love Will Carry is a double album containing many favourites from the past 12 years or so.

And as we’re not strangers any more, then there’s no need for Strangers on the Shore for openers, Instead we called up our old friends from the days of Arcady in the form of a brilliant delivery of I’d Cross The Wild Atlantic. Bass guitarist, Eoghan Scott, flexed his versatility muscles with a haunting keyboard intro and Gerry O’Connor weaving mystic violin patterns throughout.

And just as I was thinking how Frances takes to the ‘Trad Arr’ songs like a duck takes to water, we were back with the familiar setlist. Again, I wish I had made notes, but this was the Lowry, proper stage lighting and darkened auditorium meant that I couldn’t see even if I brought my pen..

As for stage lighting, red uplights against a big blue curtain at the back of the stage for most of the time, except for Rathlin Island. It was about the third song in and it is dedicated to the memory of her father, who she said had lovely icy blue eyes. He used to take the family back to Rathlin , his birthplace, for holidays. Upon return to Dublin , Frances was convinced there was a certain sadness in those eyes – and there’s a line in the song ”Cast a blue eye, back to Rathlin”. You can guess the colour of the lighting.

Time was also put aside for the memory of her dear mum, Patti. Although on this occasion, instead of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Frances sang an unaccompanied music hall song which her mum used to sing – title escapes me – but it’s about a girl who brought her boyfriend home and he left her for her mother !

Frances encourages the audience to sing along as the show progresses and we closed the first half by joining in with the chorus of This Love Will Carry . The interval left us mulling over a request to join her on stage for that Ronan Keating number in the second half.

First song of part two started with another ‘Trad Arr’. Another Black family musical link with The Corrs. (Her sister Mary sang No Frontiers in Liverpool last month). This time it was Foggy Dew, which leaves the The Corrs version off their Home album for dead.

When You Say Nothing At All saw seven volunteers on stage to assist Frances. I’ll just say that harmony prevailed, although not necessarily in a musical sense.

Overall it was a really well balanced set. As well as the ‘Trad Arrs’ mixed in with the standard Frances set there were a couple of pop classics in the form of Gabrielle’s Rise and Bill Withers’ Lean On Me and even some jigs and reels seeing Frances on the bodhran.
There was even a "Happy Birthday to You" sang by everyone present for Jimmy Smyth. I think he was 22.

Yours truly got a mention in the encore. I don’t remember telling her that we were going to the concert, but she knew somehow…….I just thought to myself , "Ain’t it good to know , you’ve got a friend"

Frances Black - Vocals
Gerry O'Connor - Violin /Mandolin
Eoghan Scott - Bass Guitar / occasional keyboards
Peter McKinney - Drums
Jimmy Smyth - Accoustic Guitar

Will the Farmers spread it around for Andy ?

2006-06-23T23:07:00.000+01:00

TWELVE STRINGS
(Andy Whitaker & Tiny Scientist)
Farmers Arms
Frankby
Wirral
Friday 23rd June 2006

A popular local pub was holding an engagement party and obligatory disco, so this was hardly the ideal venue for focussing upon the live act. The clientelle were more interested in the buffet, the World Cup, the next pint and maybe a bit of a bop to Dexy's Midnight Runners and the end of the night slowy than the talents of a singer/songwriter and his mate who travelled the best part of 40 miles to perform.

I encountered Andy courtesy of a fleeting friend request on Myspace.com and I accepted his invitation after discovering that he was due to play at this venue which was on my doorstep. I was recognised virtually on arrival and stayed for his opening half hour set.

First song (check his website) was 'An Individual Mind' - dedicated to yours truly - and it was duly appreciated by its recipient. Apart from the dedicated half dozen the rest of the pub were enveloped in their own discussions rather than the talented duo. Undeterred and all credit to their professionalism, they persevered. A few Beatles covers, plus others from the Monkees , Byrds (Mr. Tambourine Man), Pink Floyd (See Emily Play) and a finale (Shadows - Apache) saw them starting to win the people round.

If you do meet Andy at a disco-type gig , and if he does play Apache then just close your eyes and imagine he's playing the Fender Strat because it's hard to believe that such sounds can come out of an acoustic guitar.

We left at the end of the first set but I have now doubt that an entertaining evening was about to develop and that quite a few of the party will start to spread the word about the talents of Mr. Andy Whitaker.

If he appears at a venue nearby again and if he gets the chance to sell his own wares then meet me in the queue for tickets.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you MR ANDY WHITAKER

Caroline ruled the waves on 199 - now she touches the Sky on 199

2006-06-12T22:47:00.000+01:00

As from Monday 12th June 2006 The legendary Radio Caroline is now available on SKY Channel 0199. No other channel would be appropriate because this lady once ruled the waves on 199 Medium Wave.
The commercial radio stations should take note that you probably wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for Caroline.
Over forty years on, Caroline is still here - Britain's first and only album station.
It's brilliant - all that nostalgia along with plenty of quality new stuff as well without the shackles of a controlled playlist and script driven presenters.
But don't take my word for it - tune in and support free spirited radio.
The Legend Lives On!

Mary Black brings a Full Tide to fill the Phil

2006-06-01T19:21:00.000+01:00

MARY BLACK
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Wednesday 31st May 2006

Thanks to this commitment of mine towards supporting all the founder members of the 'Woman’s Heart' phenomenon, I’ve managed to collect one or two albums from Mary Black.
I’ve been so focussed on one or two of the others that I took Mary’s albums for granted and ignored them somewhat.

A couple of months ago I received a listing from the Liverpool Philharmonic and Mary was due to appear at the end of May. There was an autograph missing on my AWH album sleeve so the tickets had to be bought.

The early start (7:30) meant there wasn’t much time to dash home from work and get back into city centre Liverpool in good time for the show. That prospect removed any pre-gig excitement, so as we found our seats the frame of mind was to just take in whatever comes.

In no time at all the auditorium lights dimmed and the midnight blue stage lighting was all that prevented a full house from experiencing a total blackout. The four members of her backing band took their positions before Mary entered the stage to generous, yet polite, applause.

Singer Mary’s first musical contribution was the harmonica bars that open ‘Land of Love’, the first track on her latest album, Full Tide.
The ascent from my pre-gig lethargy towards euphoria hit vertical as the first note was struck, such is the magic behind a live act.
Her second song followed straight away. It was an old favourite - (printed on the setlist as 'Adam')

Then came the spoken word.
She explained that was how things would pan out for the evening. A few songs from her latest album filtered in with the old favourites. It was while she was talking that I drew immediate comparisons with her sister Frances. Mary's band had a drummer, but the rest of the band were placed in the same positions.
Keyboard player on her left, then the bass player, back left, drummer behind and lead guitarist on her right.

Mary confidently throws in a good story between songs albeit more aimed towards the songwriter. There were mentions about the family. Indeed, her son Danny was listed as accompaniment on this tour but he wasn’t available on this particular evening as he was representing Dublin playing in a sporting fixture against Wexford.

The disappointment over his absence soon evaporated when her daughter Roisin joined in for a couple of songs. If Roisin follows in Mum’s footsteps she won’t go short of money that’s for sure.

The first half ended on a couple of personal favourites, 'No Frontiers' and 'Stand Up'. No Frontiers was penned by Jimmy McCarthy and it was recently covered by The Corrs on their Unplugged album. 'Stand Up' is from her latest album.
Towards the end of the second half 'Real You' (from Full Tide) drifted into a jam by the band where each member was spotlighted for a solo stint closing with Bill Shanley giving a guitar solo that would have left Carlos Santana gasping for breath.

The main body of the show consisted of two halves of about 9 songs each and two returns for encores. It would be difficult for anyone to find fault in around two hours of top-class entertainment.

I consider myself lucky to have witnessed a legend in action and I spent the rest of the night wondering why I’d let Mary Black just pass me by.

The Band
========
Pat Crowley - Keyboards / Accordian
James Blennerhassett - Bass / Occasional Keyboards
Martin Ditcham - Percussion
Bill Shanley - Lead Acoustic Guitar
Mary Black - Vocals/ Occasional Harmonica/Tambourine/Shaker/Bodhran
Roisin O'Reilly - Guest Vocals

Setlist (as per printed list nicked off the stage)
=======
1. Land of Love
2. Adam
3. Siul A Run
4. St. Kilda
5. Columbus
6. Your Love
7. Saw You Running
8. No Frontiers
9. Stand Up

Interval
========
1. Bright Blue Rose
2. By The Time It Gets Dark
3. Make You Feel My Love
4. Carolina Rua
5. Don't Let Me Come Home A Stranger
6. Katie
7. Summer Sent You
8. Real You
9. Flesh & Blood

Encores
=======
Lay Down/Just Once in a Very Blue Moon/Past the Point of Rescue

2nd Encore featured Ellis Island
and she definiteley sang Moon River somewhere in the set.

Tuesday : Duke's singing Stays With Me 'Til Dawn

2006-05-24T18:02:00.000+01:00

Picture : mark@pickthall.fsnet.co.uk

DUKE SPECIAL
Wrexham Central
Tuesday 23rd May 2006

The uninitiated would be forgiven for thinking that after their first glance at Duke Special that they're in for a musical performance away from the norm and difficult to comprehend. They'll be partly right but they'll be wrong on the comprehension issue.
In a musical world where it is almost impossible to be unique, Duke has perfected his own sound which is melodic, clear and easy on the ear.
I first saw him as a solo act supporting Juliet Turner on UK tour early in 2005. Last night he was headlining with an accompanist who was as daft as a brush.

