Julian Laws
A Popular Music (Falmouth University) graduate currently based just outside of Bristol. A voracious reader, meticulous Letterboxd reviewer and lover of all things music. Consistently championing often ignored upcoming artists from Cornwall and the South West music scene to show what amazing talent can be found outside of the big cities!
On 26th March, London’s Dome saw a sold-out gig from rising Irish folk stars Madra Salachs: their biggest show to date
Raising more than the Dome, Madra Salach’s London gig abounded with a sense of community and camaraderie, taking listeners through the raw emotions of old Irish trad songs. From being moved at the energy the band gave us to laughing heartily at comedy refrains and even a brief bout of stand up, this gig had it all, all whilst the crowd cheered the Irish football team in penalties.
Due to the European qualifiers, the band came on at 21:40, so their reveal, already much anticipated, was also prefaced with the emotions and tensions brought about by a crowd’s national team going to penalties. Weirdly, the result (Ireland losing) worked in the bands favour. Bandying together in the settling dust of defeat through music and song really champions the power of what going to see live music can do.
There is seriously no denying the talent this band hones. They work the crowd as if at an intimate pub gig, where it feels as if the songs are being played directly at you and for you, but also thrive in commanding a crowd, through what seems to be the whole plethora of the human condition.
Whether it be rage at establishments, historical and current politics or the state of the Irish football team, Madra Salach performed a seemingly self-perpetuating dirge that touched on stories of irish immigrants building the tube, to new singles from their latest EP ‘It’s A Hell Of An Age’. A highlight included the closer ‘The Man Who Seeks Pleasure,’ the whole crowd singing the simple but evocative lyrics: ‘The man whos seeks pleasure is the man who seeks pain.”
I may sound ridiculous, but music such as this, with its drones and wailing lyrics alongside the chugging drums, could be the most ‘human’ form of music I’ve heard. Like Mongolian throat singing, or chamber choir music – even Gregorian chants – there is no pageantry with it. Bands like Madra Salach fully embrace what the songs are about, simply by letting them speak for themselves.
From people Irish jigging in-between songs to laying their arms around each other’s shoulders, in a collective effort to stretch taut their Irish scarfs, it warmed my heart and made me remember what live music is all about. Everyone’s eyes were transfixed on backlit vocalist Paul Banks, with whirls of smoke enshrouding him, listening to his voice soar through time.
Banks sings like the product of all those storytellers before him, adopting the thoughts, feelings and passions of workers kicking clay in the underground or oppressed ancestors. This performance was a full circle moment, one that they and all the Irish in the crowd could sense. The set was a recognition, a celebration and truly an amazing thing to witness.
Notably moved by the turn out, Madra Salach looked as if they realised they were on the cusp of something pretty special. With this gig, Madra Salach successfully embed themselves alongside Gurriers, Basht., Cardinals, Child of Prague and Lankum as Irish artists to watch, with their future seemingly laid out ahead of them.
Get tickets for their next UK tour if it’s the last thing you do!
Listen to ‘It’s a Hell of an Age’ here: