ED2011 3/5 Reviews ED2011 Music Reviews

The Voyage Of St Brendan: A Postmodern Retelling Through A Mosaic Of Mediums (The Filid: Liturgical RockStars)

By | Published on Wednesday 31 August 2011

A Canadian band recounts the story of St Brendan, the 5th century Irish monk said to have discovered North America, to musical accompaniment interspersed with the odd litany. The medley of guitar, cello, banjo, and drums creates a heterogeneous sound which is folksy overall, but has flavours of Spanish and African music respectively. Succeeding in its goal of offering a space for reflection, the gig interweaves music and storytelling in an almost hypnotising fashion. However, the effect is marred by overblown schmaltz; I think the whole audience was sceptical about allowing God’s spirit “leg room in the car of our souls”. You don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy this show but you must be able to tolerate hokeyness.

St John’s Church, 20 Aug, 6.30pm (7.30pm), £5.00, fpp n/a.
tw rating 3/5
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