It was one of those nights where you just knew you were going to be entertained. A brief examination of furniture on the stage before the duet made their appearance added weight to that assumption.

It looked more like an antique bric-a-brac shop window than a conventional musician's set. The drum kit comprised two big bass drums, one at the front, the other was at the percussionist's right at around head level. There were a couple of old fashioned gramophones placed either side of the stage. Duke's tatty old upright piano was void of varnish. It looked like something you'd pay someone to get rid of. There was a transistor radio placed on top of it. Centre front of the stage was a broomstick thing with a bell at the top various other bits and bobs attached, finished off with a battered old pan lid at the bottom.

After a couple of support acts, Duke and his accompanist, Chip Bailey, entered the stage. Chip sat behind his drumkit, shoulder length crimped hair, adopting a somewhat disinterested pose while Duke wound one of the gramophones up to speed before taking his place at the piano. Then piano was bashed and drums were clattered as we were launched into action with 'Wake Up Scarlett'(from his My Villain Heart EP).

Prior to their arrival I was receiving verbal earache off the missus. There were threats of "I'm not coming to any more of these!".

At the start of the third song, 'Last Night I Nearly Died' (another from My Villain Heart), Chip came from behind his drumkit with a Tesco carrier bag in hand. After delving in and flicking the first old egg whisk over his left shoulder he produced another and a cheese grater. These were used as percussion for the first line of the chorus. Second line he turns and bashes the cymbals with the whisk in a state of rage. Tears of laughter were streaming down my wife's face..I think all was forgiven.

The cluttered broomstick made an appearance in a couple of other songs. It was addressed and played in a manner similar to the way a joiner studies and shapes a piece of wood.

When I first heard Duke perform in Manchester last year there was one song which stayed with me for months afterwards, that was 'Freewheel' (from his Lucky Me EP). He sang it again last night - and that song alone is worth getting out of the house to witness live.

Procedings closed with two song encore. 'Goodnight Irene' an oldie possibly dedicated to the members of the audience with links to The Principality. And 'John Lennon Love' from his latest EP, 'Your Vandal' . Audience particpation, was invited at first, then it was demanded (and obtained) by Chip.

For me, the biggest disappointment was the audience. Their attentiveness and behaviour were faultless - their number was less than 40 though. Duke Special & Chip deserve full houses wherever they play.

My souvenirs from the show :- his latest EP , 'Your Vandal', a cheese grater with egg whisk (plus a sheet of instructions) and the live version of Freewheel still playing in my mind.

He's got a good face for radio

2006-04-01T20:27:00.000+01:00

The guy in the hat at the back is our son Paul. He's currently working for Liverpool's Radio City on work experience from Liverpool John Moore's University.
... and here is where the picture came from.

A Kwik Kat , a break, then a CD

2006-03-26T22:55:00.000+01:00

CARA DILLON
(supported by Kat Flint)
The Citadel, St. Helens
Sat 25th March 2006

According to the details printed on the tickets, Cara Dillon, with no advertised support act, was due on stage at 8pm. So after watching a couple of blokes walking around a well furnished stage, we presumed that a young girl doing a line check on an accoustic guitar was just one of the road crew. Even when she stood up and bashfully uttered words to the fact that she wasn't Cara Dillon, it still didn't seem to prove that our intial thoughts were wrong.
But she then opened up with a line "You're 72.8% water..." our ears pricked up. Not only did she sing well but her guitar playing was excellent. This articulate lyricist hails from Aberdeen and she now lives in London. Half way through her set, I was already hooked and just as I was thinking about buying CDs from the suitcase after the show she announced that she'd actually released an EP-CD but forgot to bring them with her.
She closed by announcing the impending arrival of Cara and her 6-man backing band and apologised unfoundedly for just having an acoustic guitar. Especially as she played as though she'd been born with it.
I make a point of supporting the support acts at most of the gigs which I attend. There were definitely no exceptions here. So please take note of this young lady and I hope it's not too long before she tours (with CDs to hand) on her own.
Her name : KAT FLINT

After a short interval, Cara and her band arrived on stage. Cara was positioned centre front and she was encircled by 6 band members. Their names I didn't take note of, but reading from left to right as we saw them were, Sam Lakeman, Cara's husband, on keyboards. just behind him was an acoustic guitar/mandolin player. The drummer was directly behind Cara. He looked remarkably like Chas (from Chas 'n' Dave). Back right was a lead guitarist who had hands the size of dinnerplates. An amazing player (and backing vocalist) nonetheless. To his left (far back right as we saw it) was a bass guitarist and occasional double bass player. Front right was the 'wind section' He opened on flute and occasionally played accordian, but for quite a few numbers he played Uillean pipes. A brilliant instrument - similar to bagpipes but easier on the ear.
As a rule, I try compile a setlist. But I bought my tickets for this gig ages ago and guess where we were sat.
The Citadel is a cozy theatre. The stage is about the same depth as the auditorium.
If I stuck my foot out from where I was sitting I could have kicked the mike stand over. So if I got my notepad out and scribbled the songs down I probably would have put her off. And besides, she posted the setlist for her tour on her webpage. (I'll list that one later). There was a slight change in the order and there were a couple of deviations. Also, as I was sat in the best seat in the house, I had no desire to write a list.
Cara is primarily considered to be a folk singer but I believe that is just a convenient pigeon hole for those who like to label people. She does, however, have many "trad arrs" in her repertoire. Indeed she opened the show with "She Moved Through The Fair". But there is more to her (and her band) than folk alone. The written word cannot properly describe her sound. There are some songs which take your heart & mind by the hand and lead them on a journey into that nice place and leave you there. Cara's angelic voice weaves through the instrumental crescendos with 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' at the end of mystic stories. A fine example of these journeys of the mind is Broken Bridges off her Sweet Liberty album.
Cara has 3 albums on release at the moment, namely, her eponymous debut album, Sweet Liberty and After the Morning. All three were well represented and songs from her latest album, After The Morning, were very well arranged, presented and received.
I've no intention of describing every song, but there are these few songs which really merit a mention.
October Winds was written as a tribute to her late father. This song hit me on first hearing. It can be found on her latest album. It's written by Cara and Sam and it's chorus has a line that says(presumably) her father, will be missed when the October Winds begin to blow. There is a brilliant piano/keyboard piece in the middle and it closes with "And I'm dreaming about my father, safe in my heart for evermore."
Never in a Million Years is her current single and it is getting regular airplay on BBC R2. So just batter your local radio station with e-mails and demand that they play it.
Husband Sam has been busy over the past year or so. He's learned to play the guitar. And to prove how good he has become, he took a break from the keyboards and joined Cara and the lead guitarist at the front of the stage for Grace (I think it was that one).
Needless to say the audience were attentive and appreciative throughout the 1 and half hour performance. They called her back for an encore which began with a mental blank and ensuing fits of laughter. And fair play to her coming back from it all to deliver The Emigrant's Farewell with due respect and reverence.
Her on tour setlist follows. There was one noticable omission, Bold Jamie (from After the Morning), which I had wished she had played. The omission just made me feel even more hungry for her next appearance at a nearby venue. In the meantime, I'll just keep spinning CD's CDs !

Cara Dillon's Tour Setlist
(subject to deviation)
Black Is The Colour
Here's A Health
She's Like The Swallow
October Winds
Donald Of Glencoe
Where Are You
some "Tunes"
Never In A Million Years
Garden Valley
Grace
There Were Roses
Bold Jamie
I Wish You Well
Green Grows The Laurel
(Encore)
The Emigrants Farewell

Appetites whet for Juliet's duet, her best yet, at the Bury Met

2006-02-26T08:20:00.000Z

Photo : Andy Lock
andylock75@hotmail.com

JULIET TURNER
Bury Met
Friday 24th February 2005

If music be the food of love then this was a grilled fillet steak washed down by a vintage red.
The starter wasn't all that bad either. Pierce Pettis was his name - he's from Alabama. I'd only heard of Pierce Pettis by name only before but I was impressed by this singer/songwriter's performance. 3 guitars, 2 harmonicas were used in his set. His singing was delivered in a style not too dissimilar to Bruce Springsteen and the songs were interspersed with song descriptions and witticisms akin to Woody Allen.
Towards the end of his set, JT's accompaniest and guitar player extraordinairre, Brian Grace joined Pierce for a spectacular Bob Dylan jammming session. Juliet herself crept on stage for BVs, albeit, initially, for the wrong song.
One song, Alabama 1959, really stood out. This can be found on an album called Great Big World, which I bought after the show. Closer examination of the sleeve notes revealed credits to Juliet Turner & Brian Grace along with thanks to Bob Harris from BBC Radio2. So if you want to hear more about Pierce Pettis, then take time to e-mail Bob and ask for Alabama 1959 - it's a song which does "exactly what is says on the can".

