Polished playing, singing and a band at the top of their trade were the hallmarks of an enjoyable gig as part of the Eastside Arts festival.
An excellent performance despite the oh so bright setting of the ballroom in the Stormont Hotel.
The evening opened with a short set from Kathleen Turner singing half a dozen of her self penned songs accompanied by two guitar players.
Altan took the stage on the stroke of nine o’clock. Their line up was Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh vocals and fiddle, Ciaran Carson on bouzouki, Ciaran Tourish on fiddle, Martin Tourish on piano accordion, and Mark Kelly on guitar. The material performed was mainly from their recent album ‘The Widening Gyre’, recorded in Nashville, with some tunes drawn from their extensive back catalogue.
This is Irish traditional music of the highest standard, with its roots firmly in Donegal but confident enough to include influences from the band’s extensive touring throughout the world in particular America.
In all they played some seventeen pieces both instrumental sets and a half a dozen songs. They kicked off with a set of three lively reels, the fiddles of Mairead , Ciaran and the accordion of Martin setting the pace with solid backing from guitar and bouzouki. Between the instrumentals Mairead sang beautifully in both Irish and English, including ‘No Ash Will Burn’ – a Walt Aldridge composition, ‘Ma Theann Tu un Aonaigh’, ‘Far Beyond Carickfinn’ an Ian Smith song for her late father and ‘A Match Is A-Making’, once covered by birthday boy Van Morrison himself and dedicated to the man by Mairead.
The tunes covered the whole gambit of tempos and styles – John Doherty’s reels and many others from Donegal, slip jigs and some lovely ones composed by Mairead, and the two Tourish men. A Tourish sandwich was how Mairead described one set with her fiddle between the accordion and other fiddle.
The show was nicely paced in two halves and the music was well received by the decently sized crowd. There was a standing ovation for both the final tune and encore and even a small outbreak of dancing, not to mention to occasional out-of-time clapping along.
In spite of the unique traits of the ballroom the guys on the sound desk did a decent job and provided a good mix. Maybe a warmer, more intimate setting would showcase such delicate music a little better but Altan live at the Stormont Hotel has been a welcome addition to the Eastside Arts Festival programme. We look forward to seeing Mairead and her gang next time.
Photos © Nurse Ratched 2015.