RIGHT NOW, we are having to sacrifice much - going out, meeting friends, witnessing live music - but it needs to be done to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Although it may not seem like it now, especially with the restrictions extended to the beginning of May and Health Minister Simon Harris saying social distancing may have to continue for months yet, this crisis will pass, and when it does, we have much to look forward to. Two such highlights will be shows by legends of Irish rock - Eric Bell, the founder of Thin Lizzy, and Ash, the 1990s indie darlings, still gong strong a quarter of a century on.
Thin Lizzy's Eric Bell
ERIC BELL, whose graceful, bluesy, melodic, guitar work adorned the first three Thin Lizzy albums, most notably on hit single 'Whiskey In The Jar', will play the Róisín Dubh on Saturday August 8.
The Belfast born musician, now based in Cork, first became interested in music when listening to classical music on the radio, followed by The Shadows and Lonnie Donnegan. He did a brief spell with Van Morrison's Them in 1966 before moving to Dublin. Intent on forming a band, he was looking for suitable musicians and found Phil Lynott and Brian Downey. Together they recorded the albums Thin Lizzy (1971 ), Shades Of A Blue Orphanage (1972 ), and Vagabonds Of The Western World (1973 ).
After leaving Lizzy, Eric would played with legendary bluesman Bo Diddley; Jimi Hendrix’s bass player Noel Redding; and in 2005, joined fellow Belfast man and Thin Lizzy alumni Gary Moore onstage to perform 'Whiskey in the Jar' at the Phil Lynott tribute concert in Dublin.Read an interview with Eric about founding Thin Lizzy, working with Van Morrison, and his love of the blues at: www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/53311/eric-bell-adventures-of-a-belfast-blues-man
Ash
FOR MANY, Ash were the Irish band of the 1990s, with their mixture of punk, indie-rock, and pop, wrapped up in the energy, dreams, and uncertainties of adolescence, striking a deep chord.
The County Down trio of Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton, and Rick McMurray, play the Róisín Dubh on Thursday October 1 at 8pm.
In a career spanning 30 years, Ash have delivered such gems as 'Girl From Mars', 'Oh Yeah', 'Uncle Pat', and 'Slow Baby Burn', and in 2019 they celebrated 25 years as a recording outfit with the release of 'best of' album, Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years Of Ash.
In a review of Ash's 2007 album, Twilight Of The Innocents, Pitchfork summed them up well: "From album to album, Ash has always been a band that seemingly reacted to itself. They followed up their messy teen-punk debut, Trailer, with a stately, pop-fueled second album, 1977, still their best. From there, they've bounced back and forth between their two sides, though a little of each has always been present."
The band have retained a loyal following, its core audience still finding much to identify with in Wheeler's songs. As the Irish Examiner said, "Wheeler was heralded for his ability to convey...the heartache of teenage romance. What he’s discovered is that, as you get older, life doesn’t get any easier, which ensures there is plenty of grist for his songwriting. 'I tend to write about what’s going on in my life,' he says. 'It’s a real channel for feelings and figuring things out. Your subconscious definitely comes through in songs.'"
Tickets for both shows are available from www.roisindubh.net; OMG@Zhivago, Shop Street; and the Róisín Dubh.