After the interval Juliet and Brian took their positions on their trademark high chairs. And as Tony and I exchanged guesses on what the opening song was going to be, she proved us both wrong with Paint a Picture. This song was dedicated to a child of a couple of friends of hers who was approaching 1 yr old at the time of this show.
Due to the darkened auditorium I couldn't jot down her setlist. So although this report only picks out the highlights, I have to say that this was probably the best Juliet concert to date. Juliet has 4 albums on release and each one was visited. Pizza and Wine was particularly outstanding. The song, the lyrics and the delivery really ping the heart strings. It originally appeared on her Let's Hear It For Pizza album but there is a terrific version on Juliet Turner Live which should be available in all good music emporia.
Peirce Pettis entered the stage to provide acoustic guitar accompaniment for a new song, Joy. For some reason I glanced at the stage lighting during this number and noticed that the stage floor was green and orange. How appropriate for an Irish performer. The next song, Beyond the Back Yard, was introduced as being written about the uncomforatble feelings which were felt at the times of height of the troubles in the North of Ireland. A quick glance back on to the stage saw red and blue.
Pierce returned to provide BVs for a traditional English folk song, Sweet Bride. What a brilliant example of the fact that the love of music knows no bounds. A English traditional folk song delivered by Juliet (N. Ireland), Brian (Dublin) and Pierce (Alabama).
Juliet has made a big effort to reduce the amount of talking between each song (I like a good talker by the way). But there was time for friendly banter between JT and the audience (mostly Tony). When she quizzed him as to who he was, he said "Graham".......if that wasn't embarrassing enough, JT replied "Oh, Graham Ashmore". I spent the rest of the evening under the seat.
Juliet's set lasted around 2 hours (seemed like 5 minutes). Her previous shows gifted us with no more than 12 songs and although I didn't keep a list there could have been around 15. The encore comprised two songs. The first of which was a solo rendition of TomWaits' I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You, then Brian joined her for Vampire.
A couple of the dear old favourites were noticable by their absence, namely Take the Money & Run and Belfast Central although Dr. Fell was preceeded by a rather tongue in cheek, "This is our favourite" introduction.
There were just two empty seats in the row behind us. The ticket holders rang in sick apparently. So by my calculation there were 223 people present - all of whom went home very happy.

POST REVIEW NOTE:
Setlist - Thanks to Derek Hall (JT Followers List)

1. Pick A Story
2. Business As Usual
3. Dr. Fell
4. Sorry To Say
5. Season Of The Hurricane
6. Pizza & Wine
7. Burn The Black Suit
8. The Girl With A Smile
9. Joy
10. Beyond The Backyard
11. 1987
12. Sweet B Bride
13. Everything Beautiful Is Burning

(Encore)
14. I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You
15. Vampire

Can't catch a re-match of the big match which none watch on an ice-patch pitch in Nantwich

2006-02-11T19:45:00.000Z

FA Vase 5th Round
Jackson Avenue, Nantwich
Saturday 11th February, 2006

NANTWICH TOWN v BUXTON
Match postponed - Frozen Pitch

A lovely,sunny, yet crisp, February afternoon,the expectancy was high and there was magic in the air. The mighty Bucks were due to play their old former Cheshire League sparring partners, Nantwich Town. Neighbours Crewe Alex and Stoke were playing away. And this was one the 8 fixtures in the 5th round of the FA Vase.
Word on the streets of this sleepy Cheshire town was that the attendance would top 1000 where normally 100 or so offer their support.
Sadly, the fixture fell victim to the British weather and a frozen pitch was to blame for the match being postponed. The tie has been re-arranged for Saturday 18th February.............and thanks to family commitments, I can't go !

FA Vase 5th Round Results
AFC Sudbury 0 Bury Town 2
Wimborne Town 1 Pickering Town 2
Nantwich Town v Buxton postponed - rescheduled for Sat 18th Feb
Cammel Laird 1 VCD Athletic 0
Hillingdon Borough 4 Mildenhall Town 0
Arnold Town 0 Crook Town 1
Winchester City 3 Newmarket Town 4 (aet)
Squires Gate 2 Newcastle Benfield 1

Ashville fail to pass the Bucks

2006-01-21T20:04:00.000Z

FA Vase 4th Round
The Silverlands, Buxton
Saturday 21st January, 2006

BUXTON 1 - 0 ASHVILLE
Reed
H-T: 1-0
Att: 572

The picture above was taken after a 'difference of opinion' and the referee had just called over his assitants to verify the cause. The outcome was that Ashville (white shirts) got a player sent off (Crosby) and Buxton had their No.4. Hutchinson yellow carded.

Mark Reed, Buxton's No.10 and by far the most gifted player on the pitch, had put the mighty Bucks 1-0 up just a few minutes earlier.
However, despite their numerical advantage, Buxton failed to capitalise and that's how the score remained.
As you can see, this was played on a heavy pitch, but it was an entertaining game none-the-less. Both teams carved out plenty of chances, most noteable were just before Buxton had scored when Ashville hit the post.
Buxton keeper Scott Hartley kept the visitors at bay with some fine saves. Ashville created many chances, in the first half in particular, as they launched several searching far post crosses from the right wing. Hartley and the Buxton defence were equal to this and as the Buxton No. 2, Winfindale, began to dominate, Ashville's attacks became a little less threatening.
Mark Reed could have put the game to bed in the second half after stealing the ball from a fumbling goalkeeper. He then watched his goalbound tap-in cleared off the line by an Ashville defender who appeared from nowhere to clear the ball and concede just a corner.
In the dying minutes Ashville should have forced extra time but the one-on-one chance with the Buxton keeper saw the Ashville striker spoon his effort over the bar.
On paper this should have been a walk in the park for the mighty Bucks and they created enough chances to improve the scoreline. But Ashville were a credit to the West Cheshire League and this afternoon's performance belies their mid-table position.
Buxton's reward for this victory is £1,500 and an away fixture against Nantwich Town on Saturday February 11th.

Spreading Rumours

2005-12-30T20:50:00.000Z

Dec 30th, a good time to pick up a bargain in the January sales I suppose.
Well, stuffed into my Christmas stocking was a HMV gift voucher/card. So I ambled down to my local music emporium to put it to use.
One of the first things that caught my eye was Fleetwood Mac's Rumours 2 for £5-99. The Fleetwood Mac name alone is worth more than that. Blimey. they're throwing these albums away.
We're all familiar with the original , but if you've got a couple of quid spare in your back pocket then grab a copy of this album now.
I'd pay twice as much for the Roughs and Out-takes , they're better than the originals believe me !

Celine is now available on Radio Carrolline

2005-12-16T06:28:00.000Z

Just when you thought that things had gone quiet on the Celine Carroll front, she pops up in the unlikeliest of places.
I was listening to Rob Leighton's Imagination show on the legendary Radio Caroline.
and at around 9:30pm on Thursday 15th December my ears recognised the opening bars of Home from her album, Itch.
Radio Caroline has dedicated listeners worldwide and Celine Carroll's Itch album is in the 'library'.
So email studio@radiocaroline.co.uk and ask any of the obliging presenters to play her songs.

You won't get Wind with Earth and Fire...

2005-11-16T21:31:00.000Z

...but they will start repeating on you!
When I was over in the Netherlands recently I popped into a music store for a couple of souvenirs. I have got a few gaps in my music collection to fill in !
Back in the early 70s there was a Dutch pirate radio station which many of you may recall that went by the name of Radio Noordzee International. There was one particular group that they played a lot of at that time who were called Earth and Fire - no, not the other lot with the Wind ! And there was one song of theirs that I've been dying to get hold of ever since - and it still sounds brilliant, it is entitled MEMORIES.....and in 1972 it reached No.1 in the Radio Noordzee Top 50.

As for the album that I picked up - well, it was one of those 'Ultimate Collections'. First thoughts on playing it were , apart from Memories and Maybe Tomorrow, Maybe Tonight, yuk !, My musical tastes had certainly changed a bit since the early-mid 70s. Then I played it again, all the way through from start to finish. All of a sudden I was 18 again ! Their music is pirate ship through and through. I just cannot let this album go. Jerney Kaagman, the lucious lead singer, has got this wonderful voice and the backing band are brilliant.
Earth & Fire - I love 'em ! They don't need wind to blow you away. They are mooi (pronounced: 'mo ya' , meaning: beautiful). Dank u wel.

No good beating about the Bush - buy your own!

2005-11-09T20:31:00.000Z

Just realised ! Kate Bush's new album was released earlier this week. As it has just turned 8:35PM and Sainsbury's are still open, I think I'll just nip out and get a copy..........
...............
Apart from the opening track, King of the Mountain, an Elvis tribute, I'd not heard anything at all from this double album, Aerial.
I didn't particularly warm to this album at first. But not to worry, because the same can be said for all the other Kate albums (apart from the Whole Story). First thoughts were what the hell is this all about - songs about washing machines and singing along with blackbirds & wood pigeons !
Maybe it's because Kate is so intellectual that you have to think your way into her albums. After a couple of hearings this album starts eating into you and when the songs start to stick you suddenly realise that you've got another classic on your hands.
I'll say no more except....go and get your own !

Lured from Liverpool by 3 Ladies in Leiden

2005-10-21T19:46:00.000+01:00

MARY COUGHLAN, FRANCES BLACK & SHARON SHANNON
Stadsgehoorzaal,
Leiden,
Netherlands
18th October 2005

I'd been looking forward to this show for ages but a dampener was put on it a couple of days beforehand, thanks to a lost passport. One final attempt to get hold of a replacement failed thanks to rules and regs at the UK Passport Office in Liverpool. Sadly, my wife, Jennifer had to stay at home and our son, Paul, came along instead.

