Review: In the church of Kieran and Maria Doyle Kennedy

by Tom Mc Carthy on FEBRUARY 18, 2012 in ENTERTAINMENT, LIFE

Maria Doyle Kennedy (MDK) and Kieran Kennedy (KK) were clearly looking for an intimate venue to give upcoming album Sing a voice of its own, and they found this at the Spaniard in Kinsale. Illuminated by simple candles, and framed by gothic beams overhead and blood-red curtains at their side, we really were in the church of Maria and Kieran, and the congregation were perfectly happy to be converted…

An exhilarating rendition of ‘Storms Are On the Ocean’ early on told the audience they could expect something special, and the seductive set-list infused with a heady mix of both new and perennial material did not disappoint. The soulful nature of ‘Stuck’ and ‘Swoon’ (from 2007 album Mütter) were also received well, with the power of the elements, belonging, loss and letting-go buffeting themes that featured strongly, though much of the new material also reflected an unquenchable lust for life.

A small crowd of perhaps fifty sat mesmerised for the 2.5 hour set, belying the homegrown musical stalwarts before them. It seemed incredible that the punters in the adjacent bar were blissfully unaware of their loss, though they would likely have recognised MDK from a variety of film and TV roles, including The Commitments, The Tudors, and period drama Downton Abbey, as well as Neil Jordan’s upcoming vampire thriller Byzantium. Kieran Kennedy is also no stranger to fame, having been at the helm of a string of bands, including Black Velvet Band and Hothouse Flowers, as well as being a successful musician in his own right. This rich musical history, combined with six albums in their wake (released under self-launched label Mermaid Records), meant the duo had nothing to prove on the night. Perhaps that is why both were so at ease and at times mischievous on stage.

To my mind, this gig was payback for one I would dearly loved to have seen in 1996 – Eva Cassidy’s Live at Blues Alley. MDK’s voice is of the same calibre, but also incredibly unique and full of character. Even ignoring her phenomenal range, her stage presence was a performance in itself, a haunting trance of flamenco style writhing and rhythmical clapping, nourished by the backdrop of KK’s vocals, acoustic guitar and an impressive array of instruments and effects, all from a simple pedal.

The venue decor resembled the set of The Crucible, as MDK herself pointed out during a handful of breathers from an incredible 20+ song set. It was during these mini-breaks that the audience got a peek at their colourful personalities and natural chemistry. Mirthful renditions of ‘Babe’ (from 2001 album Charm) and ‘The Mountaineers Courtship’ (2011’s The Storms Are On The Ocean) had the crowd in stitches. Audience participation also featured strongly, a favourite ice-breaker of MDK’s:“Not to get too heavy, but people raising their voices together is a glorious sound.”

There was no air or graces, either during the gig or after when they mingled with the crowd, just two normal people happy to have a bit of banter. Nuggets of interactions with Paul Brady, John Prine, Tom York, Johnny Depp, and even a dedicated band of Twitter followers (several of who were present), were also divulged.

It was difficult to find anything to detract from this solid offering. A minor technical problem (booming speakers) was solved immediately, but the overall performance was flawless. If pushed, it would have been interesting at times to enjoy them as simply a pair of voices and an acoustic guitar, without any effects. Such is their musical prowess, this would likely have been as impressive.

As the congregation filtered out to wash the experience down with their chosen sacrament, I asked MDK if there was any particular inspiration behind Sing. She paused for a moment, and then answered simply: “Many, many things have influenced it, but mainly the act of singing itself.” KK added: “It’s about moving on too.”

Sing is due out sometime this year, promises MDK: “To be honest they always take me a little while. Writing songs can be the easiest thing in the world, until you record…” This performance reaffirms it will be worth the wait. In the meantime, a series of upcoming gigs will have to satisfy any urges. Besides, to have a crowd pleading for more, even after four encores, is pretty special. You need to see them live.

