Preview

Téada

One of the most exciting traditional groups to have emerged in recent years, the young Irish band téada (pronounced tay-da) is stirring both critical and popular acclaim for their soulful, virtuoso playing and thrilling live performances.

Téada is led by Oisin Mac Diarmada, called one of the most talented fiddlers in Ireland today by the Irish Echo. Playing the fiddle since the age of six, Oisin was born in County Clare and raised in Sligo, learning from such great Clare fiddlers as John Keely, Joe Ryan and Bobby Casey and absorbing the rich musical traditions of both regions. He first teamed up with the London-born John Blake (guitar & flute), Seán McElwain of Monahan (banjo & bouzouki) and Dubliner Tristan Rosenstock (bodhrán) in 2001, for the Irish-music TV series "Flosc." The performance was so successful that it marked the unofficial debut of Téada. An expanded musical vision later brought in fifth member, accordionist Paul Finn of County Laois.

Téada released its eponymous debut CD in 2002, greeted by universal acclaim with critics praising Mac Diarmada's exquisite fiddling and the band's sensitive and spirited performances. Their touring schedule increased dramatically, branching into England, Italy, Austria, Canada and extended trips through the United States.

‘A new and fresh face in Irish music ..... Téada are a band to watch out for.’ - The Irish Voice

‘Something quite intangible separates Téada from the rest. If there is a better new band on the Emerald Isle, they must be very, very good.’ - Edinburgh Evening News

Luasca

A new collaboration between two young traditional musicians, Harriet Earis from Pontrhydfendigaid and Colman Connolly from London, Luasca are fast making a name for themselves as a dynamic and innovative duo. Their unusual combination of harp with uilleann pipes, flute and whistles makes for a head-turning alliance. Their music is foot-tapping and infectious, with a force and life to it.

Luasca have already won several prizes, including the Herschel Irish Young Musician of the Year in May 2002) and together they create a performance that is tight and polished, full of energy and drive with total enthusiasm for their music.

Review

Victims of our own success? Well, not quite, but having budgeted (and arranged furniture) for an audience of, maybe, 90, we were really quite unprepared for the astonishing crowd of no less than 220 that poured in ... Irish bands seem to have a particular allure - happily, unlike the disappointment of the deeply underwhelming Bohinta (one of our very rare mistakes), there was every reason for all-round satisfaction this time ...

For openers, Luasca (say 'Looska'), comprising Pontrhydfendigaid's own Harriet Earis on harp and Colman Connelly on flute and Uillean pipes, were an absolute delight. Harriet's harp technique extends way beyond the prim style that we've perhaps learned to expect ... hers is an altogether different class of playing, with a rhythmic flair and melodic sense of adventure that's genuinely funky - not a word that you'd normally associate with the instrument. Her clearly-expressed delight in her craft, as she moves as one with her harp, is really infectious. Factor in the equally impressive talents of Colman, the empathy of the ensemble playing, and the cleverly crafted programming of their set into pairs and trios of tunes that shift effortlessly from one to another (from 'Gravel Walk' into 'Hurdle Race', from 'They Stole My Wife From Me Yesterday' into 'The Blacksmith'), and you have an instrumental folk duo of major status. Everyone was completely charmed by Luasca, and it made us realise how lucky we are that they're right on the doorstep - you can rest assured that they will be back, and next time we'll give them a much longer set!

Getting all members of Teada to the Talbot on time was something of a miracle, given the far-flung regions that some of them had been travelling from since dawn - but make it they did, just in time for a brief sound-check in a rapidly-filling room. They certainly justify all the accolades that precede them - this is a new generation of traditional Irish folk musicians who have grabbed the baton from their forebears and are wholeheartedly running with it - happily, with no gratuitous concessions to modernity. It's clear that they quite simply know their stuff, and they play like it's second nature to them . which it surely is. Oisin Mac Diarmada is one monster fiddle player, and his occasional singing voice is surely like no other (which is just what a real folk voice should be). John Blake switches between flute and powerful rhythm guitar, which when combined with Sean McElwain's bouzouki and banjo, makes for a storming rhythm section - who needs a bass with a foundation this strong? The lanky figure of Paul Finn pours out phenomenal accordion all night, while Tristan Rosenstock's bodhran technique is simply amazing. What with the crowds an' all, plus the need to occasionally subdue an over-refreshed reveller with a tobacco urge, note-taking was out of the question, but Teada undoubtedly played most if not all the tunes on their brilliant current CD, La An Dreoilin, and, for all I know, much else besides. While in search of a quickly-obtainable Guiness in the public bar, I apparently missed the bodhran solo of all time from Tristan ... If we'd known so many punters were coming, we'd have been much meaner with the chairs, but the dancers made good use of what little space was left, and everybody else was dancing inside, as they say ... Teada were the business.

You'll be pleased to know that there are firm plans currently being hatched to bring a number of feature Irish performers to the Talbot in the coming year - on the evidence of tonight, it's a winning formula, as long as you don't mind a crowd!