It was one of those nights when I couldn't jot down a setlist because of the darkened auditorium and the threats from Paul, who said he'd disown me if he caught me scribbling.
I wish I had because I didn't want such an evening escape from my noticably failing memory.
So here follows one or two highlights of my recollections:-

The show was the last in a series of the Woman's Heart tour of The Netherlands and Belgium. It featured Mary Coughlan, Frances Black and Sharon Shannon.

The first voice I heard over the PA was Eleanor McEvoy, singing Only A Woman's Heart. Sadly, her voice was soon to be drowned out by the sound of a husky Hollander giving us a potted history of the phenomenal Album - A Woman's Heart.

First singer to appear was Mary Coughlan. To her left was grand piano and on her right were a couple of microphone stands.
It was the first time I have seen her perform live and prior to this show the only album I could get hold of was 'Love Me or Leave Me' which I'd only recently acquired. So apart from the AWH albums I knew little about her. I forgot the title of the opening song .....but I WAS interested.
Accompanied by James Delaney, a pure class piano player, Mary sang in a bluesy/jazzy style. Smooth & sophisticated. The duo were joined after the first song by Erik Visser on acoustic guitar. One song which particularly stood out was Magdelene Laundry. I've now heard three songs sharing this title. One of the others was by Frances and the other from Joni Mitchell on The Chieftains Tears of Stone Album. 'Seduced' was another song title that managed to remember and Mary had the audience singing along with the chorus to 'Blues Got The World'.

Frances and her band (Jimmy Smyth, Eoghan Scott & Pat Fitzpatrick) quickly took the stage. She opened with 'Wall of Tears'. As I said before, I don't remember the full setlist but the audience particpated with 'This Love Will Carry Me' and I glanced over at our Paul to see his eyes well up when 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' was delivered. Graham and Jennifer got a mention prior to one of the new songs 'A Foggy Dew' which is due to appear on her forthcoming album and is expected to be released in February. If this song is a foretaste of what is to come, then start queueing outside your music store now.

During the interval we popped in to the bar to say hello and I doubled my Mary Coughlan album collection when I bought 'Long Honeymoon'. We said hello to Frances and she knew Paul's name before I managed to introduce him.

Frances' intro to Sharon Shannon at the start of part 2 mentioned that Sharon's latest album had just reached No.2 in the Irish Album Charts. Congratulations!

Sharon and the spoken word are not the best of mates when she's on stage. Not that we're worried because her music does the talking. She was accompanied by Jim Murray on guitar. To watch him play you'd be convinced that he's got four hands!

After a couple of numbers Eoghan Scott joined her and Jimmy Smyth tagged along a little later. At around midway through her set she announced that Frances & Mary would be joining her for the next tune, The Penguin. They joined her alright! They to-ed and fro-ed penguin style the across the back of the stage. They were joined by the rest of the band members one by one as the tune progressed.

Mary re-appeared to perform a couple of songs and Sharon became one of the backing band. Mary gave a terrific cover of "I'd rather go blind". I wonder what the legendary Stan Webb would thought of the legendary Mary Coughlan's rendition of this classic.

Frances then returned to perform a couple of her own songs, one of which was 'Talk To Me'.

The big finale came when Frances and Mary duetted for Only A Woman's Heart. To think that I've heard this song delivered live 3 times in the space of 3 days in two different countries in two different languages by three different people - the result was the same - total quality.

The 500 strong audience bayed for more and they got it when everyone, including 2 piano players, gave us the extended remix of Bungee Jumpers.

This show was well worth the trip, thanks for the autographs by the way and we'll make sure that all passports are present and correct ASAP.

....and if you're still awake after this - Mark van Setten - it was great to meet you !

Evocative Eleanor Ensures Everyone's Ensuing Ease

2005-10-17T18:36:00.000+01:00

ELEANOR McEVOY
Marr's Bar
Worcester
16th October 2005

It's a mid-October Sunday evening. Time to sit back in a comfy armchair and toast your feet by the fire. Stare into the flames and dream of those heady days of summer and Christmas around the corner.
If you can capture that feeling , then you're not far away from the ambience in the Marr's Bar.
With memories of my last Eleanor experience with the splendid 50 piece RTE Concert Orchestra still fresh in my mind, I was wondering how a conventional Eleanor solo performance would greet me.
No problem at all !
This show had all the warmth of that autumn fire and that little glow from the accompanying glass of brandy.

A quick "Howya doin' ?" , on with the acoustic and Fire Overhead is almost whispered.
"If you're outta luck" is sang unaccompained along with the next line and the song, I'll Be Willing which then floats along a little slower on a soft acoustic backing.
The relaxed style of these openers set the tone for both Eleanor and audience. The Marr's Bar is attended by a music loving clientelle. Appreciation was given and received from both sides of the mike stand.
After You'll Hear Better Songs (Than This)- I do miss that Dublin clarinet! We were treated to a new song, Lovers Chapel, which was co-written by Dave Rotheray and will appear on her next album (exclusive , you heard it here first).
I've never seen Eleanor so laid back and relaxed, nor have I been or the rest of the audience either. All in all it was a pleasant evening. And apart from a little mix up over the name of the sound technician (Sean/Pete - the other guy made her a sound cup of tea !), everything else passed off without a hitch.

A couple more from the set list worth noting. Memphis Tennessee and The Rain Falls on their own are worth the effort of getting out of the house to witness.

Driving Home From Butlers would have sounded even more perfect had they switched the ACU off and Paddy McCarthy's reel used a very "un-trad-arr" wah-wah pedal.

Next stop for Eleanor on the tour - Buxton, my place of birth which is only a couple of miles from where one of her Yola co-writers, Lloyd Cole, used to live - Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Setlist
-------

Acoustic guitar
1. Fire Overhead
2. I'll be willing
3. You'll hear better songs (than this)
4. Lovers Chapel ( new one)
5. The Rain Falls
6. I got you to see me through

Electric guitar
7. The Way You wear Your Troubles
8. Territory of Poets
9. Ave Maria

Acoustic guitar
10. Days Roll By
11. Memphis Tenessee
12. Only a Woaman's Heart

Violin
13. Driving Home From Butlers
14 A "Trad Arr" tune ( new to me)
15. Paddy McCarthy's reel (with the 'fuzz' pedal - Celt-a-dellic)
16. Wrong So Wrong

Acoustic
17.Did you Tell Him
18. Isn't it a Little Late

Encore (Acoustic)
as requested by the audience
19. Whisper A Prayer To The Moon
20. Only A Woman's Heart (Spanish Version)
21. Easy In Love

It would be remiss of me not to mention the support act. A Shropshire Lad called Sam Newth
Step aside please David Gray

The Binding Qualities Of Porridge Ties Up The Rs

2005-10-04T19:04:00.000+01:00

From hereon, October 4th should be remembered as National Porridge Day. The Rs refer of course to Ronnie Remembered and the Rebel Reverend Ridley.
Ronnie 'Fletch' Barker, former inmate of Slade prison joins the ranks of the dearly departed today. I won't attempt to water down the list of tributes by adding my personal thoughts. Instead, I'll just echo them all and say that his memory will live on in the laughter that he gave to millions.
As for the Rebel Reverend, he is a hero. He was released from prison today after doing porridge for not paying the increase in Council Tax. Politicians of whatever party you represent should hang their heads in shame over this travesty of justice. Reverend Ridley was stitched up by the state from all angles. It cost the taxpayer a damn site more money than what he owed to try him and put him in prison. You give him and the rest of the pensioners a pittance in one hand and rip their arms off by hiking up the Council Tax.
Ronnie Barker wrote some brilliant comedy scripts in his lifetime, but I doubt that he could have ever dreamt up an episode like Reverend Ridley's case.

Talking my way out of Corrners

2005-09-30T19:34:00.000+01:00

There will be reviews a plenty in the coming weeks about The Corrs' new album, so I'll leave the track by track analysis aspect to the experts. I will single out just one track a bit later on just because I've simply fallen in love with it.

One thing I want to point out is the album's potential effect that it just might have on the powers that be at these UKTop40FM radio stations.

The Corrs, love them or loathe them, are one of the superpowers of the music world. It's their name that can sell their music nowadays.

For me, there has been 3 recent album releases which have had me waiting outside the shop on the day of release, namely U2, Coldplay and The Corrs. I knew well beforehand roughly what to expect from U2 & Coldplay. But all I knew about The Corrs album that it was going to be a bit "trad arr". I loaded the CD into the player as I got into the car and I was almost in tears after Heart Like A Wheel, the next track was one of two Gaelic songs. At this point I was thinking - go on, let's see half a dozen singles come off this album.

And what's more, let's see it open the floodgates for the release of some really brilliant music which is coming out of (or should I say being kept in) Ireland at the moment.

I've only scratched the surface in my Shed - and my message to the Top40FM stations, the distributors, music stores, agents etc is - just go out an have a look that little bit further than Robbie, Britney, Eminem and the Sugababes.

Now for the song that I just fell in love with :- It's track 11, Brid Og Ni Mhaille. I can count on one hand the Gaelic words that I know other than Caed Mille Failte (bet I spelt that one wrong) And I really want to know a few more, just so that I can sing along to this one in the confines of my car.
The vocals are beautiful and the BBC Concert Orchestra melts into the song and gives it warmth and depth. But the real tingler is when Sharon plays the violin, the instrument of the heart. It only lasts for a couple of bars but it's enough to take me from pure enjoyment to that state which dictionaries can't find words for.

There's A Chicken Shack In My Shed

2005-09-25T18:42:00.000+01:00

STAN WEBB'S CHICKEN SHACK
The Studio
Southport Arts Centre
24th Sep 2005

I picked up a copy of the Autumn Brochure off the ticket counter and therein I found a little black & white photo of Stan with these few words alongside - "Stan Webb's 40 years in the business are testament to a great talent and an unrivalled commitment to his dedicated fans." with the words "Classic British Blues-Rock at it's very best" written beneath.

If the first quote needed backing up, there weren't any empty seats and a quick check on the audience revealed a considerable amount of wrinkles, silver and baldness where long hair and acne would have been 40 years ago. The intent of that statement was meant to say that Stan's commitment is reciprocated by his followers.

The 2nd programme quote can be simply backed up with the band's line-up.
There's a genius on the Drums - all the way from Shropshire International Airport - Mick Jones. On 5(five!)-string Bass, Jim Rudge. On Fender Strat, Gary Davies and on vocals and playing Gibson Les Paul, Stan. The instrument line up is one thing , add experience, quality and time spent together then you've got the best.

The show opened with Mick, Jim and Gary playing a very extended rolling intro to 'So Tell Me'. Eventually, Stan arrived, guitar over the shoulder and he took up position behind his mike stand. He then stooped to pick up the power lead, threading it through a couple of belt loops on his jeans before plugging it in his guitar. "Tell Me",he wails and then strikes guitar, "What in the world have I done ?" .
The needles on the volume dials passed through that arc from "10 through to 2 o'clock" and must have carried on full circle a couple of times before coming to rest at about 5-ish. The speaker diaphragms were in shreds, and our rib cages were rattling, but we didn't care !

Stan's guitar playing alone deserves to be mentioned alongside the Claptons, Knopflers and Hendrixs of this world. He also has a dry sense of humour and his voice is tremendous. Loud singing and the occasional ciggy should have wrecked his vocal chords years ago. But he can hold a note longer than most people half his age can hold their breath.

We didn't wait long to sample his wit. Stan was about to introduce the next song we suddenly became aware how close we were to the roof of this building as the wooshes and bangs from the Southport Fireworks Festival could be clearly heard above. In a perfect Tony Hancock voice Stan muttered, "Stone me, what a life !" Another bang was heard. "Oh, it's only a pigeon" exclaimed a member of the audience.

Time for some more music. "This song is especially for my 4 ex-wives.....it's called The Thrill Has Gone". A little banter ensued before Stan's guitar cried it's way through a wonderful melancholy laden intro. Mick Jones feathering the cymbals in accompaniment for a couple of minutes until the "1.....2" , the crash of drums and Stan's opening vocals.

I could laud the instrument work and vocal exploits ad inifinitum for each song on the setlist and fall well short of bringing you the full flavour. So before I give you the list I shall pick out a couple of highlights.

My favourite Chicken Shack track, CS Opera, lasted for around 20 minutes. And whilst remaining in my state of rapture over Stan and Gary's guitar repertoire, (They were so amped up that the plucked strings sounded like they were made from girders.), my attention was drawn to Mick Jones on drums. His stamina was amazing. I was worn out just watching him belt out such an intense rhythmn for so long.
Almost forgot - half-way through this melody Stan unplugged his guitar and cleared off for a couple minutes. He returned with a pint (didn't get me one) and then casually plugged himself back in and carried on from where he left off.

Textually, the setlist looks small. But from an 8:30 start, it was around 10:00 when we heard the intro to I'd Rather Go Blind. On this particular occasion Stan decided to have a little meander through the collection of cabaret tables which were placed in 4 rows between us and the stage.
So after the first verse, off came the guitar, and Stan was on the move. He unravelled the mike lead and off he went. He shook the hands of the boys and ran his fingers through the hair of the girls until, suddenly he had come to the end of his mike lead.

He put the mike down and he homed in, unexpectedly, on the oldest couple in the house. Two strides later he was right next to the poor chap's dear lady and put his arm around her chair....only to find that she had nodded off.

Upon return to the stage Stan was so taken aback that he had to take a quick breather before continuing. Surely no-one could have slept through this.

Needless to say the encore, Daughter of the Hillside, was played so loud that it could have awoken the dead.

For more news, views and reviews, go to Stan's Webbsite

Stan's Setlist

1)So Tell Me
2)The Thrill Has Gone
3)Reconsider Baby
4)(You are) The Sweetest Little Thing (featuring a tribute to Johnny Cash)
5)I Know, You Know
6) CS Opera ..... (guess what CS stands for)
7) (Oh Please) Doctor Brown
8) I'd Rather Go Blind

Encore (first time I've witnessed hem do one of these)
9) Daughter of the Hillside

Two Cs and a Dee - That's a first !

2005-09-20T21:21:00.000+01:00

Celine Carroll (Two Cs) got played for the first time on UK radio on Sunday 18th September, just after 8:30pm, on Chester's Dee 106.3
The song was 'Apologise', which was written ,sung and produced by Celine. She also played piano. This song also features the excellent Maire Breatnach (Moya Brannock) on violin - and to use a quote by the guy who played it (Gavin Matthews) - It is "Complete and utter quality".
There are a couple of ways to get 'Apologise' heard again. 1) Buy the album from whence it came - 'Itch' , or 2) Ask Gavin to play it again.
Both methods require emails
1) Email info@celinecarroll.com and ask about buying 'Itch'
2) Email gavin.matthews@dee1063.com and Listen Live on Dee106.3 , Sunday Evenings from 7pm

Accompanied by the sound of cork upon willow

2005-09-12T12:45:00.000+01:00

And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon England’s mountains green?

And was the Holy Lamb of God

On England’s pleasant pastures seen?

And did the countenance divine

Shine forth upon our clouded hills?

And was Jerusalem builded here

Among these dark satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!

Bring me my arrows of desire!

Bring me my spear!

O clouds, unfold!

Bring me my chariot of fire!

I will not cease from mental fight,

Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,

Till we have built Jerusalem

In England’s green and pleasant land.

September 12th 2005.

England regain The Ashes

Chester's Request Fest ?......Impressed !

2005-09-11T21:30:00.000+01:00

With effect from 11th September at 7pm Sunday Night Sanity returned to the airwaves of North West England & North East Wales. Not only was a Request show returned but also the presenter who made such a show an institution in these parts, namely, Gavin Matthews. But thanks to Dee106.3's Listen Live facility you don't need to be local to take part. So if you're fed up to the back teeth with Top40FM or LimitedChoiceGoldAM, then put the world to rights on this show. Unlike some request shows, musical output is totally controlled by listener. The opening week's show featured Manfred Mann, Limahl & Daniel Powter,so that blows "80s, 90s & Now" out of the water. And when Gavin has mastered how to activate the CD player, then be prepared for an even greater choice of brilliant music.

Tune in to Dee 106.3 for radio as it should be !

Email : gavin.matthews@dee1063.com
Website: http://www.dee1063.com

Eleanor's Musical Feast Had Famine On The Menu

2005-08-20T19:26:00.000+01:00

Eleanor McEvoy
and the RTE Concert Orchestra
The National Concert Hall
Dublin
Friday 19th August 2005

If this concert doesn't find it's way to a CD album then a severe oversight has taken place.

Many months of painstaking preparation of the musical arrangemets, by Eleanor and friends, for the 50 piece RTE Concert Orchestra all fell so perfectly into place on this, Eleanor McEvoy's big night out.

I feel humbled at having the opportunity of trying to put this into words. However, the best that I can do is to highlight one or two key moments and then leave you to envisage the rest because quite frankly there was just so much to take in. I just hope that there is a CD to back up what I'll try to say.

I suppose the stage layout for the RTE Concert Orchestra is taken from the standards manual, namely, strings section on the audience's left, circling through the reed instruments to the brass section on the right. Percussion at the back and conductor centre front. Just at the right of the conductor was Eleanor's spot. There were electric lead and bass guitarists just behind Eleanor and 'Animal' was on the drumkit behind them. Far right at the front was a well-loved backing singer called Liam Bradley. Strangely enough, the two guitarists were listed in the programme as Des Moore and Paul Moore - wonder if they're related.
(Note: Soon after submitting this review I received an email from Michael Londra who said that Des is Paul's father. He also said that they both worked with him in Riverdance and that Des was the best guitarist he had worked with.)

Just before the start of the show, a guy came on to the stage, and did a line check of Eleanor's guitar and walked off with it. Then, from the right of the stage came a young lady who, in both Gaelic, then English, welcomed us to the evening's performance at the NCH.

As the orchestra got themselves tuned up, conductor David Brophy made his stage entrance to generous applause. We then had poached 'Heart' for starters. Yes, Only A Woman's Heart, in the form of an overture, tastefully arranged by Brian Byrne. It was cinemascope, widescreen, technicolour big show stuff and I along with Eleanor's regulars were just blown away. Wherever we were blown to, we were there to stay for the evening.

