14 November 2005

NTB AT AIRFIELD HOUSE, 5 NOV. 2005

by SEAN SILKE

Some venues lend themselves to standout gigs, though the reason is not always easy to identify. It helps if the location is intimate (like the Olympia) and gracious in design (like Airfield). The magic of an enthusiastic audience is a must and the band must be on absolute song on the night. Perhaps it is all these elements, plus some sort of divine blessing which descends upon an event.

Well, that magic fell on Airfield House last night as the Niall Toner Band gifted an enthralled and wildly appreciative audience with an unforgettable 140-minute set of bluegrass and country classics. It is hard to believe that a simple 3-piece format of guitar, bass and mandolin could accomplish this but as one perfect song followed another, the evening became a seamless experience of wonder and warmth.

The King of Irish Bluegrass himself, Niall Toner, has a terrific speaking voice (as fans of his radio show, ‘Country Heartland’, will know) and evokes a lifetime of hard graft and distilled wisdom in his engaging introductions to the material. His stories about the ups and downs of songwriting are highly entertaining and the conversation is littered with references to country greats he has met over his 30+ years in the business.

And then there are the songs, mostly written by Niall himself, though there are a number of singular contributions by guitarist Clem O’Brien (‘Play the hand you’re dealt’ and ‘The cheatin’ side of town’) as well as Toner co-writes with Dick Gladney (the memorable ‘Railroad dreams’) and Clem O’Brien (‘Another’s name’ and ‘Ocean of teardrops’, a title suggested by the Don Gibson classic, ‘Sea of heartbreak’). Other highlights were ‘Sweet memories’, ‘Climbin’’, ‘The promise’, and ‘Tears along the track’.

There were two tributes to the founding father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe—‘Bill Monroe’s mandolin’ and the affecting ‘The master’s resting place’. In the novelty department, ‘Mood swing’ was entertaining, while ‘Terenure stomp’, ‘Chainsaw country blues’, and ‘The blues overtook me’ were not quite as successful as other material (though the audience lapped everything up). Niall mentioned that his song ‘There’s a better way’ has been covered by the Nashville Bluegrass Band and other royalty-earning collaborations are apparently on the way.

And what a trio of musicians! Clem O’Brien is both an outstanding vocalist—a master of the plaintive country timbre—and a brilliant guitarist (indeed, he plays a variety of stringed instruments equally well). Niall Toner soldiers away with great accomplishment on guitar and mandolin, while Dick Gladney provides a solid rhythmic core on bass (not to mention his comedy talents).

The night centred on original material but a few classics got an airing, notably ‘Hey Porter’ (a Johnny Cash B-side) and at the end of the set marvellous renditions of ‘Goodnight Irene’ and ‘Ring of Fire’ (encores in response to the sustained demands of a galvanised audience).
What can you say? Those fortunate enough to attend this gig gathered around the great man himself to shake his hand and thank him for the privilege of a memorable evening. We slowly left Airfield House and stood around in the car park, hearts still buzzing with emotion and goodwill. As the poet once put it: ‘Music came to an end/And then came silence/A pause before the peal/Of acclamation roared/Wave after wave/Of pent up emotion/We shouted devotion/Pleaded for encores/For what we heard was more than song/More than harmony/Shouts of emotion filled the air/A kind of ecstasy/It was the longing of the ages/The ocean of desire/The yearnings of the yielding heart/Common to every man.’