Floral Pavilion, New Brighton – 29/09/19
There was a buzz of excitement at the Floral this Sunday night, the kind of excitement that only a night of Irish music can bring. I went to the bar, bought myself a Guinness and settled in for a great night of music from the Emerald Isle. The stage was set, a backdrop of a typical Irish pub and the band ‘The Wild Murphys’ were the entertainment. It was going to be a great craic!
Opening with a duet of fiddle and guitar, it really set the tone for the night. I mean, whats a night of Irish music without a bit of the fiddle eh?! Playing a little teaser of Danny Boy and a few other Irish tunes, this was a real treat. It was so typically Irish. Following on from that, band leader Middi Murphy enters the stage. He promises the crowd a night of ‘great music, free beer and false advertising’ – that got a chuckle from the audience! Middi’s humour really added to the show.
They kicked things off with ‘Whiskey in the Jar’. What a way to begin and a guaranteed crowd pleaser too. It was magnificent. And when it came time to join in with the chorus, the whole audience sang and clapped along. This was a taste of things to come and I loved it. It was a great atmosphere, even at the point of entry, the first song.
The pace and energy continued with ‘Bould o Donahue’, which I think was possibly better than the original Clancy Brothers version and a great rendition of ‘Molly’s Bar’. This is real Irish entertainment… by a group of chaps from North East England! But, that doesn’t get in the way. Music is a universal language, Middi has always said that ‘One Night in Dublin’ and the ‘Wild Murphy’s’ are an Irish tribute. They don’t come on pretending to be Irish, they simply play the music.
Mid way through act one, the band left the stage and Middi was left on his own. He told a few jokes and then went into a solo rendition of the Brendan Grace song ‘Sicknote’. I actually wasn’t familiar with any of Brendan Grace’s material, let alone this song, and as such was hearing it for the first time. It was side splittingly funny. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard and believe me, it took me a while to re compose myself afterwards. I’m sure I annoyed my ‘neighbours’ as I was chuckling well into the next song!
A surprise inclusion in the set was a cover of Greenday’s ‘Time of Your Life’. This although not an Irish song, Middi explained was the ‘sound of Temple Bar’. Every band in every pub would at some point play this song, and in true Wild Murphy’s style, they did a great rendition of the track which was completely different to the original and 100% more Irish!
Bringing Act One to a close with ‘The Night Paddy Murphy Died’, this was a rousing finale to the first act. The whole crowd were on such a high and I personally couldn’t wait to get back in there for Act Two. A quick costume change, Middi was now sporting a Kilt complete with Sporran and the band launched into ‘Nancy Whiskey’ with Middi declaring that ‘there hasn’t been enough Shane McGowan songs yet!’. What a brilliant rendition. They hit the ground running with even more energy than they had in the first act.
Following ‘Nancy Whiskey’ we were treated to Galway Girl and I must mention Middi’s skill on not only the guitar, but he also got his accordion out. Does this man’s talent ever wane!? Another hugely enjoyable moment of the show and every single person was singing along!
This only continued, with Act Two being the Irish Greatest hits, with ‘Tell me Ma’, ‘Molly Malone’, ‘The Irish Rover’ and I have to mention ‘Dirty Old Town’. This took me completely by surprise, beginning with a piano and saxophone duet. The whole band joined in and it was almost full on blues rock. The sax really lifted the song and gave it that blues feel! Brilliant!
Bringing the show to a close, the band kicked off with ‘The Wild Rover’ – Yet another crowd pleaser. Everyone was on their feet, singing along and I even shouted the very Irish and un PC “Right up yer Kilt” response in the chorus. As you would in any self respecting Irish pub. What a way to finish, but no, they weren’t done yet. They very quickly came back for an encore and delivered a great version of The Old Crow Medicine Show’s ‘Wagon Wheel’ before launching into the Saw Doctor’s ‘I Useta Love Her’.
What a sensational night. I left the theatre on such high. Middi and his band well and truly delivered, in fact, I have been to Ireland many a time and seen plenty of Irish bands. ‘The Wild Murphys’ even top some of those who are out playing Temple Bar night after night. Great humour, great personality and fantastic music all coming together to deliver a fantastic night!