As this opener was nearing it's close I just happened to glance down at my programme, expecting a little break for audience applause when I heard Eleanor's voice sing the second line of You'll Hear Better Songs (Than This) (arr. Eleanor McEvoy) but as I glanced up, there was no Eleanor. She then entered the stage (audience's right), donning her guitar and radio mike. The first couple of lines were unaccompanied, then one of the reed instuments (clarinet I think) and Eleanor's accoustic guitar were used throughout.

This seemingly continuous link from one song to the next appeared to be the theme for the evening. The audience did occasionly get the chance to warmly applaud, although you could tell that they were loving it by the obedient and attentive silence that was kept as each song was delivered.

There seemed to be no time to applaud when in crashed I'll Be Willing (arr. Fergus O' Carroll) which made it's entrance with the full brass section and hefty drumkit taking over from the solo trumpet on the album version. This song just rocked !

I was really impressed with the string section on Not Quite Love (arr. David Brophy) but I felt that Eleanor was singing against rather than with the brass section towards the end of this one.

Whisper A Prayer To The Moon (arr. Eleanor McEvoy) maintained it's dreamy feel with the assistance of a flute and harp along with some lovely crisp electric guitar punctuations. This was enhanced further by the starry night light effect around the back of the stage.

Eleanor's solo live gig rhythmic guitar was retained for the intro for Did You Tell Him (arr. Eleanor McEvoy) and really loved the string section joining in with the punctuations in the middle of the song and the way that brilliant screaming violin went off on one at the end.

The audience were introduced to Liam Bradley who shared the vocals on Something So Wonderful (arr Brian Byrne). The delivery was so soulful, the hairs on my arms were standing up ! I presume that Liam was enjoying the show, but I'd have loved him to have had a go on at least one song on the drumkit.

Memphis Tennessee (arr. Johnny Tate) retained it's recently acquired slowed down tempo, and I'll leave it to your imagination as to how it sounded with the orchestral arrangement. I'm sure that Chuck Berry would have been truly overwhelmed if he'd been present.

Territory Of Poets (arr. Brian Byrne) sounded fantastic - the intro came straight off a spaghetti western ! As the song drew to a close, the musicians made their exit one by one, leaving the remainder to continue. I saw The Corrs and the backing band pull the same stunt recently - quite amusing.

If you would like to turn to page 6 of your programme, your attention will be drawn to a 15 minute interval which will now be observed.

First song of part 2 was a first for me too. My version of What's Following Me is void of Famine (arr. Eleanor McEvoy). And is this one helluva a song to have missing from a collection. The string section added the perfect emotive feel to the tragedy of the Irish famine of 1848. This was further enhanced by Eleanor's singing.

Seemlessly we were into the opening notes of one of my faves from Yola, The Rain Falls (arr. David Brophy) one of the percussion guys, back right seemed to be playing a different 'toy' every time I glanced that way. For this song it appeared that he was playing what looked like an oversized smarties tube. With all the orchestral diversions I still managed to follow Eleanor's acoustic guitarwork on this one - still love it to bits !

The Tubular Bells marked the closure of this song and the opener of Anach Cuin (arr David Brophy). I've mentioned in previous reviews that all good shows should put aside a moment for reflection - and this was the time. The bells tolled in memory of the victims of an Irish fishing boat tragedy. The brilliant clarinet focussed the mind. Although Eleanor sang in Gaelic it didn't matter if it wasn't understood lyrically.

We were brought back to life with Please Heart You're Killing Me (arr. Fergus O'Carroll) with a good rocking full orchestral backing.

This was followed by Eleanor's violin solo, Driving Home From Butler's (arr. Eleanor McEvoy)- She's so thrilled about this title. It's common knowledge that Eleanor used to play in an orchestra and the violin players' union applauded as one upon completion of this melody.

Two more songs from Yola : - Easy In Love (arr. Johnny Tate) followed up by the percussion only backed Isn't It A Little Late (arr. Noel Eccles). The latter used the full array of percussion instruments.

The end came far too quickly, yet amazingly we'd witnessed 17 songs, the final one being the tribute to the assassinated journalist, Veronica Guerin, Easy To Lose Hope (arr. Fergus O'Carroll).

There were two encores, the first one brought us Only A Woman's Heart - this time Eleanor sang and I think there might have been another song for the 2nd encore, but we got a team bow instead.

My previous Eleanor concert in Chester was noted down as the best one ever - well, as for this one, I died and went to Heaven !

One small matter to bear in mind is that this performance with RTE Concert Orchestra is a one-off and that Eleanor's next tour will more than likely be with acoustic guitar & violin. You'll probably be forgiven for thinking that re-visiting these songs might be a comedown after a night like this.
Far from it ! Because (a) Happy memories of this night will be evoked and ( b) it will add further weight to my belief that Eleanor's songs can sit on a variety of backing styles and still sound great.

A couple of addtional extras :-
1) It was great to meet a couple of Followers, Anna, Inga & Don from Boston USA, Tim from Taunton and Brian & Pauline on their home patch.
Got to say 'Hello' to Eleanor & Mick after the show - (They know me too now) and also Brian Connor.

2) Eleanor McEvoy once sang on a special edition version of Phil Lynnott's The Boys Are Back In Town. What a strange coincidence that a bronze statue of Phil was unveiled just off Grafton Street on the same day as this concert.

3) The following day, I read a little article in the Irish Independent on the plane. Page16 caught my eye. Patrick Holland, aged 66, has called upon Irish President McAleese to cancel the last eight months of his prison sentence. Who is he ? ..... A suspect in the murder of Veronica Guerin.

4) I bought our tickets online and Brian & Pauline bought theirs from the box office. We found our seats and had a quick look round to check where the rest of our new friends were sat, who should sit down right next to us but Brian & Pauline.

Be Warned : Innocence is a Crime in Bulgaria

2005-07-27T21:23:00.000+01:00

Who in their right mind could ever trust a country who sees fit to punish a law abiding innocent young lad in order to conclude a court case ?
Which citizen of such a country would be in his/her right mind to call themself a professional in the justice system?
Shame on you all for inflicting so much pain on a well loved family.

I drive past their house every day on the way to work. The support in the neighbourhood is tremendous. If banners, posters and yellow ribbons could bring Michael Sheilds back home it would have happened weeks ago. But the news of his wrongful conviction was greeted with utter shock and disbelief.

My family and I along with the rest of the civilised world would like to pass on our sympathies to Michael Shields and his family. We hope and pray for his safe and rapid return home.

We have a son who is not much older than Michael and we would be devastated if anything like this happened to him.

Anyone who is planning on visiting Bulgaria - think long and hard before you decide to go. I don't think the long arm of the law will afford you too much protection.

Carroll's Singing Leaves Me Dancing on the Celine

2005-07-26T20:56:00.000+01:00

Celine Carroll's latest album, Itch, is a must for any discerning music lover's collection. It contains 10 songs all witten by this very creative Dublin songstress.
A song entitled 'Home' easily welcomes you in to this album. Pleasant vocals and acoustic guitar to start with and then almost un-noticed the electric guitar starts punctuating the lines which then gives the cue to the rest of the backing musicians to make themselve heard.
The title track follows with the opening line "You're doing my head in" - so you can guess who is causing the itch and also the relief that it would bring to get rid of it. However, this album is not an itch to get rid of, but (for want of a better catchphrase) it doesn't take long to get under the skin.
Celine is an accomplished songwriter. She has witten the title track of a recent Frances Black Album - 'Don't Get Me Wrong'
As well as writing, producing and singing on this album, Celine contributes with piano and acoustic guitar. Numbered amongst the backing musicians, the name of Maire Breatnach (pronounced Moya Brannock) appears as the violinist. To the unfamiliar, any Irish album who features Maire Breatnach is guaranteed to be worth listening to.
'Itch' is indeed an excellent album which contains a healthy mix of styles & tempos, so you should have no trouble getting from start to finish without feeling the urge to jump to the next track The final song, "Bird in a Cage" lyrically describes the state of being trapped but it is delivered as though she is content with the situation.

'Apologise' (track 5) was the song which drew me to this album and it would be remiss of me not to mention Mike Moloney for playing this on Ocean FM . He has pointed me in the direction of Eleanor McEvoy, Frances Black and Juliet Turner in the past. Once again I can't thank this fella enough for having the foresight to play a song from this (soon to be released) album.

It's wrong to draw comparisons with other artistes but if you cross Maria Muldaur with K.T. Tunstall and add the style of Paul Simon and the influence of Paul McCartney then you'd have a rough idea.
But that's just my opinion, all I can recommend is that you buy a copy an enjoy what you hear instead.

Click to join CelineCarroll
Website: http://www.CelineCarroll.com
Contact: info@celinecarroll.com

Caroline has a vivid Imagination

2005-07-14T23:13:00.000+01:00

I mentioned in the preceding post that I couldn’t find anything to match the quality of the Moloney after Midnight show on RTE 2FM. Well I have encountered the odd one or two since it's sad departure from the airwaves.

It would be wrong not to mention my rediscovery of Radio Caroline and Rob Leighton’s Imagination Show on Thursday evenings 9pm-midnight, where he plays “Music To Nourish Your Soul”

He's introduced me to some excellent bands on this show - Fula, Final Conflict and Karnataka to name but a few. But as well as quality, underplayed bands he’ll play Eleanor McEvoy, Juliet Turner and Melanie Safka. So it would be wrong to say that it’s all prog rock.
Essentially he simply plays inspirational music, the other week he played a track form the Genesis album, Selling England By The Pound.

