Stevie Scullion is something of a stalwart of the Northern Irish alternative folk scene and with this latest lineup, Malojian are a band on a mission. This evening’s mission is to celebrate the relaunch of debut long player ‘The Deer’s Cry’. The band are up for it. They’ve brought us all onto the Belfast Barge, let us bring our own booze below decks and with something close to a ‘yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum’ the Saturday night party is underway.
Before the wine and whimsical tales of Lurgan life however we’re treated to a stunning set from young north coast songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Hannah McPhillimy. She gets things underway with a couple of water themed tunes as the River Lagan laps gently against the barge’s bow. ‘Still Lake; Blue Fire’ is a beautiful opener, highlighting a natural writing gift, piano skills and a voice that owes much to not only contemporaries like Regina Spektor but the older guard of vocalists that any young singer should aspire to. Think Carly Simon, Karen Carpenter or Elkie Brooks and you’re getting close. Switching to ukulele for ‘Kindness’, Hannah wins over this crowd of die hard Malojian fans with some chord progressions Jeff Buckley would have been proud of.
There’s hearty applause for Hannah’s set. Knowing smiles and nods from the music fans and a little flurry of people over by the merchandise stand enquiring as to the price of EPs and the pronunciation of McPhillimy. Questions are answered, CDs are clutched, secondary bottles of wine are uncorked and Malojian take the stage.
It’s dark in the hold of this old vessel, maybe there’s some resonance with those who carried folk music off to the new world in bygone days from these very ports. Tonight though, Northern Ireland is embracing Americana and we’re taking it back. No rhinestones, no unnecessary ten-gallon hats or needles guitar twangs. This is Armagh-icana.
Opening with ‘Watch The Rain’, Scullion leads his merry crew into a set of tunes from ‘The Deer’s Cry’, from an already planned second record and from old EPs of days gone by. As expected from Malojian it’s delicate musicianship, precision playing and harmonies nailed just like they’ve been passed down to the likes of Fleet Foxes from The Carter Family. With keys and accordion from Una McCann, bass from Joe McGurgan and all-rounder Michael Mormecha on percussion, it’s a talented band; one which Scullion pays dues to Pat Dam Smyth for bringing together.
Quipping about showing the movie ‘Jaws’ onboard and encouraging singalongs with ‘Often Wonder’, Scullion seems relaxed and right at home. Who could blame him though? It’s a crowd of family and friends mostly, who’ve been along for the ride since the early days of the band. There’s ‘Bathtub Blues’ written for his daughter. There’s ‘The Old Timer’ dedicated to his dad and a smattering of brand new tunes to keep even long time fans on their toes.
With the storytelling of Springsteen, vocal harmonies of Bon Iver and music ranging from gypsy style cajun swing to acoustic melodrama, there’s a little bit of something for everyone. So you think you don’t like folk or country music? You’ll still love this record. ‘Communion Girls’ is an odd highlight. It’s a rare moment when any reviewer can use the words Catholic banter and ninja skills to refer to any tune but this one covers all the bases. Scullion tells of staring at the girls at mass before kicking ass and saving them all with some plaid wearing, floppy haired kung-fu. Delightful.
As we near the end of the show, records are already shifting fast from the merch table and the band crank things up a few knots with a cover of The Who’s ‘Squeezebox’. And with that we’ve had it all. Tunes old, new, borrowed and the blues. The cries for an encore are well received and placated. It’s getting late but we feel the party for Malojian may just be getting started.