This past year has been a pivotal one for Madra Salach. Emerging from the fecund Irish alternative scene praised the world over, the Dublin folk sextet have struck oil in their melding of the traditional Irish folk canon with narratives about contemporary life.
Cut through an acerbic and unequivocally punk lens reminiscent of The Pogues, Madra Salach released their debut EP, ‘It’s a Hell of an Age’, earlier this year to mighty acclaim. And it was on this release that their original composition, ‘The Man Who Seeks Pleasure’ found particular success, being championed as a rousing and deeply affecting excavation of indulgence and the suffering baked into the delicious pursuit of excess.
With their success came their signing to Island Records, a Homeric odyssey of touring obligations and their first official release under the palm tree: an extended and stirring live rendition of the aforementioned track from their sell-out show at The Dome in Tufnell Park, back in March.
Where the official EP release is minimal yet magnificent, Madra Salach’s London performance of ‘The Man Who Seeks Pleasure’ is a celebration and unabashed advertisement for the sheer power and spectacle of the group’s live ability. Paul Banks on vocals is entrancing in his heft and leadership, steering the melody from muttered mantra to bellowed incantation, while the interweaving acrobatics of Jack Martin and Adam Cullen on guitar and mandolin are a delicate and intricate detail to the weight beneath them. This is all while failing to mention the command and might injected into the performance by the thundering of Dara Duffy on drums and Jack Lawlor on bass, providing vigour and presence to the performance.
In looking back at the classics of the Irish traditional canon, certain composers are immortalised for penning anthems that have become permanently etched into Irish musical history. Dominic Behan in particular stands out, with his compositions such as ‘McAlpine’s Fusiliers’, ‘Building Up and Tearing England Down’, and the seminal ‘Come Out Ye Black and Tans’ painting an image of Irish existence and defiance in the late 19th and 20th century. Today through their live work and on record, Madra Salach take up the mantle from Behan, with ‘The Man Who Seeks Pleasure’ confirming its status as a future stalwart of the Irish traditional canon and the band’s stature among the greats.
Photo by Matt Spratt
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