Music

FÉILE LIVE: John McSherry, Brendán Quinn & Francis McIlduff. Special Guest Jack Warnock

John McSherry, Brendán Quinn and Francis McIlduff are three phenomenal musicians who first got together as a trio at Belfast’s Féile Trad Trail in August 2022.

John has been a major figure in Irish music for over 20 years. He is a composer, producer, arranger, and established studio session musician of world renown, having recorded and performed with artists including Sinéad O’Connor, Rod Stewart, Nanci Griffith, Gary Kemp, The Corrs and Clannad. A founder member of top traditional bands Lunasa, Tamalin, Donal Lunny’s Coolfin, and Irish-American super-group the olllam, John has produced a string of critically acclaimed and innovative albums, both solo and collaborative.

Brendán has toured the world as a singer-songwriter and traditional accompanist for many years. Hugely influenced by his love of Irish music and the Irish language, his ability to convey the stories of strangers and his own experiences through song has created his distinctive, captivating style. 

Francis McIlduff, a member of the legendary McPeake musical family from Belfast, was immersed in traditional Irish music from an early age. He debuted with the family band Clann McPeake in the 1980’s, and has gone on to play with leading outfits including Alias Ron Kavana, Afterhours, Sin É and more recently At First Light, the band in which Francies and John first created the “double pipes” sound that has become their trademark. 

When the trio began playing together at Féile, the depth of their musical connection and rapport was instantly evident, so much so that they decided to record an album together. Wanting to keep their sound as authentic as possible, they opted to record in Redbox Studios, the working home of good friend and musical comrade, Dónal O’Connor. Playing live as a trio instead of multi-tracked separate takes, the album was recorded in sixteen hours and mixes traditional and modern tunes with Brendán’s contemporary songwriting.

With “duelling” uilleann pipes, soaring whistles, interweaving harmonies, rock steady bodhran and guitar grooves, the tunes and songs are delivered with a confidence, energy and drive that only a live approach can create.

Sat 16 March 2024

Doors 7.30pm, Starts 8.00pm

Tickets: £22/£20

Jack Warnock:

Jack Warnock is a multi-instrumentalist and singer from Maghera, Co. Derry.Throughout his career Jack has performed as a soloist, accompanist, and in groups such as TRODA, Cóiriúand The Doc Flock. He has performed at events, festivals, and venues across the world.In recent years Jack has been nominated for the prestigious BBC Young Folk Award, won the Senior Accompaniment Competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, and received the ‘Young Musician’s Platform’ award from ACNI and BBC NI.Absorbing music from an early age and playing piano from the age of seven, Jack’s love of trad would really blossom when he picked up the guitar in his teens. He quickly fell in love with the tunes and songs that seemed to surround him, and that was that -his calling was clear. His guitar style has been guided and influenced by many greats, including John Doyle, Tim Edey, Ed Boyd, Tony McManus and Seamie O’Dowd, to name but a few.An avid Gaeilgeoir, Jack performs songs in both Irish and English. His compositions and selections are steeped in storytelling, as he embraces the lineage of folk music in its truest form.Nine years have passed since his debut EP, so it’s fair to say his debut album LeSolas Faoithine has been a long-time coming. The name Le Solas Faoithine (translating as By Dusklight) was the product of new routines brought on by lockdowns.After (what seemed like) endless days spent staring at a screen, Jack would religiously take awalk to watch the light fade in Mid-Ulster. Inspired by his surroundings, dusk would be the start of a new working day as he delved into creative work late into the night. From here Le Solas Faoithine grew.Unsurprisingly, the album is a masterwork of thought, consideration, and beautiful curation. Recorded and produced by himself and Dónal O’Connor, Le Solas Faoithine features contributions from Toby Shaer, Archie Churchill-Moss, and Conor Mallon, and can comfortably sit alongside any traditional Irish debut release of recent times. A masterclass.

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