Take Celtic roots and add in rock, soul, even a touch of jazz and you end up with a band who have been recording and touring for the past forty years with sporadic chart success but a hugely devoted fanbase.
Their first album, ‘People’, was released in 1988 and was the most successful debut album in Irish history. The band played Glastonbury a year later and again the year after that. The second album, ‘Home’, arrived two years later. Fast forward to 2025 and the band are out on the road again, performing songs from both of those seminal albums.
Opening the evening’s shenanigans was Lorraine Nash, an Irish singer-songwriter who brought a wonderfully ethereal, soothing, romantic version of modern country-tinged folk music to Birmingham’s O2 Institute. Equally captivating and thrilling, her upcoming set on the acoustic stage at Glastonbury will be a treat for anyone who ventures in.
Hothouse Flowers lead Liam Ó Maonlaí arrived on stage as a heavenly vision. Barefoot, dressed in a white suit, long hair, beads and bracelets, he presents as much as a spiritual guide as a rock star. The band wasted not a moment in finding their places and gently easing the audience through ‘Yes I Was’ into one of the strongest songs on the ‘Home’ album; ‘Movies’, a song which shows off both the bands songwriting skills and their astonishing ability to perform, weaving amongst each other to create a rich sonic tapestry. Reaching only 68 in the UK singles chart, the song is a perfect example of the confusing nature of the music industry - how can something so good, so beautifully crafted not have seen greater commercial success? Not that the audience cared - they were swept along by the sheer dexterity of the musicianship on display.
‘Movies’, like many of the songs played that evening, didn’t sound like the studio version. In some ways, unrecognisable, in others, keeping the essence of the original. At times, the cavernous O2 morphed into an intimate jazz club as the band members explored various interpretations of their songs. Most notable was a Latin arrangement of ‘Don’t Go’ which was reminiscent of David Byrne’s experiments in fusing world music with more domestic sentiments and which concluded the evening with each band member introducing themselves to the audience with a number of side quests, one of which developed into The Pogues’ ‘Dirty Old Town’.
A literally show-stopping finale came in the form of ‘If You Go’, before which Ó Maonlaí spoke on the subject of the terrible cruelty in the world at a time when we all, as fellow human beings, could be supporting and caring for each other. The conclusion of the song was not rapturous applause but heavy, electric silence as the O2 morphed again into a cathedral of shared reverence and reflection. A powerful conclusion to a spellbinding evening.
There was no ‘will they, won’t they’ pretense with the encore. After a pause for bows, Lorraine Nash joined the band on stage for a Celtic folk medley which brought the evening to a fitting close.
Peter Freeth
Images: Peter Freeth
