Album Reviews
Movies
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Contact Us

Half way through this amazing bill at Killyleagh Castle’s perfectly sized for a rock concert enclosed garden, Glen Hansard made mention of Van Morrison being part of his holy trinity with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen and looked forward with anticipation to the headline act. When Van Morrison finally appeared it was a completely different Morrison from the romantic notion that Hansard conjured. It was as if he had followed Elvis into the army. Van is happy being an old jazz singer. There is no reason to knock that. What is more alarming is how with a really good band he just perfunctorily he does his craft. 

Van is like the carpenter who comes round your house and creates the most beautiful wardrobe. You cannot fault it. It is the work of a master BUT he lacks the joy and creative inspiration in his work. When it comes to music that makes a difference to the product. I wondered where the Van of the mystical muse had gone as he went on and on about going insane about every kind of hassle that his poor life has to endure; "Why Must I Always Explaining" expressing his old age angst! The lack of inarticulate speech or  beautiful visions or any kind of soul searching seems to have taken Van away from maybe one of his best instruments of all. The mystical for Morrison was a more likely a tool to reach his musical muse than any kind of spiritual experience that lived outside of the music. And it ain’t here. Secular songs of work and happiness; very much living under the sun and no gazing beyond. The firey childlike visions of Donne, Blake and Yeats are nowhere in earshot.

He did give a brief hope in "Days Like This" and more especially in "Jackie Wilson Says," "Moondance," and "Brown Eyed Girl" before massacring "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" by trouncing out every ounce of its romance with a hefty sized sledgehammer. Songs like "That’s Life," "Precious Time," "Down the Road," and "Fast Train" are all fine songs but they have older siblings that you just can follow to the classroom. When on the cliché ridden attempt at some light humor "All Work and No Play" he says “I’d rather be somewhere else” it is as little as you can do not to scream up “well go somewhere else then!” 

Still, a one song obligatory encore and he went to where he’d rather be and we were able to head to the car talking about the other acts who made the day a wonderful afternoon of enjoyment.

Brian Houston 

I missed Robyn G Shields and was only getting my bearings during a very pleasant Giant  Steps set. It was Brian Houston who focused my attention. Still an utter mystery that he  is not one of our biggest names the east Belfast man who can dress up in a variety of personas took what is maybe the outfit that suits him most and gave us some circa Woodstock Dylan with a serious injection of Gospel in spirit, content and sound. Colin Henry’s lap steel added a sweet little surprised; so too his four backing singers. 

The Dylan influence was worn very much on his sleeve as he dedicated the "Great White Hope"  to Terri Hooley who had scarred him with criticism after the last time he supported Van and then with "I Shall Be Released" as an encore. The highlights were songs from his most recent album _The Valley_. "I’ll Fly Away" is as immediate and classically written as the more famous song of the same name and means that Brian has to outlive me and sing this at my funeral ­ drive carefully Houstie! The one that grabbed me was "Kisses At the Door" where with a parson kissing babies heads and going through the motions of religion Houston is wondering why he bothers coming along but then speaks of his broken spirit and his prayers for the imprisoned and those afraid to die ­ the point entirely; profound stuff in the seemingly simple.

Glen Hansard

Of course most of the audience had come for Van and were not to know when The Frames lead singer, Glen Hansard, took the stage alone that the man who sat top of the Irish album charts was in their midst. Yet there were some who had been convinced by  the under card and Hansard had tipped a few over the edge. How would he do without the band? Of course he has been doing solo gigs for a long time and to be fair there were many of today’s more mature clientele for whom The Frames would have blown the zimmer frames (no pun intended!) straight off. 

Hansard has a permanent mischievous grin and it usually slides down off his face to find its way into all he does. Starting with "Astral Weeks" was an audacity on the verge of  stupidity. I watched the wings for Van’s men to come and drag him away to a prison cell in Avalon. But Hansard is the genuine fan as previously mentioned and told an amazing story about being at Van’s 50th Birthday party where after a very Van like cold shouldering, his hero gave him the entire night playing him whatever song he wanted to hear. 

Without the band Hansard had to use peddles and thumping the stage for some extra sound. Boy did he! My mate Pete Cheney described some of his sounds as River dance on an acoustic guitar and that was as good a description as there is. So as with The  Frames he screamed it on "Revelate" and "Angel At My Table," and whispered it during "Lay Me Down," "Star, Star." and "The Blood." Following Houston who usually fills his night with yarns and says nothing, Hansard didn’t disappoint with his wit and humor. The best summation of all things Hansard was when he introduced "Lay Me Down" with a story about buying his girlfriend a grave for Christmas, something to suggest the length and depth of his devotion. With its sense of madness there was something hugely endearing and romantic about the idea but he finished and went straight into a brand new song. "Fake" he added that this one’s for the man she’s with now. Again humor but now tinged with sadness. His work is that place where naïve innocent idealism meets the reality of disappointment. 

And he left without most of the crowd being still aware of his place at the top of the island’s music scene. His humility did not see it as even a temptation to tell them!

Juliet Turner

This was a very interesting time to see Juliet Turner. Coming out of the Irish success of  _Burn the Black Suit_ and her regular airplay across the UK she is now having to write and gear up for the album that will ask the questions as to the breadth of her influence for the next five years. East West are expecting and she is looking this way and that for where the whole thing should head. Today Brian Grace’s electric guitar added a grit and sense of danger that was threw out very exciting possibilities. The crowd were pleased with those they knew like "Take The Money and Run," and "Burn the Black Suit" but it was a few others that struck me. "1987" is a sign of the new direction and "Narcissi" that sits uneasily on "Burn the Black Suit" might be the more prophetic and lasting song of all. In this new context it made perfect sense and along with the brilliant lyric and unique sound of  "Rough Lion’s Tongue." Personally I am not sure for the need of Lennon’s "Working ClassHero" and trying to get the crowd on their feet and clapping along might have misjudged the aged nature of those who really didn’t want to disturbed before Van sang "Moondance."

Bap Kennedy

Now there was a question. How did Bap Kennedy get second billing? Turner is all over the radio and easily the best known of this line up and Glen Hansard is number 1! When he tells us he wrote a song with Van the comment explains all and to be truthful Kennedy was a similar disappointment to that songwriting buddy. I remember Kennedy fronting "Energy Orchard" with the staggering energy that Hansard fronts The Frames. Here he is playing country by numbers and not doing it half as passionately or well as Brian Houston had a couple of hours previous. His insipid version of The Undertones favorite Northern Irish folk tune "Teenage Kicks" about summed it up. The punk was missing. The  desire. The edge. The attitude. The ambition. Everything that made Houston, Turner and Hansard move us was absent. Nowhere in sight or sound. I guess in the end he was a perfect warm up for Van. 

As I move in to my forties and listen to tons of music and see loads of live acts I often  have to conclude that maybe I am just too old. Today a pleasing revelation; maybe I am just too young!