Fogarty's Gig a Delight
Galway City Tribune
Philip Fogarty is giving a short tour to mark the release of his new recording Lambs, and was in St. Nicholas's Collegiate Church last week. The night after his Galway show he played in that bastion of rock 'n' roll, the Swiss embassy in Dublin.
The church provided a great setting for Fogarty, and was reminiscent of the surrounding for RTE's Other Voices. Fogarty alternated between the bodhran and the accordion for most of the evening but his sound is far from traditional. Joined by Eddie Dee on bass, Aileen Maloney on violin and Anna Lardi on violin, keyboards and effects Fogarty goes off on melodic, electronica-infused tangents. Sleepless was inspired by a childhood fear of the dark and how it was alleviated by the month of June. The song has a suitably dreamlike quality as Fogarty and his band create delicate, playful music that brings to mind the work of Amelie composer Yann Tiernsen.
What's left ventures into darker territory. It's a song about the aftermath of something so shocking that it uproots your life. Fogarty doesn't say exactly what this is but it is refreshing to hear challenging music that encourages the listener to fill in the blanks.
Eddie Dee's bass playing is precise and smooth, while Lardi's and Maloney's duelling violins are wonderful and the electronic beats never overpower the music. Tying all this together is Fogarty's voice, which has a world-music quality to it and also has tones of Peter Gabriel. This was an evening of bold inventive music. Check out www.philipfogarty.com to hear some of his songs and for upcoming shows.
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