Report: Greg Phillips
Irish folk powerhouses The High Kings brought the spirit, soul and unmistakable energy of Ireland to the Frankston Arts Centre last night, as part of their Rocky Road to Dublin tour, reminding audiences why their music continues to resonate with fans around the world. Blending rich vocal harmonies, traditional instrumentation and captivating storytelling with a contemporary edge, the quartet breathed fresh life into the songs and ballads that have shaped Ireland’s musical heritage. From tales of love, loss and longing to rousing anthems that celebrate home and belonging, their music transcends borders and generations, connecting audiences through a shared love of melody, history and a good singalong.
As singer, bouzouki and tin whistle player Paul O’Brien told us in our recent interview, no matter where you go in the world you’ll not only find an irish pub but you’ll also find Irish people and last night in Frankston, there were plenty of distictive Irish rhythmic lilts to be heard.
Opening with a feisty “Rocky Road to Dublin”, Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden, and Paul O’Brien set a celebratory tone to the evening with this energetic jig, segueing straight into the equally animated “Step it Out Mary”. The Steve Earle cover “Galway Girl” gave the audience their first chance to test their own vocal capabilities, as the band playfully sung “I’ve traveled around, I’ve been all over this world Boys, I ain’t never seen nothin’ like a Frankston girl”.
Taking their first chance to chat directly to the audience, Finbarr Clancy informed us that Irish music was basically about three themes, Love, War and Drink! The uplifting “The Rare Old Mountain Dew” fell into the latter category. Brian Dunphy then addressed the war theme, with “Grace”, a song based on a tragic story which occurred during the Northern Ireland war with the British.
“Go Lassie Go”, well known to High Kings fans upped the audience vocal levels substantially, revealing some impressive Frankston pipes in the crowd. The knees-up continued with a couple more lively jigs featuring Paul O’Brien on tin whistle before Darren Holden took the spotlight for an incredibly sombre performance.
“The Town I Loved So Well” is a song by Phil Coulter that reflects on the writer’s childhood in Derry, Northern Ireland. The first three verses describe the peaceful, simple life he remembers growing up there. In contrast, the final two verses explore the impact of the Troubles, expressing sadness over how his once quiet hometown became heavily militarised and affected by violence. Despite the pain and loss described in the song, the final verse offers a message of hope for a more peaceful future, expressing the belief that the people of Derry can look beyond their troubled past and work towards a better tomorrow. Darren Holden’s rendition of this song last night was incredibly powerful, tugging at our heartstrings and reaching deep into our souls. It was such a poignant moment and one that may stay with the audience for a long, long time. “We all need a drink after that one,” suggested Finbarr at the end of the song, acknowledging the impact of Darren’s commanding voice on the audience.
A sea shanty was in order next and “Hey Ho” was a fine choice to get a sway going. Darren then returned to relate the charming story of struggling to get to the final empty seat on a double decker bus, fortuitously sitting next to a stranger that turned out to be his future wife. The story was told in the jovial tune “The 77A”. This band knows a thing or two about show dynamics and just when you thought the tears had given way to cheers, Finbarr (inspired by a recent trip to Melbourne’s Shrine of Rememberance) laid the emotional Eric Bogle song, “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” upon us. “Possibly the greatest anti-war song ever written,” he told us before breaking our hearts one last time.
Promising now to party til the end, The High Kings kept the festivities going with the Irish pub crawl song “Chasing Rainbows”. Several bubbly jigs followed including the humorous “Irish Pub Song”, another tune that most of the audience clearly knew. A stirring version of their current single,’ Irish Roar” spoke strongly of Irish pride and had the audience’s hands above their heads clapping enthusiastically.
In our pre-tour chat with the band, Darren and Paul spoke with great affection about the impact of Shane McGowan and The Pogues on Irish music globally. Their version of McGowan’s “Streams of Whiskey” will appear on the upcoming Shane McGowan tribute album, ‘20th Centry Paddy’, which will be released on November 13. Last night however, it was The Pogues “Dirty Old Town” which brought the house down. The band then left us with the beautiful, traditional Irish farewell ballad, “The Parting Glass”.
With a growing international following, sold-out tours and a high-profile appearance on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film Sinners, The High Kings have firmly established themselves as modern-day ambassadors of Irish folk. And in Frankston last night, that enduring tradition was alive and kicking.
REMAINING AUSTRALIAN DATES:
BRISBANE – Princess Theatre – Wednesday October 14
TWEED HEADS – Twin Towns – Thursday October 15
ADELAIDE – The Gov – Friday October 16
PERTH – PCEC Riverside Theatre – Saturday October 17
WOLLONGONG – Anita’s Theatre – Wednesday October 21
CANBERRA – Canberra Theatre – Thursday October 22
SYDNEY – Enmore Theatre – Friday October 23
NEWCASTLE – City Hall – Saturday October 24
WYONG –– The Art House Sunday October 25