Ispíní Na Héireann – The Academy – Live Review

Ispíní Na Héireann live at The Academy on Thursday the 21st of December.

“We are Ispíní na hÉireann, the Hardest Working Band in all of the Land. For those who don’t know yet, that means The Sausages of Ireland, and we’re called so because we are the slippiest, greasiest dogs going.” – Ispíní na hÉireann

The support on the night came from The Deadlians. Creatures from the planet Deadly? They’re a five-piece from Dublin who mix ‘psychedelic rock, folk and punk’ according to their press release, so a broad church of sounds. One unusual aspect is that their lead singer Sean Fitzgerald also plays trumpet and fiddle. Their short set entertained the small crowd and whet the appetite for the main act. We were told to watch out for them in the Grand Social, as part of the Trad Festival in January.

A sign above the stage read ‘I was touched by Ispíní Na Héireann’ which can be taken on many levels! The band arrived on stage at 8.45 with an entrance more suitable to professional wrestlers than a trad band, although they are not your stereotypical trad band. The vocals have a touch of Ronnie Drew about them but they take inspiration from bands like the Pogues and there is a punk ethos about the live performance with a touch of madness in the air.

The band are starting to receive more attention from fans and media alike with this show sold out. Their headline show in The Grand Social in March of this year was also sold out, although the Academy is a much larger venue, with a capacity of just under a thousand. They did jokingly say they were playing Croke Park next year, and with the Wolfe Tones playing the 3Arena, stranger things have happened!

The band were a five-piece on the night with the two main players Adam J. Holohan and Tomás Mulligan joined on stage by three others, with instruments including banjo, guitar, bodhran, cello, sax and pipes. Later in the set, three additional musicians joined the group, including Santa who turns out to be fairly impressive on the flute!

The opening song was also the opening track of their debut album, The Hard Working Men as we hear the story of their work ethos. Other highlights of the set included Three Lovely Lassies from Kimmage and even the Liveline-inspired song Talk to Joe. Their songs often have an element of humour to them, along with impressive musicianship. The young crowd lapped up every moment, singing along and dancing. As the night progressed, there was even some moshing and crowd surfing which is rarely seen these days. The crowd had certainly come to party in this pre-Christmas gig. They ended the set with one of their biggest hits, Please Don’t Start the Fun.

They returned for a two-song encore, which featured a version of the much-loved ‘Fairytale of New York’. The crowd sang along with every word and despite not having a female vocalist on stage, it was a lovely end to the evening. It’s fascinating to watch the rise of Trad music in Ireland, and while bands like Ispíní Na Héireann are very different from Lankum or John Francis Flynn, they have found a place in the Irish music scene. They’re an impressive live act who have a real connection with their audience. How their sound and lyrics will translate overseas will be fascinating to watch.