LANKUM, THE most exciting and creative force in Irish folk and traditional music today, is about to release their third album, and ahead of that, play a show at the Róisín Dubh.
Galway will hear songs from The Livelong Day, to be released via Rough Trade on October 25, when the band - Ian Lynch (vocals, uilleann pipes, concertina, tin whistle, percussion ), Daragh Lynch (vocals, guitar, piano ), Radie Peat (vocals, concertina, harmonium ), Cormac Dermody (vocals, fiddle, banjo, bass ) play the Róisín on Saturday October 19 at 8pm.
A taste of the album has come via the new single, ‘The Wild Rover’, although Lankum have eschewed the song's familiar arrangement, opting instead for a version by singer Dónal Maguire, who got it from fellow Drogheda man Pat Usher, and a recording from the 1974 album, The Usher Family. It also includes the song's often ignored final verse, which turns this beloved, rambunctious, drinking song into a cautionary tale of sadness and destitution.
'We don’t want to be fossilising or archiving these songs, we want to be pushing and accelerating them further' - Ian Lynch
“In this album compared to last," says Ian Lynch, "we wanted more percussive elements, more rhythm, more movement, but at the same time we were more confident just going into the studio and seeing what happens, and leaving space open for experimentation.”
Lankum's great strength is its deep-rooted knowledge and love for Irish trad, and awareness that the form cannot remain static, but must evolve if it is to survive. It is a balance between heritage and innovation that the quartet are masters of achieving. The Livelong Day, not surprisingly, continues that approach.
“Drone is a big part of traditional music because the uilleann pipes are indigenous to Ireland," says Ian Lynch, "so we’re ramping up that history and taking it as far as we can. We don’t want to be fossilising or archiving these songs, we want to be pushing and accelerating them further, and the multi-sensational quality that these songs create a visual atmosphere you can step into and actually find it very difficult to bring yourself out of.”
Support is from Junior Brother. Tickets are available from www.roisindubh.net; OMG@Zhivago, Shop Street; and the Róisín Dubh.
