Early Music Centre Review
DÒCHAS - NATIONAL CENTRE FOR EARLY MUSIC, YORK- 09/10/06
Hell, I could scratch down every cliché to express how impressed I was with this young band of Highland and Island Scottish and Irish traditional folk ambassadors. I could witter on endlessly about how their fast and furious fingerwork was synchronised across melody instruments-pipes, whistle, fiddle and accordion: note perfect delivery combining to create a tighter than tight collective sound. I could wax wistfully while describing the spellbinding mouth music delivered in Gaelic, full of syncopation and representing perfectly the bowing actions and ornamentations of jigs and reels. If I wasn’t so self-restrained I would even stress further how lusciously full the girls’ four part harmonies flowed and have I mentioned the rhythm section yet? One very yielding goat in the form of bodhran, delivering depth, when played with a brush tipper, yet expressing such dynamic accompanied by a rich piano texture. I could do all this, I could you know, because it was worth a lot more, but I will keep this snappy and punchy. One thing to say really. There is always new and astounding talent surging up through every genre and I get a great feeling when I see it first hand. It doesn’t happen too often, but it did tonight. If you love traditional music, watch out for this band, watch out for this band called Dochas.
Dean Saint John- The Talk Magazine Issue 34 - November 2006