Milling around Cecil Sharp House before tonight’s show we take some time to study the ‘Topic Records: Folk in Focus’ exhibit currently lining the walls of the EFDSS home. Among them is Brian Shuel’s superb black-and-white photo of Ray Fisher and Anne Briggs, both being ‘encouraged’ by a beaming Bert Lloyd, neighboured by pictures of Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Davey Graham. Moments later we find ourselves seated in the main hall as Brían Mac Gloinn of Ye Vagabonds takes the stage, accompanied by Alain McFadden.
With the slow, thick draw of McFadden’s harmonium, The Foggy Dew sets in, sucking the air from the auditorium. Having recently won the band a BBC Folk Award for Best Traditional Track, their rendition rolls in with a pervading sadness. Informed by the singing of their friend Mick O’Grady and the abovementioned, A. L. Lloyd, Brían’s conviction is quite overwhelming. The final line of each verse hangs heavy, tested by its own weight, lingering like autumn mist. After having taken in snapshots of the Topic icons that helped defined contemporary folk, there’s a strong sense we’re now bearing witness to the continuation of their legacy.
Diarmuid Mac Gloinn soon joins for gleeful Gaelic duet Bacach Shíol Andí. The sincerity and tenderness of their performance throughout the night is balanced with a dry, sharp humour. A fine double act, they’re understated and careful not to take themselves too seriously, poking fun at each other and the often-questionable turns traditional narratives can make. Still, respect is given where called for. Diarmuid talks of visiting Highgate Cemetery on November 1st to light a candle for Bert Jansch. They’re also sure to give a nod to whichever singer they picked the song up off, imparting a little folk history in the process.
Unplugged and huddled around two mics with headstocks cocked, they ease into a set drawing mostly from their second album (and first on River Lea imprint) The Hare’s Lament. Backed by the nimble mandolin work of Brían, Diarmuid takes leads on I Courted A Wee Girl, mournfully bidding “adieu to fainthearted lovers” as their harmonies weave and bind. Much like The Unthanks, the siblings have blood harmonies and a life’s worth of experience spent singing at home and at sessions together, on their side. Nevertheless, the way their harmonies lock-in still takes you aback. Each trill, lilt and delicate ornamentation is effortlessly mirrored. Their accappella take of Black-eyed Susan is breathtaking and might’ve even given Dolly & Shirley Collins, out there in the hallway, a run for their money back in their day.
Seven Little Gypsies offers up further proof of this, tumbling with an eerie allure. Hazarding a guess at the Roud/Child ballad’s popularity they joke, “everyone fancies themselves to be the good-looking gypsy”. Then, before the swelling stomp of The Roving Journeyman takes hold, Brían channels the aching voice of Andy Irvine on Willie O Winsbury. The audience falls completely silent, aside from when ‘bedfellows’ gets a mention, and the women next to me let out a few giggles and whistles from the backbenches. Apparently, they’ve ran 3km to make the show; the things we do for seventeenth-century ballads.
More laughter follows with tales of snuggling drunken pigs on Dublin tune, Whisky I Adore. McFadden joins for the chorus, creating a warm three-part spread. “In danger of getting a wee bit jolly there… we’re in a library archive for god’s sake” quips Brían afterwards. Closing with the album’s title-track, they lock in for a paired instrumental outro. Extremely sensitive to the other’s playing, the open chordal flow of bouzouki falls away to the cascading flair of the lead mandolin. It’s quite easy to get hung up on their innate vocal ability and forget to mention their deft, intuitive musicianship here.
Cries for an encore result in a charged singalong on I’m A Rover, with the guys quickly walking us through the lyrics before we begin. With a repertoire ranging from raunchy to raw, wistful to utterly tragic; the show is a triumph from start to finish. Understandably, the applause continues long after they’ve taken their leave. It’s a well-deserved response for these uniquely talented Dublin-based brothers.
Upcoming Dates
13/11 – The Kingsdown Vaults, Bristol
14/11 – South Street, Reading
Photo Credit: Brid O Donovan