So if you hunger for musical inspiration then, drop in on Rob Leighton, Thursday Nights at 9pm on Radio Caroline. There you can also find out how to get hold of Caroline on Sky Digital and on Worldspace radio as well as the internet.

And don't just stop there. Radio Caroline has been with us now for over 40 years.......the legend lives on.

Whilst Trawling The Net I Caught The Ocean

2005-07-06T20:32:00.000+01:00

A few years ago I took a couple of days off work to do a spot of decorating. Before I started slapping on the undercoat I turned on the radio for a bit of company. And while I was looking for Virgin 1215AM I found a music station playing The Corrs - What Can I Do ?.
The Corrs were relatively unknown in the UK at the time, but it was that "doo-doo-doo-doo" intro which got me right between the ears.
The radio station was RTE 2FM - from that day to this I stayed with it.
Night-time listening on AM is pure magic. All those crackles and fades coupled with foreign interference take me back to the days when I used to listen to Radio Caroline & Luxemburg on the tranny under the pillow as a kid.
My return to night-time AM radio not only restored that enjoyment but it marked my "discovery" of the likes of Eleanor McEvoy, Frances Black, Leslie Dowdall and many more. Every discovery resulted in links to other artistes and the hunger for further exploration increased.
The presenter who introduced me to this new world of music was Mike Moloney. His show(Moloney after Midnight) was legendary. He also had this wierd character who enhanced the aura, her name was Amelia Golightly - she might have been posessed but she was simply adorable !
Sadly it was all too soon when the "powers that be" decided that program changes were necessary.(some call it progress)
After many years of searching for a radio show that came anywhere near to coming close to the class of Moloney after Midnight, I finally rediscovered Mike on Ocean FM.
So if you can spare an hour on Sunday Evenings from 9-10PM, then click the headline above and listen to Ocean FM and I'll guarantee that your ears will be well and truly educated.
There's only one downer though, I'm still missing Amelia Golightly, bless her.

Nederland voor de beste artiesten in Irish Folk

2005-06-03T21:39:00.000+01:00

This is the Stadsgehoorzaal, Leiden in The Netherlands (just north of Den Haag)
It is the venue for last date of the 'Woman's Heart Tour' in October. Frances Black, Sharon Shannon and Mary Coughlan make up the touring party.
My regular readers know that I've been lucky enough to see Frances Black on more than one occasion. I've seen Sharon Shannon once before in Manchester, but as for Mary Coughlan it's my first time. Eleanor McEvoy has mentioned Mary during the talkie bits at a couple of her gigs and she give the impression that Mary is an interesting character. Compiling a gig review will give me something to do on the flight back home.
(PS: Many thanks to Mark van Setten - Frances Black's Website creator - who helped me out with the title. Roughly translated it means "The Netherlands for the best in Irish Folk music")

Eleanor brings you Only A Woman's HeaRTE

2005-06-02T19:43:00.000+01:00

This August my gig reports will take on an international flavour after I have witnessed Eleanor McEvoy delivering her songs with the assistance of the RTE Concert Orchestra at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. (Friday 19th August, 8:00PM)
If you study her biography on her website you will find that Eleanor is no stranger to the orchestra. After seeing her live on more than a couple of occasions this particular show is one that I am really looking forward to.
It will take her all night to say thanks to her backing band.

A Good Hart These Days Is Hard To Find

2005-05-12T20:04:00.000+01:00

I've just discovered a fantastic singer, believe me. And as is usually the case, it was while I was looking elsewhere for another.
I was on Anouk's site and one or two of her followers were going a bundle on this particular young lady.
Her name is Beth Hart - there is a weblink on the right of the screen.
Apparently she has a DVD (European version) on release as from Friday 13th May 2005, but I've just done a quick Google and there is no sign of it on HMV or MVC's websites.
So while I'm waiting for this DVD to appear I shall have to content myself with what Yahoo music have left us for our perusal.
I've absolutely hammered 'World Without You' and 'L.A. Song' over these past few days - go and check her out, she's tremendous.
Trust me.

Eleanor McEvoy - Diva of the Deva

2005-04-26T22:43:00.000+01:00

ELEANOR McEVOY
Alexanders Jazz Club
Chester
Monday 25th April 2005

In the hours of darkness, under the shadow of the tower of Chester Cathedral, we were cast under the spell of someone wearing an outfit which was predominantly black with a flash of red. That person comes from Clontarf, North Dublin, the same district as Bram Stoker....¦Dracula's Creator.

Entranced, we certainly were. But the sinister stuff stops there because the person dressed in black and red was Eleanor McEvoy.

My personal 'count' of Eleanor concerts now numbers eight. Having got my teeth into that many,you would be forgiven for thinking that familiarity breeds contempt, far from it. In fact, this just had to be the best Eleanor concert that I've witnessed.

On entering Alexanders the first thing that we noticed was the electric guitar to accompany the two instruments which she brought with her on the last tour. It's mere presence had an immediate effect. Without playing a note it was helping us pass waiting time by trying to guess which of her songs would see her playing it.
In the lead up time, the gathering steadily grew in number as was the volume of their talking. Fears of a repeat of the Liverpool gig were immediately allayed when Eleanor arrived on stage at around 9:30.

From the moment she asked "Howya doin?" the crowd of around 80 people were paying their fullest attention to the opening song, Leaves Me Wondering from Yola.

Mention Eleanor McEvoy to those who know her and get them explain what she does then the immediate reply would be a top class folk singer and songwriter who plays acoustic guitar and plays violin. What they might forget to mention is that her guitar playing is just so bloody good.

With the usual top class guitarist there sometimes comes the snarling face which is given to enhance the effect. However, in Eleanor's case, she makes guitar playing look effortless.

Of her opening three songs there were 3 succinct styles of acoustic backing. Rhythmic and pronounced on Leaves Me Wondering, melodic on Whisper a Prayer and dreamy with You'll Hear Better Songs.

I had just got myself enveloped in this fascination with her acoustic guitar playing. I was thinking that an Eleanor acoustic-only album would be a good idea (please release the acoustic only version of The Rain Falls by the way ) when out came the electric guitar for Territory Of Poets. The electrics stayed with us until the interval. The bluesy song, The Way You Wear Your Troubles leaves me high on praise and short of original descriptives.

At the top of part 2 attention was drawn to the Fathers 4 Justice protestor in Chester with Memphis Tenessee.

The violin made it's appearance for Driving Home from Butlers and just when we were expecting things to drift into the footstomping jig, a new song crept in. But it wasn't just the song that raised the eyebrows. The way in which the violin was played, tapping the bow on to the strings, really effective.

The end came all too quickly and for all her exceptional instrument work she closed with a superb voice only rendition of Stray Thoughts.

To add to the enjoyment the audience were so appreciative and attentive, this didn't escape Eleanor's notice when she gave heartfelt thanks in return. I'e never felt so high after an Eleanor live performance...and I've never felt so hungry for the next one either.

Chester Setlist
1.Leaves Me Wondering
2.Whisper A Prayer To The Moon
3. You'll Hear Better Songs (Than This)
Superb acoustic guitar backing to this one
4.I'll be willing
5. The Rain Falls
6. I Hear You Breathing In
7. Territory of Poets
8. Love Be Cool
9. The Way You Wear Your Troubles

(Interval)

10. Days Roll By (keep emailing wogan@bbc.co.uk)
11. Memphis Tennessee
12. Easy In Love
13. I got you to see me through
14. Driving Home From Butlers
15. Wrong Wrong So Wrong
(....just to show that there is more than one way to play a violin)
16. the footstomping violin tune which might be called Paddy Carthy's Reel
17. Did You Tell Him
(just fascinating watching her play guitar on this one using the third finger left hand to combine a melody with the infectious rhythm)
18. Isn't it a liitle late
19. Only A Woman's Heart (especially for Dave)

(Encore)
20, Stray Thoughts (Voice only)

Frances Black Live ? - I can Handel it.

2005-03-15T23:07:00.000Z

FRANCES BLACK
The Boathouse Inn, Parkgate, South Wirral
February 2004

MY FIRST LIVE FRANCES CONCERT - MORE OF A STORY THAN A GIG REVIEW

Not long after I joined Frances' website's mailing list I received a newsletter notifying me of some forthcoming Frances Black concerts. Much to my surprise there was one for The Boathouse Inn, Parkgate, South Wirral. It needed a double take on my part because the venue was just a couple of miles from our house. In fact we had lunch at the very same place on the previous Saturday. Oddly enough, I picked up a Folk Club pamphlet from one the wall racks while I was waiting for my wife to return from the rest room.

Even while I was thumbing through it, speed reading as you do when you’re more focussed on other matters, there was nothing in the pamphlet which leapt out at me. At the same time I thought that it might make a nice change on a Thursday night if we paid the place a visit. It was just one of those thoughts which evaporated the instant I left the pub.

At this moment in my life, the only prior knowledge that I had of Frances were the tracks on the AWH trilogy, the fading memories of an interview that she had with Mike Moloney on RTE 2FM about 4 years previously, and the information that is available on this website.

