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Horslips roll back the years in
Culdaff
07.08.19
Celtic rock pioneers
Horslips roll back the years in McGrory’s Back Room
by Shaun McLaughlin
“Horslips (cha cha cha), Horslips (cha, cha cha)”
So chanted a wildly enthusiastic crowd punching the
air between songs in a set filled to the brim with
classic tunes that sounded as fresh and vibrant
tonight as when they were first released over forty
years ago.
Original band members Barry Devlin, Johnny Fean and
Jim Lockhart joined by stand in drummer and
long-time fan Myles Lally, delivered a night of
outstanding musicianship that will, like their
original gigs in the local Culdaff Arms back in the
1970’s, go down in local musical folklore. This was
no cobbled together nostalgia trip to feed outdated
egos but rather it was the sound of an original band
playing fantastic songs that reminded us all of the
absolute life affirming power of music when it’s
played live with maximum heart and soul. |
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Original members of Horslips Johnny Fean, Barry
Devlin and Jim Lockhart on stage with drummer Myles
Lally. |
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Armed with a cherry red
vintage Gibson Les Paul played through a small Boss
Amplifier (set up on a Beer Crate!) Johnny Fean's
guitar playing throughout was an absolute master
class of rhythm and lead that at times, particularly
during the extended lead solos, reminded me that
this man has a firm place at the top table of
greatest Irish electric guitar heroes beside his,
sadly departed, friends Rory Gallagher and Gary
Moore who no doubt were smiling down tonight as
Johnny showed the young, and not so young,
pretenders how it’s really done. |
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Johnny Fean, Horslips guitar maestro, on stage in
McGrorys, Culdaff. |
On keyboards, flute and
tin whistle Jim Lockhart added a mystical air to the
proceedings and kept the trad flag flying as he
weaved old tune melodies in and around Fean’s lead
lines and on top of the bedrock fluency of Barry
Devlin's bass guitar which itself was locked in tight
to the expressive and nuanced drumming provided by
Myles Lally.
A bearded and denim cladded Devlin acknowledged the
absence of original Band members Eamonn Carr (drums)
and Charles O’Connor (mandolin and fiddle) and also
thanked a group of Derry fans who arranged an
exhibition of Horslips memorabilia in the Orchard
Gallery in 2004 which was attended by all five
original members and sowed the seeds of various
reunions over the years.
Tonight’s show, the second of a two- night
residency, was part of the Errigal Arts Festival
programme which continues to go from strength to
strength each year bringing much appreciated musical
adventures and carnival colours to the Inishowen
area.
Anthem after anthem including “Power and the Glory”,
“Fantasia”, “Furniture”, “Sideways to the Sun”,
“Warm Sweet Breath of Love”, “The Man Who Built
America”, “Sword of Light” and “Dearg Doom” followed
one after the other until the set closed with a
blistering cover of Johnny and the Pirates ‘Shakin
all Over’ and by that time that’s exactly what the
crowd of young and old rockers were doing until the
last notes faded and the chanting and air punching
began all over again “Horslips (cha cha cha),
Horslips (cha, cha cha)”.
The Plough indeed was well and truly sped! |
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