[17
MAY 00] WARWICK ARTS CENTRE REVIEW
The Dubliners
- Getting Everyone Jigging With It
REVIEW BY
ANTONY HOPKER
Several
hundred people stamped their feet to the merry sound of the Dubliners
– and some of them even kept in time.
The
show got off to an auspicious start. Seasoned performers these fine
musicians might be, but a half-empty concert venue is not the thing
you want to see when you walk on to a stage.
It was
a shame, because the Dubliners deserve better. Having trotted round
the circuit for over 30 years, they still retain a freshness that
makes them enjoyable to an audience of all ages.
The
variety of tunes, song, tales and ballards that come out is enough to
keep even the most sceptical punter amused.
The
instrumentation is well-balanced – in the slower songs new riffs
steadily wash over you in a wave of melody, but with the flick of a
wrist the tempo is suddenly upped and the feet start to tap
automatically.
And it
was during one of the faster moments that the concert came to life.
Banjo
player Barney, only just back on tour after illness and looking
unwell, brought everyone to life with a blistering mandolin duet.
His
self-deprecating wit and obvious discomfort at walking on and off
stage brought both a sympathy vote and a spark to the show.
By the
end, with the crowd singing along to Molly Malone and Whiskey in the
Jar, four students had started dancing at the front of the stage,
jigging around to the amusement of the many older Irish ex-pats.
The
Dubliners might look as if they would be happier in a bar, but the
tunes kept on coming.
No
sooner had Barney slowly limped off the stage, than he had to turn
around again for encore after encore.
ANTONY HOPKER - 17 MAY 2000
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