Live Review: The Young Folk

On their first Australian tour, Irish band The Young Folk played to an eager capacity crowd at one of Adelaide's hidden gems, The Trinity Sessions. The mainly older crowd filtered in to the unique venue, a church from the early 1900s. The superb acoustics reverberating from the old stone walls and stained glass windows all added to this atmospheric Celtic concert.

Straight out of Dublin, Ireland and touring across the country The Young Folk took the stage comprised of lead guitarist and singer Anthony Furey, keyboardist Paul Butler, Tony McLoughlin on bass and mandolin and, the only non-Irish member, Alex Borwick playing trombone and synths. With the Irish 'gift of the gab' in full swing, and a look that would've been at home in Byron Bay, The Young Folk's interaction with the crowd and between themselves had the already warmed up audience in a jovial mood from the start. "Now, what do you guys do here when it's 38 degrees outside? Melt I guess? You know it's only four degrees in Dublin at the moment and we are loving it," joked McLoughlin. 

A blend of indie/folk/rock, entwined with that inherent sadness that the Irish are renowned for, filled the packed chapel space. The Young Folk are an interesting mixture of influences; a little bit The National, whose hit England they covered, crossed with Mumford & Sons and combined with the melodies and harmonies of Australia's own My Friend The Chocolate Cake. It was a soft, easy listening soundscape of folk, sung with a lilting Dublin accent and highlighted by traditional instruments that pulled you in and made you sit up and listen. Multi-instrumentalists and balladeers all, they swapped roles between and sometimes during songs without ever breaking their delicate harmonies. Their songs told tales of youth, family, home and life, each crafted with musical beauty and charm that had the crowd totally captivated.

They played two sets with a 25-minute interval between, during which they mingled with the crowd for a chat and a drink. The Young Folk played a number of songs off their latest album First Sign Of Morning and some older hits from their debut The Little Battle. Wolves, a song about youthful ventures and misspent youth, was a crowd favourite. The likes of Way Down South, Home, Biscuits and Ode To Sedemunder had the crowd entranced and it was clear The Young Folk were enjoying themselves too. Finishing off with acoustic number Olivia, they invited the 200-strong audience to sing along to the chorus, the impromptu 'public choir' sounding amazing as it echoed from the vaulted ceiling of the old chapel.

As the night came to a close it was clear The Young Folk follow in the footsteps of a long list of Irish musicians who have travelled before them. These bands — Clannad to U2, The Pogues to The Cranberries — paved the way, bringing the world music and story telling that's steeped with Irish culture. From a cold, wet and wind-swept island off the far-flung edges of Europe, battered by the North Atlantic, Ireland has once again sent forth its best.