Review by Niall Swan
Temple Bar has forever and a day been the hub of Irish music. It is home to many a venue that have launched the careers of so many bands over the years. Places such as The Foggy Dew, The Purty Kitchen and the now extinct Éamonn Doran’s have all played a role in creating this rich sense of history. The Button Factory, however, is the top dog when it comes to famous music venues in Temple Bar and so it was fitting that it was to last night, play host to what can only be described as a celebration of the history of music in Dublin. The Minutes, Delorentos and We Cut Corners represent the cream of the crop of current Irish live acts. Three bands who in their own right are so unique that the prospective amalgamation of their sounds seemed impossible yet incredibly intriguing. The premise of the JD Roots show, for those unfortunate readers who weren’t able to witness it was that the three bands would go back to their roots, so to say. They were asked to choose a number of songs by bands and artists from Dublin that have inspired them to create the music we all know and love today.
Ever since a select few people were earlier this week granted access to the rehearsals ahead of the show, there had been a buzz building about it and we weren’t disappointed. The show was kicked off by Tennessee natives The Black Belles who were chosen to represent Jack Daniel’s home town. There has been a lot of hype about the all girl four piece band who were discovered by Jack White, formerly of the White Stripes and signed to his record label. Despite missing a member, they took to the stage dressed head to toe in witch costumes and played a quickfire set. Comparisons were immediately drawn to The White Stripes themselves, mainly due to the skills of the poker-faced Shelby Lynne on drums. Unfortunately that’s where the comparisons ended as their set peetered out. Perhaps the mysteriously missing member meant the Black Belles weren’t able to put across their true sound but everyone in attendance would agree that these three witches were all tricks and no treats.
And so stage the was set. A cluster of instruments lined the stage including two drum kits, two keyboards, a mandolin, a violin, countless guitars and even a saxophone. Excitement amongst the audience had now reached fever pitch and they weren’t about to be let down. All members of the three bands (bar Delorentos drummer Ross McCormick, who was absent) entered the stage to raucous applause as they kicked off the set with a storming version of My Bloody Valentine‘s When You Sleep. Early on, the three bands struggled to perform cohesively as covers of U2‘s Out of Control and Thin Lizzy‘s The Rocker provided moments of nostalgia but not much else. It was the introduction of Bell X1’s Paul Noonan for a sublime rendition of U2‘s Stay that transformed the evening into something magical. The reaction of the crowd seemed to settle some nerves amongst those on stage and they soon began to exhude confidence during covers of The Boomtown Rats‘ Don’t Like Mondays and Sinéad O’Connor‘s Mandinka.
It was the next song that provided the highlight of the night for most. The Dubliners are the quintessential Irish band and one of their most famous songs is their version of Patrick Kavanagh’s famous poem ‘On Raglan Road’. Luke Kelly & The Dubliners are proudly represented on the Wall of Fame which is suitably situated on the walls of the Button Factory so it proved to be a suitable choice. The song on the night was the only one which featured vocals from members of all three bands as well as an appearance from Colm Mac Con Iomaire and it was met with a stunned silence as the audience listened, awe-struck. Check it out on Youtube if you get the chance, you won’t regret it. Covers of The Frames Lay Me Down, Phil Lynott‘s Old Town and Whipping Boy’s When We Were Young featuring mandolins, violins and saxophones provided a rapturous end to the set. It was clear that we were witnessing three bands at the pinnacle of their creative abilities blending numerous styles seamlessly.
The encore gave the bands a chance to showcase a few of their own songs with a twist. We Cut Corners were joined by all three members of The Minutes and Kieran of Delorentos for a fist pumping, foot stomping version of Go Easy. This was quickly followed by The Minutes‘ Fleetwood once again featuring Ronan Yourell on saxophone. Then it was the turn of Delorentos to perform their powerful anthem “Bullet in a Gun” with both Paul Noonan and Conall O’Breachain both on drums which, as Níal Conlan rightfully pointed out was quite a compliment to the absent Ross McCormick. The encore was a special experience. To see these three bands sing and perform eachother’s material with such passion and to see how much they were enjoying it was a joy to behold. If they had finished there and then, nobody would have gone home unhappy but that wasn’t all. The Minutes‘ immensely entertaining frontman Mark Austin thanked everyone before all nine men on stage exploded into a jaw dropping version of The Frames Revelate. It was the perfect ending to a gig which showcased the indescribable amount of talent to be found in the Irish music scene, not only in the past, but right through to the modern day. JD Roots was a celebration of this. Bravo.