The Storms are on the Ocean

I returned from a stint in UK to find lying abombly on my doormat (actually on my settee [or is it sofa?] arm…my neighbour had been popping in for cat feeding and post harvesting purposes) to find ‘The Storms are on the Ocean’ patiently awaiting my return. My visit had taken in a session at HMV Forum in London to see the re-formed Jayhawks (I have put ‘re-formed’ rather than ‘reformed’ as the latter would suggest that they had been bad boys and had now turned over a new leaf). As you may know…or not, of course…one of their main writers Mark Olson, acoustic king, had left to form his many solo projects about 15 years ago just as the band had reached its zenith, leaving the band to soldier on for another 3-4 albums with Gary Louris, electric king, as the main man. However, more recently the two had reconciled their musical differences and recorded an album together before reforming (or re-forming!) the ‘best’ of the Jayhawks configurations and have been touring and recording again.

‘Yippee!!’ I said as I was pleased about this.

But I went to see them with some reservation…when I saw them in their classic days they were good…but only good. As we know when bands get back together they are often disappointing. But the Jayhawks were utterly brilliant. The sad thing is that most of the concert was (although a tad understandably) music from the classic albums of 15 years ago, but it was performed SO well…brilliant stuff. And the few newbies they did were in the same vogue as the old stuff, is that bodes well for the soon-to-be-released album…try to hear it…‘Mocking Bird Time’, I think it’s to be called. Well worth it, I’ll wager.

We left North London the next day...only to find out that the riots started in Tottenham that night close to where we were staying. What frigging eejits that crowd of…frigging eejits were. I can understand, up to a point, although obviously can’t condone, the looting and so on, but to set fire to shops in the knowledge that people were living above…Jesus! That is just beyond comprehension. Criminals against humanity in every way as bad as a certain pursued Libyan leader.

But this was to be an email to say ‘Thanks’ for another great album. So I’ll leave the UK behind and carry on with what I was going to bother you with…

‘Storms’ is another great offering, while being so different from its predecessors…but I guess that was the idea. One of the remarkable things about all of Maria’s albums is a remarkable…intimacy…that’s all I can call it…that no other artist I know can convey. It is something that once again pervades this album, and at once elevates it into a remarkable piece of work. How do you manage to get that intimacy into it? Remarkable. It’s got to be talent…both singing and production.

In places it is redolent of the soundtrack to ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’ in its content and arrangement…and that’s OK by me…’Brother’ is in my mind the best soundtrack album ever (with the Commitments!) and so this is GREAT praise from me. I guess it’s the mixture of bluegrass and gospel inspired songs that does it. But leaving that particular album aside, ‘Storms’ works so well. The arrangements work expertly on both the gospel and bluegrassy stuff as well as the more country / folk songs. The intro to title track is brilliant, and almost everything on the CD is a winner. ‘The Mountaineer’s Courtship’ made me laugh (for the first few times)…great ending, and I loved the throw away ‘and a baby’ which is gas.

Yes altogether a brilliant album and I am so grateful that you put it out on CD so that we of the pre-download generation (or is it just me!!??!!) can enjoy its excellence. Talking of that, the CD case is brilliant, too…I love it.

That’s it…just thanks to you both for another musical gem. A great dénouement to a great musical interlude that started with the Jayhawks.

I hope to catch you in concert somewhere/when, until then

Thanks and Best wishes

john from Leitrim

Model Theatre Sligo Concert

I’m sorry for not having contacted you before, but I have been busy in preparation for albeit a little bit of work; but when it’s new work the preparation needed is more proportionately than otherwise. And my daughter came to stay with us for a week, so I was showing her the delights (!?) of Leitrim and its surrounds…including an overnight in Dublin where I was working in DCU for an afternoon…the result of some of that preparation, you see. So all in all a decent excuse I feel!

I see that Dublin got some of the floods that the rest of us have had for the last week or so (I exaggerate that…we have had a few flooded roads…however in Fermanagh around Derrygonelly and Boho…great name…the flooding was unbelievable…water as far as the eye could see…and beyond, no doubt. Horrible.

Anyway…

The best yet!!! I have seen you and Maria 3 times now and this was easily the best…not that the others weren’t good…they were…but each has been better than the performance before. I’m not sure why this was so good…just the selection of material, the brilliant performances and the intimacy that you produce is just quite scintillating. Not sure how you do it…that intimacy thing is quite extraordinary, and translates onto your CDs which is even more baffling.

Some thoughts / memories of a great concert:

The old Gibson may have seen better days, but can it ever have sounded so good? The effects were pretty darn good, too…not just the harmonics as the boy who kept calling things out said…not really a heckler…an enthusiast or something…but they certainly enhanced those songs brilliantly. Really captivating stuff.

The embarrassed delight that was all over Maria’s face when the audience applauded. I wondered how that delight could be so strong considering all that she / you both have done in the recent past…but it was special to see.

The depth and spread of songs from the forthcoming album and each of the past albums was perfect and gave a varied and yet familiar feeling to everything. The new material sounds great, too. It is always a worrying period for us, the public, between albums that your favourite performers produce. Will it match the last? Will it be a disappointment? Has the song writing deteriorated? Is the production too much? That sort of doubt that nags away at times during the day when they have no right to nag at you. And I guess that if the rest of the album matches those new songs we heard, most of those doubts are already eliminated…role on the New Year! But the way the old material was woven in was great. I liked the interlude where the ‘Storms’ material found its way in…and I laughed at the Mountaineers Courtship again whereas I had stopped laughing at it on CD…strange how live performances do that ‘…and a baby…’…excellent! And the final version of ‘Stars’ as you finished was stunning. Altogether a brilliant set…thanks a million for such great entertainment.

The performing of John the Revelator was a brilliant surprise!! As you may know there are a number of versions of this (the verses vary quite considerably) and the version I know and have is by Son House the old blues singer…so old he is dead, in fact!! I have always loved this song and have incorporated it into one of my songs ‘Solemn as Barclay’…so I was surprised and delighted to hear it…and to join in with it…albeit quietly…I didn’t want to spoil proceedings!!! Incidentally, Maria said that she had thought the words were ‘Who’s that riding John the Revelator…’ which was really amusing…less amusing but in the same vein was my belief that Son House was singing that he ‘wrote a book on the seven seas’ which I didn’t understand for years. It wasn’t until I read the book of Revelations that I realised it was a book on the seven seals. Did you ever read Revelations? Weird or what!? I enjoyed it though! So thanks for John the Revelator…lots of great memories associated with it.

Maria’s shoes…not quite the extravagant footwear of previous sightings (they were mentioned at the first gig I saw you both in and so have looked ever since…I don’t have a predilection for women’s shoes, you understand) but they were of pretty unusual and inspired design nonetheless. Is she one of those women with a million shoes, I wonder? Why do women need so many? I have 2…Oh, and a pair of boots for when it snows this winter…I don’t want to break my ankle like last year in my work shoes with no tread on the soles! Work shoes, runners and boots…that’s me.

In the interval between Glen Cal and yourselves one of the albums by the brilliant Felice Brothers was played…I couldn’t believe it. Kieran, Maria and the Felice Brothers in one evening; what a double whammy for me. The Felice Brothers are probably my current favourite band alongside long-time favourites the Jayhawks that I mentioned last time. They are a country rock band I suppose you’d call them but with such an anarchic approach to their music that it takes them above the other bands of their ilk. However, for me, their last album suffered a tad of the Will it match the last? Will it be a disappointment? Has the song writing deteriorated? Is the production too much? issues mentioned earlier. However they are at the Dublin Academy mid-December and I hope my ticket is winging its way to me soon. Try and see them. Where was I…? Yes the interval was an especially entertaining one for me, too!

I mentioned when I spoke to you briefly after the gig that you look more like Roy Harper every time I see you…I now take this back…quite coincidently I saw him on Jools Holland’s programme soon after Sligo, and he has changed SO much since I last saw him…almost bald now, but then he is 75, which is hard to believe. Roy was mainstay of the 60s singer / songwriter crew in London where I saw him many times. His best album is probably ‘An Old Cricketer Never Leaves the Crease’ (or something similar) and his most well-known song 'I Hate the White Man’ a monolithic but great song about all the evils that the white man has perpetrated on the world and especially on the worlds of many indigenous populations (can’t think of a better description) such as First Nation Americans and so forth…great stuff. But you do look like he did in his prime.

Hey! I must stop…you are too busy with the new album and stuff to read this rubbish!! But I just wanted to say thanks to you both for such a great evening…again. I was enraptured by your performances. I am at a loss to explain to myself why you are not bigger than you are (I mean in public esteem, not your size…although…) and spread the word as much as I can to all and sundry and maybe a few more. So thanks, you two…you are gems

Take good care you both and here’s to the next time…love in music

john Still from Leitrim

PS Try to catch the Felice Brothers…I’m sure you will be delighted!