About 10 months prior to receiving this e-mailed concert list I bought a copy of A Woman’s Heart - a decade on from an Eleanor McEvoy concert. Eleanor autographed it for me. And after I’d added Juliet Turner’s and Cara Dillon’s at more recent concerts I just thought it might be a novel idea to add Frances Black’s to this already impressive album sleeve. So I dialled the number advertised.

They guy who answered the phone sounded surprised because I was the first person to ask for the tickets. Furthermore, I wasn’t a member of his Folk Club and he was curious as to how I got to know. When I found out where to pick the tickets up from I discovered that he only lived on the neighbouring estate. I drive past it on my way to work.

With blissful ignorance, I managed not to suffer from my usual pre-gig butterflies on the lead up to this concert. I couldn’t (and I still can’t) fathom how someone as ‘world-famous’ as Frances could be appearing at a cosy pub venue which was right under our nose.

So at the start of all this, it was curiosity , rather than Frances, that led me to that venue.

The function room was located upstairs in the Boathouse Inn. It took up the space of what originally could have been 4 double bedrooms. The stage was little more than a raised plinth, about 15 feet from side to side and about 3 feet from front to back. A good step back from the mike and you could sit on a windowsill. The seating was about 6 rows deep (approx capacity 100). There was a small bar to far right of the room.

The resident band, Brass Tacks, provided the early entertainment and then it was time for Frances. She was accompanied by Eoghan (bass) and another guy (I’ll find out later) on lead acoustic. If I’m not mistaken, it was Stranger On The Shore for openers.

The list of songs were irrelevant on this particular occasion. What was important was simply that statement, “you can’t beat live music” . Frances sounds great on CD, but when you see someone singing and hearing, nay feeling, the way those songs are delivered - straight from the heart - then that’s when it really gets you.

Add the fascinating stories, both the heartbreakers and the funny ones and the glancing across to the missus and seeing her nodding and grinning, then you just know that it’s been a great night.

The Boathouse Inn is situated in a very ‘well-to-do’ area, overlooking the Welsh hills from across the other side of the River Dee. There must have been a few residents at this venue as well as the members of the folk club. And when Frances duly agreed to return to the stage with the usual encore, you could hear those that knew draw a sharp intake of breath because they feared that Legal/Illegal may cause a little upset. Needless to say their fears were unfounded. Everybody absolutely loved it.

I bought my first Frances Black album that night, How High The Moon. And I also got Frances’ autographs for both that album and my AWH-a decade on album. You know, it took nearly a week to get down off that cloud.

And here’s a little item of trivia to close with. Did you know that Handel set sail from Parkgate to give the first public performance of The Messiah at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. It looks like it took little while to return the complement.

Just think, Mr. Handel could well have stayed in the Boathouse Inn prior to setting sail. And if he did, he might just have looked out of a bedroom window and possibly have stood on the exact spot where Frances’ mike stand was.

Saint Frances !

2005-02-09T19:11:00.000Z

FRANCES BLACK
The Citadel,
St. Helens
Saturday 13th November 2004

Frances is one of the six founders of the legendary album series, A Woman’s Heart. Ever since Eleanor McEvoy sold me an autographed copy of one of these albums, I have pledged myself to support those who call in at a town nearby.
The Citadel is a quaint little theatre. The auditorium is about the same depth as the stage. It also has an upper circle. It was about two thirds full, so I would estimate that there were about 150 people present. It would probably have been a full house had the nearby Maghull Folk Club not decided to book a festival on the same night. Still, it was their loss.
At just after 8pm a young man stepped up to mike. He was dressed in jeans, trainers and an 80s style Sweden football shirt – and in a healthy local accent he confidently and competently invited us to welcome Frances Black.
With Jimmy Smith from Navan as sole accompaniment on acoustic guitar for the opening song, she lulled the attentive and appreciative audience into a state of submission with ‘Stranger on the Shore’. And as she explained the format for the evening’s show and described the next song, Eoghan Scott (bass guitar) and Pat Fitzpatrick (keyboards) entered the stage.
Our seats were on the front row and I thought it would look discourteous if I scribbled the setlist. I wish I had compiled one now, because I can’t for the life of me remember the next song. So I’ll pick out a couple of highlights from what was a brilliant show.

Frances likes to talk. She has a nice broad Dublin accent to go with it and as far as I’m concerned she can describe paint drying and it would be riveting. Suffice it to say paint drying never cropped up – although her description of the title song of her current album, ‘How High The Moon ‘ is worth the entrance fee alone.
We were also encouraged to sing the odd chorus and warned us that ‘volunteers’ would be sought after to join her on stage in the second half. It proved to be no idle threat when three willing guinea pigs joined her for ‘When You Say Nothing At All’. A song made famous by Ronan Keating, whom she admires greatly, but she didn’t hold back when we were reminded that Frances was the first to take the song into the Irish charts.

All good shows contain a moment for reflection, this was no exception. Last year, her mother, Patty, passed away. I won’t dwell on the understandable state of sensitivity, but as her way of coming to terms with her loss she dedicates a little part of the show to her memory. If you thought Eva Cassidy’s version of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ was emotionally charged then try and witness Frances sing this live.
Since having the priviledge of seeing Brian Connor accompany Eleanor McEvoy I've developed a fascination with the style of keyboard players. Brian is classy to say the least, but after this gig I think I've spotted his match. Pat Fitzpatrick (who, like Brian, also comes from Belfast) was really laid back and witty. An example of this wit was shown when Frances introduced a Doris Day song (can't remember title). There was a short piano intro, within which Pat sneeked in a bar or two of 'Deadwood Stage' along with a quick smile to the audience.To the best of my knowledge, Frances has about seven albums on release and each one was represented. Also included was a version of Rathlin Island which features on The Black Family Album – Our Time Together.
She closed proceedings with a 2-song encore. One of which was an unaccompanied number call Legal/Illegal, the other was James Taylor's 'You've got a friend'.

For more on Frances, check out the website
http://www.frances-black.net

Juliet Turner meets Eleanor McEvoy at The Arches, Glasgow

2005-02-08T18:49:00.000Z

Saturday 29th January 2005

So there I was minding my own business, carrying a couple of drinks up the steps from the basement bar in The Arches, Glasgow. I’d almost completed my ascent, when who should dash past me in the opposite direction with guitar case in hand, but Juliet Turner. She seemed a bit pre-occupied, so I didn’t interrupt. Juliet was due on stage about 50 minutes later. She was the first on in a double bill which also featured my other icon, Eleanor McEvoy.

A tight schedule had to be adhered to at this venue and all had to be finished and cleared away by 9:30, so there was no time to lose. Before we knew it, just a matter of seconds after Brian Grace had sound-checked the guitars under cover of darkness, there was Juliet. All but a couple were taken by surprise. Her response to the unexplained lack of enthusiasm went something like, “Well, judging by all that I suppose you’re all here for Eleanor McEvoy !” Laughter ensued.

She introduced us to the band which comprised a threesome like last year, but gone was Scouser Sean – the ace bass player. His place was taken by Kieran Boylan (excuse spelling). He would have toured with her earlier, but JT claimed he wasn’t good enough. After a brief audio interruption, our ears were in action. A bit of a “trad arr” for starters – couldn’t put a title to it. I couldn’t put a title to the second song either because it was one of her new ones. She did mention snakes scaring the sh** out of her in Canada as part of her story.

Dr. Fell then bought the audience to familiar ground, but by this time there was little reassurance required. This particular attendee was already looking forward to at least one future gig on her forthcoming UK tour.

Juliet's setlist (apologies for the unknowns) :

1. A “trad arr” – type song
2. A new one
3. Dr. Fell
4. Season Of The Hurricane
5. Vampire (Many Thanks Terry Wogan)
6. Burn The Black Suit
7. Another New One
8. Yet another new one – entitled Louisa, co-written by Kieran
9. 1987
10. A fantastic Pizza & Wine with a late nite bar piano style accompaniment
11. Everything Beautiful Is Burning

Apart from the odd interruption of a departing train from Glasgow Central above – was that a contrived cue for a song I heard ? – This was a delightful aperitif for Eleanor McEvoy who came on stage after a short break to rapturous applause which continued as she thanked Juliet.

After a brief technical hitch, we were straight into Fire Overhead and The Way You Wear Your Troubles (don’t clap too early) before the story about the LA fires.
One thing I particularly noticed about Eleanor's performance was her guitarwork. If you get to see he live yourself, just checkout Memphis Tenessee for a prime example - and follow her through the song.

This was a slightly abbreviated Eleanor performance, for reasons already stated. A notable omission was the piano-free version of The Rain Falls - another 'must' to witness at future gigs.

I was having the time of my life at this gig because not only was I being treated to top class entertainment from two of my favourite singer-songwriters, I’d spent an afternoon with the co-founder of Juliet Turners’ discussion group and during this gig I was stood with the author of Eleanor’s website.

If there was anything to marr my evening in dreamsville , it was just the pressing emergencies of time.

Eleanor's Setlist:

1. Fire Overhead
2. The Way You Wear Your Troubles
3. Easy In Love
4. You’ll Hear Better Songs Than This
5. I Got You To See Me Through
6. Memphis Tennessee
7. Days Roll By (Many Thanks Terry Wogan)
8. Driving Home From Butlers (plus the jig)
9. Leaves Me Wondering
10. Did You Tell Him
11. Isn’t It A Little Late
12. Apologise
13. (Encore) Joni Mitchell’s Carey