AFTER A 21-year hiatus, folk-pop band The Big Geraniums have reformed - with all the original members - to play two special, one-off shows, in Dublin and Galway this month.
The band formed in London in 1990, when fiddle player Neil McCartney joined forces with guitarist Jonas Read for busking sessions in Covent Garden. They were soon joined by Seanin Hawthornthwaite (mandolin ), Laura Forrest-Hay (violin ), Jenny Wood (vocals ), and Dubliner Dara O’Donaghue (guitar/tambourine ), and their lively street shows resulted in an invitation to perform at the Kendal Folk Festival that summer.
The Big Geraniums also found a following in Dublin, and in Galway, where they secured a support slot to The Saw Doctors. They stayed here for a year, and picked up new members Marcus Molloy (bass ) and Seamus Sullivan (drums ).
In 1991 they released their debut single ‘Home Again’, produced by Donal Lunny, which went straight to No 3. Their album Tall Tales and Short Stories (1992 ) reached No 3 in the album charts. They went onto enjoyed tours of Europe and the USA, playing numerous festivals throughout the 1990s, before calling it a day in 1998 - until now.
The Big Geraniums play the Roisin Dubh on Saturday July 13 at 8pm. Tickets are available from www.roisindubh.net; the Ticket Desk at OMG@Zhivago, Shop Street; and The Róisín Dubh.
