Cruachan bring Irish folk metal to their first UK crowd...
Despite a silent pledge to give all genre hybrids a chance, I was dubious about seeing Cruachan live. Although their most recent album 'Pagan' tuned out to be an unusual and refreshing listen, Irish folk metal doesn't exactly sound like the ideal crossbreed on stage no matter how open minded you are.
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Off to a promising start, they begin with an instrumental that makes extensive use of the electric banjo that is wielded by a bare footed hobbit-esque man. It's fast and certainly fun, although the more intoxicated members of the audience who try to jig along gain more pleasure from it than the more sober music fans that slouch against the walls. After a day of bands ranging from fantastic to dismal, a band would have to be astounding for those members of the audience to show any signs of appreciation.
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With the exception of Karen Gilligan, all the members of the band wear war paint and traditional clothes. It might be unique, but it's a scary scene before they even start to play. Cruachan's intention is not to kill with spears of filthy death metal or aggressive riffs (but there are plenty of these to be found within their music) but to provide people with the perfect music to drink beer to whilst educating them in the ways of Ireland. This is a strongly patriotic band and it's a shame that they scare people away from the Darwin Suite with out of time vocals and a disastrous combination of genres. On record, when the band have time to work things through and layer sounds, folk and metal go together hand in hand like a pair of lovers in the Caribbean. On the stage, however, they act like the couple everyone knew were going to divorce in the end. Despite this, there are some beautiful moments, for the electric guitar is handled with wisdom and provides the much-needed modern touch that finishes the band off perfectly. Lyrics are also another strong point, with a huge variety of topics covered. Gilligan 's voice does hold the band back somewhat. As beautiful as it may be, it is not strong enough to stand up amongst the other instruments. Once the art to a good live set is perfected, this band will make a fantastic band to hear play in your local pub, but until then, they give off a half finished sound which is a rather disappointing letdown when compared to the strength and power they hold on record.
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 5 available.