Reamonn
Cyprus Avenue
Fri 30 Apr 2004
Doors: 9:00 pm
€12
Having sold over 1 million copies of their last album, and playing to crowds of 25000-30000 people in Germany.....Ireland's prodigal son and lead singer of Reamonn, Ray Garvey (we won't hold it against him that he's from Kerry!) returns to his homeland for this special concert. Reamonn is a band of extraordinary talent. Their musical talent notwithstanding, the groups composition is somewhat unusual, for although four members come from the south-western German state of Baden-Württemberg, front-man Reamonn Garvey hails from another corner of the world altogether, namely Co.Kerry, Ireland. Having formed in the dying months of 1998, they forged a performance so impressive that after a showcase in Hamburg barely a few months later, major-labels were falling over themselves to sign the band. Virgin's deal won out, not purely because of sums involved, but because their deal was backed up by people who Reamonn could relate to. 'Tuesday' (named after the day that most of their important decisions have been taken on) is the result and fully justifies the interest shown in them, not just by Virgin but also by you now. It's high consistency of song-writing and breadth of mood confirms this debut as a work of maturity, in the best sense of the word, having a sound that is at once of-it's-time and timeless. "Tuesday" was recorded at The Forge in Wales and mixed at London's Matrix Studios with Steve Lyon, who already had worked with such names as The Cure, Depeche Mode and Paul McCartney. He has captured the authenticity of the bands performance by recording the basic backing tracks in live takes, and achieved a blend of classic sounds - guitarist Uwe Bossert's amps are 60's or 70's originals, as are keys-man Sebi Padozke's Hammond organ, Rhodes piano and Moog synth -with a modern sheen, created by today's array of instruments and effects, balanced so the former weren't lost in the latter. While the band have been providing explosive performances, often to audiences of several thousands, at just about festival worth seeing this Summer, their first German single, 'Supergirl', an elegant elegy to love-lost that doesn't forget to rock, took up residence in the top 10 while 'Tuesday' has hit gold, and is still going strong. In August the group will open for none less than Bon Jovi during their Austrian shows before finishing the festival season in September and retiring to the Tuscan countryside for a couple weeks to consolidate ideas for their second album. Release dates are being set for single and album releases from Finland to Portugal, and Ireland will be getting their first taste of what her exiled son has been up to!
