Project House, Leeds 31st Jan 2025
Things that shouldn’t work but do. Friday night, outskirts of Leeds, warehouse-like venue, 1000 capacity, no parking, Transatlantic Irish-themed instrumental band nearly sell out and the audience is young, perky and moving. How to explain? How did this under-the-radar band have so many adherents? This writer has no idea but the playing and the atmosphere meant an hour and a half flashed by, with the crowd delirious by the last tune.
In a magic alchemy, the reels and jigs that might have been expected from a band fronted by two whistles (John McSherry and Ross Ainslie) become a series of grooves, veering from funk to slinky to disco and other cool rhythmic spaces. And the band isn’t really fronted by two whistles; it does have the two up front, sat facing each other and they are an almost constant presence but the sound doesn’t solely depend on them, they are the complex, interweaving, too-fast-to-follow melodies while the rest is fully figured alongside. Joe Hettinga plays jazz keyboards, leaning towards the classic Fender Rhodes tone and, in one happy moment, hitting overdrive to send everyone into a rocking frenzy.
The drummer, Michael Shimmin has a classic simple setup of bass drum and snare drum, two cymbals. Yet he plays constantly shifting patterns, even on the trad moments – boom, tap, fill – keeping it interesting and his solo shows all that off. Sean O’Meara is super-energetic and has worn a groove on his guitar from hard stumming. Give it a few years and it’ll look like Willie Nelson’s battered Trigger. He throws in Spanish tinged fills and solos as well as often providing a perky rhythm on the bass string, in place of drums.
It feels like half the crowd is there for Joe Dart, apparently effortlessly cool in shades, stubble and a suit. Every movement is studied and cheered and the bass solo in the last number gets frenzied chanting and cheering. Elsewhere he is an almost ever-present burble of rubbery propulsion. Of course, visually, up front, the two whistles and a set of pipes make the whole thing sound traditional amidst all the innovation in the sound, only once switching to a rapid pulsing new sound atop a back beat in a harder-edged dance piece.
The feel is one of immersion as the shifting patterns and interplay focus the attention and the mix of rhythms keep the body swaying. It’s a little strange to get dragged so deep for so long by something that looks traditional or (horror!) crossover but is actually a fiendishly clever new thing, where everything has an equal part and the result is music that bypasses borders. With band members from Scotland, Ireland and the United States, this is a new sort of broth.
Thanks to the ever-innovative Throughthenoise for putting this on. I have yet to be disappointed by anything they’ve done, even though they travel the gamut from pure classical performances to world music to folk. In all honesty, I’d have skipped this gig if it hadn’t been for my faith in the promotor’s curation. It’s a rare thing to be able to take that plunge with confidence.
Words & pics above: Ross McGibbon
Picture above: Justin Leeming Insta:@jglcreate
Picture above: Justin Leeming Insta:@jglcreate
Picture above: Justin Leeming Insta:@jglcreate