IT MIGHT be one of the most famous landmarks in Britain but later this month Lands End will be coming to south east coast of Ireland.
However, it won’t be as a result of some cataclysmic shift of tectonic plates; instead it will be the band Lands End making a much anticipated appearance at this year’s Dunmore East Guinness International Bluegrass Festival.
Lands End is a diverse group of young musicians who formed only five months ago after crossing paths at the Sore Fingers bluegrass workshop in Oxfordshire in April.
The band is composed of an eclectic mix of members originating from Cork, Galway, Dublin, Munich, Liverpool and Canada.
Having struck up a friendship at the UK event in April they decided to perform a one-off show. However, the success of that performance meant they couldn’t possibly stop there and in the interim they have been gigging throughout Ireland the UK.
While bluegrass is obviously the backbone of the band’s style each member brings an individual traditional influence to the table. The line-up boasts double bass, dobro, 5-string banjo, guitar, mandolin and fiddle.
In addition to playing a wide range of bluegrass standards the band also writes and performs its own original material which boasts Celtic and Baltic influences. Though only in existence for a relatively short period of time Lands End have been gathering huge momentum due to the quality of their live performances.
Commenting on the addition of the band to this year’s line-up of artists, festival founder, Mick Daly, said: “Lands End is a real success story on the bluegrass landscape. Six individuals got together at one of the best bluegrass workshops in the UK, formed for a once-off appearance, and got such a positive reaction they decided to stay together and perform at venues throughout Ireland and the UK.”
“That certainly is a gain for Dunmore’s bluegrass festival,” he added.
Mr. Daly also said the success of Lands End was indicative of the fact that bluegrass is “alive and well”.
“New and exciting bands are being formed the whole time,” he said.
Bluegrass is a genre inspired by the music of Appalachia which itself has roots in Scottish, Irish and English traditional music. Having first come to prominence in the 1940s the genre has retained steady popularity ever since – especially in terms of live performance.
Lands End will play a number of gigs on August 25 and 26, during their time at the festival in Dunmore, and they will join a line-up that already includes some of the biggest names in the genre including: Jack Grace and his Band (aka: The Martini Cowboy), the Jeff and Vida Band, Mikey and the Scallywags, Mons Wheeler Band, Gypsy Rebel Rabble, Knotty Pine and Desert Aces.
The 18th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival will begin in the Spinnaker Bar and Restaurant at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 23. For more information log onto www.discoverdunmore.com
