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REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

 


 

 

 
SOCKS IN THE FRYING PAN - Raw & Ríl: Live 

SOCKS IN THE FRYING PAN - Raw & Ríl: Live 
Private Label 

It was inevitable that after three studio albums and a considerable following garnered on the Irish, American and European festival circuit, Socks In The Frying Pan would attempt a live recording. It was also inevitable that their homecoming concert at the 2019 Fleadh Nua in Ennis be the venue for such a recording. While they would have their choice of festival venues, it’s a good thing that they chose to display their wares to a home crowd. This keeps the link to their roots intact as it was at sessions in the bars of Ennis that the three members of Socks got together and honed their talents.

The Hayes brothers, Shane and Fiachra, and Aodan Coyne make up an explosive, yet tempered trio, that balances Irish traditional roots with English, Scottish and American folk song stylings, and now some original material too. The opening set here roars into life, all guns blazing and full throttle, with plenty of buoyancy from Shane and Fiachra on fiddle and accordion, while Aodan Coyne’s guitar anchors and weaves its way within the canvas. Spaceships & Frying Pans balances restraint and excitement, while Box It & Ship It, Bag It & Tag It is another driving set. Aodan Coyne picks suitable songs, from the traditional Mormond Braes, Charlie McGettigan’s Feet Of A Dancer and Phil Ochs’ When I’m Gone, learned from Dick Gaughan. Together, it’s a white-knuckle ride through Clare music seen through the Socks’ eyes and given their enthusiastic rambunctiousness. It’s Raw & Ríl alright, raw on stage and rílly good too!

www.socksinthefryingpan.com

John O’Regan

 

This review appeared in Issue 131 of The Living Tradition magazine