Dallahan at first glance are just another young folk group playing up tempo jigs and reels.
Listen in for a couple of songs and you’ll notice a lot more substance behind them.
They sing songs too!
Now I might not go so far (yet) to declare that 2019 is the year that songwriting returned but it’s certainly a trend that I’m noticing.
The tunes borrow influences from Irish and Scottish folk traditions as well as Balkan, Hungarian and Romanian melodies.
I’m sure I spotted an Easter egg of the Imperial March from Star Wars hidden in one of them too.
They joked that they should keep everything uptempo as it was working for Elephant Sessions.
And they did just that as they got the place absolutely jumping.
Little impromptu ceilidhs breaking out around the room.
They joked about getting the crowd doing The Gay Gordons and they actually succeeded Dancing breaking out in the aisles at the side..
If the job of the support band is to get the crowd warmed up then mission accomplished.
Rarely have I seen a support this well received.
Elephant Sessions made a big statement with their stage entrance.
Five big squares of light on the wall lighting up one by one, then the strobe lights within flashing and the smoke cannons blasting.
From the Highlands and billed as an indie folk band, Elephant Sessions play some banging tunes.
Not quite in the same way as the Acid Croft bands of before like Shooglenifty or the Peatbog Faeries.
It all sounds more organic.
With a solid guitar, bass and drum backline and duelling fiddle & mandolin they pound out dance tune after dance tune.
Coupled with the very intricate lighting system they turned the QM into a full on Folky club night.
Which the crowd seemed to enjoy. They didn’t even seem to mind when new songs got an airing.
If there’s one thing sure to kill a dance floor it’s a “new one”.
One of those nights when you think to yourself “Dammit, I wish I was down the front!”