Eddi Reader, John Douglas, Steph Geremia, and Alan Kelly will perform in The Civic
Wonderful union of Scottish and Irish traditions from true masters
EDDI Reader, Scotland’s internationally acclaimed and mesmerising songstress known for her work with Fairground Attraction, will perform at the Civic alongside Ireland’s own piano accordion maestro, Alan Kelly, and his group of talented musicians.
Brimming with powerful instrumentals, alluring songs and buoyant harmonies, this is a wonderful union of Scottish and Irish traditions from true masters.
Alan joined Eddi’s band in 2003 and since then has toured and recorded by her side for the past 20 years, the two forging an enduring musical comradery.
Though this show was initially put together in 2010 as a one-off collaboration, it has since developed into a headlining act and sold out their Irish tours for 10 consecutive years.
Mixing the Alan Kelly Gang’s innovative perspective on the Celtic repertoire with Eddi Reader’s thrilling and affecting performance, this show has been praised for leaving audiences spellbound.
Scotland’s ‘Living Tradition’ magazine has described it as “an astonishing concert”.
This week, The Echo sat down with Alan Kelly to discuss the concert, performing in the Civic on September 14; check the Civic website for more details and booking information.
Could you tell us a bit about your band and your experience of over 20 years of partnership with Eddi, please?
Well, I’ve been touring full-time since releasing my debut album in 1997 titled ‘Out of the Blue’, which was co-produced by the legendary innovative Australian guitarist Steve Cooney.
The success of that album opened a lot of doors for me, and suddenly I was performing at U.S., Canadian, and European festivals, as well as in Ireland and the UK usually as a duo with a guitarist.
That led to me meeting guitarist and producer Arty McGlynn on the set of Sibín, a TV programme on TG4.
Arty was the first person to put the steel-string guitar up front and centre in Irish Traditional Music. He had played with everybody from Planxty to Van Morrison and was a total hero to me.
I think he really liked that I was doing the same with the Piano accordion and similarly was interested in breaking and pushing boundaries.
Arty agreed to produce and play on my next album, ‘Mosaic’, which had a real fusion vibe of original and traditional music infused with Jazz and Latin rhythms.
‘Mosaic’ was voted one of the top ten trad albums by both the Irish Times and Hot Press Magazine.
Irish Music magazine also nominated Mosaic for ‘Best Crossover album’ of the year alongside Solas, Afro-Celts, and Sharon Shannon.
We got to play some really cool festivals in Ireland, Spain, Italy and the UK with some of Ireland’s leading musicians, like saxophonist Richie Buckley and drummer Liam Bradley.
Soon after that, in 2004 I got a surprise call to ask if I would tour Japan with Eddi Reader. I was a massive fan.
She had just released the ‘Eddi Reader sings the Songs of Robert Burns’ album. It had a real folk vibe to it, and she needed a piano accordionist, as Phil Cunningham (another hero of mine), who played accordion on the album, was unavailable.
So, that’s where it started with Eddi, and I’ve been touring in her band and recording with her since then. It’s been an incredible 21 years; we’ve travelled the world and played amazing venues and festivals with the same band for that length of time, which is very rare! I get to perform with one of the world’s great vocalists every night.
I was still touring with my own band whenever there was a gap in Eddi’s diary. That was pretty hectic for a number of years.
By this time I was touring as ‘The Alan Kelly Quartet’; however, while gigging in Australia, we earned the moniker ‘The Kelly Gang’ while out playing the festival scene, and it kind of stuck and suited us.
We first performed the Alan Kelly Gang with Eddi Reader at The Galway Arts Festival in 2010. We had too much fun to leave it at that, and so we began to tour Ireland with it every September.
It has been great to build a loyal following during this time with an audience who love the blend of the instrumental music interspersed with the songs. We also have John Douglas (Eddi’s husband), a songwriter/storyteller of the highest quality, on vocals and guitar.
Collectively the Alan Kelly Gang includes original member, acclaimed flautist and singer Steph Geremia; long-time friend and collaborator Jim Higgins (Christy Moore/The Stunning) on bodhrán and percussion; and a welcome new addition. Mark Kelly (Altan) on guitar has a solid reputation for their trademark mix of strong dynamics, driving rhythms and buoyant harmonies. Innovation meets sensitivity as these musicians push the conventional boundaries of tradition, yet remain sympathetic to the past, present and future of traditional music.
Are there any favourite songs to perform among the band? If so, why?
It’s always lovely to watch the audience melt as Eddi sings ‘Wild Mountainside’, ‘My Love is like a Red Red Rose’ or indeed ‘Ae Fond Kiss’. We also love to cut loose on some of the instrumental numbers like ‘Snow Reels’, which gets the feet tapping, and the “Parisian-sounding” ‘The Garden’, which Steph Geremia and Eddi sing together.
How do you usually prepare for performances like this?
Well, we usually start discussing different songs and tunes we would like to do a few months before a tour. That may involve looking into the back catalogue or some new material. But with Eddi, a lot of it happens organically, in the moment on stage. That’s something I’ve learnt from her over the years, and it makes the show much more exciting. The set will evolve over the course of the tour.
Does the band still get nervous after over 20 years’ experience? If so, how do they handle these nerves?
No, not really. I might get a little nervous if I feel underprepared or if the body is running on empty! Then I need to take a little time by myself before the show to focus, stretch my hands and get my head inside the music.
What is next for the band after this? Do they have any other gigs planned before the year is finished?
We have 9 shows with this tour between London and Ireland, finishing up in Galway on September 21, and then I head to the UK in early October for a bunch of shows with the Eddi Reader Band in the UK.
Who would you like to thank for helping to organise this performance?
I would like to thank everyone at The Civic Theatre for having us for our first visit to the theatre.
We are really looking forward to playing in Tallaght and also to my own team here at HQ and, of course, Eddi, John and the Gang!
