A sensational night at the NI Music Awards 2022 at the Ulster Hall, Belfast yesterday. Horslips founder and all-round good egg Barry Devlin (born in NI) was ennobled as this year’s ‘Legend’ and, amazingly, a variation on the theme of Horslips performed (for unequivocally the last time) – on the very stage on which the band had performed its original swansong 42 years previously, on 8 October 1980.
Earlier this year, on 17 March, I had the honour of compering a launch event in Dublin for the forthcoming (next month) 50th anniversary 33CD / 2DVD / 2 books Horslips box set ‘More Than You Can Chew’. Horslips guitarist Johnny Fean had decided to retire on health grounds during lockdown – so the rest of the band were adamant that performing at the event or indeed on a filmed BBC Radio Ulster (extended interview) programme around the same time wasn’t possible or appropriate.
Since then, the approach has been more nuanced, with a handful of sort-of-Horslips performances of 3-4 numbers within larger events, a couple of various-artist public concerts in Ireland and Greece curated by Ireland’s poet laureate (in effect) Paul Muldoon, a private party for a long-term roadie and Barry and Jim Lockhart guesting with the Pat McManus Band at a Horslips fan convention for three numbers a couple of weeks back. The line-up has been Barry (bass/vocal), Jim (flute/keys), Ray Fean (drums – their long-standing ‘reunion era’ drummer) and new chap Fiach Moriarty – the Napoleon of Celtic rock – on guitar/vocal.
Johnny’s retirement had meant Horslips had no ‘big finish’ – no final gig, just gigs in the book that had been cancelled. So last night put that right. Whether or not one calls it Horslips is moot – but spiritually, it was. Ray Fean, alas – who had flown in from London – was hit with food poisoning on the day, but fan Myles Lally (who has depped for Ray a couple of times before, including on what turned out to be their last filmed performance with Johnny pre-lockdown, on a live RTE/TG4 TV broadcast from the 2019 Fleadh, which is included on the box set DVDs) happened to be there and sat in magnificently. Hurrah!
The show was broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster, and available on iPlayer. The performance begins at 2:50:17 (after the award-giving to Barry): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001f530?fbclid=IwAR0G4o-MJzRGxyMhavf3dxIp6H6RXqUFbmLoD28XHQ3mK0rTWSDmT9f5JBg
Four songs were planned – Furniture / Warm Sweet Breath of Love / Trouble with a Capital T / Dearg Doom – but ‘Shakin’ All Over was added in the moment, which causes the broadcast to break away from a pre-recorded interview with Sir Baz about his newfound legendariness!
Uncannily, a day after this variation on the theme of Horslips played ‘Dearg Doom’ at the Ulster Hall, a new digital single of Horslips playing ‘Dearg Doom’ at the Ulster Hall (edited from 1978 and 1980 soundboards – yes, that first ‘final’ show) is released, trailing the box set. You wait decadews for these things and two come at once… 😀
Here’s the montage video for that 1978/80 ‘Dearg Doom’ digital single:
And here is The Variation On A Theme By Horslips playing it last night from a man with a borrowed phone (me):
Can’t wait for the box set to finally hit my doorstep.
Hoping it’s a reinforced doorstep 😀
Don’t worry Colin, SteveT’s butler will probably have it handed to him before it hits the step direct from the delivery guy.
Legends indeed. Too expensive for me I’m afraid, but good luck to them, I’ve been a fan since I saw them play at their height in the ’70s.
You can still listen to their half-hour in the show yesterday on iPlayer 🙂 Link in the post above.
Already grabbed!
That audience are really having a great evening. Enjoying every minute of it!