Bournemouth Folk Club

DERVISH
The Centre Stage,
Bournemouth, February 4, 2010

The Centre Stage was bulging at the seams for the much anticipated visit of world renowned Irish traditional folk band Dervish who are celebrating their 21st anniversary this year. Regarded as Sligo’s finest export, Dervish have played their eclectic mix of traditional jigs, reels and beautiful ballads to appreciative audiences on every continent. Drawing from their catalogue of a dozen or so superb albums, the band Cathy Jordan (vocals, bodhran, bones), Tom Morrow (fiddle), Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute, whistle), Michael Holmes (bouzouki) and Brian McDonagh (mandolin) thrilled the packed Bournemouth Folk Club with close on two hours of superb music.

After kicking off with O’Raghailligh’s Grave and Swallows Tail from their superb album SPIRIT, the band delivered sets of reels and jigs from TRAVELLING SHOW and the critically acclaimed HARMONY HILL. Highlights from an excellent first set included Apples in Winter which had Cathy explaining that ‘apples’ was really a metaphor for a girl whose advice was to ‘stay away from men!’; and the hilarious Welcome Poor Paddy Home, a ‘stand out’ song that had the enthusiastic audience singing along. Bob Dylan’s Boots of Spanish Leather was delivered exquisitely by Cathy before the band closed the first set with the instrumental Lark on the Strand from their 1999 offering MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT.

Starting where they left off, the second set opened with The Coolea Jigs, representing traditional music from County Cork, followed by the beautiful ballad I Courted a Wee Girl which led seamlessly into Josefin’s Waltz, a collaboration with Swedish band Vassen on the album END OF THE DAY. The gorgeous slow air Forgotten Fling was the perfect introduction to the catchy Jolly Tinker before Cathy again had the large gathering singing along with Peigin Mo Chroi about a husband going out for one drink and returning home twenty years later. A highlight of the second set, the catchy Red Haired Mary allowed the band to close with a set of traditional tunes from their Sligo home. To thunderous applause, Cathy returned to encore with the poignant Crucan Na Bpaiste (The Burial Place of the Children), delivered a cappella. The hushed audience were spellbound but were soon clapping along as the band returned to finish with the rousing Out on the Road, a set of tunes from South Sligo included on MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT.

The appearance of Dervish was a major coup for the BFC who were rewarded with a full house. Cathy Jordan led the band in superb fashion. Never still, her vocals were faultless and when not singing, she showed her virtuosity on the bodhran and bones. Whilst the band remained largely expressionless, their musical ability could not be faulted. This was traditional Irish music of the highest quality.

John Roffey