REVIEWS

Flip Flop Festival: Roísín agus an RónPavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire  JUST BEFORE the performance of this Irish-language shadow puppet show, Niamh Lawlor from Púca Puppets gently ran through the story in English, mentioning key words in Irish to help out those whose Irish might be a bit rusty. This set our minds at ease and allowed children and adults alike to relax into the lyrical rhythms and sounds of the script, written by poet Núala Ní Dhómhnaill.

The inspiration for Róisín agus an Rón came from old Irish and Scottish stories about seal people. In this story, Róisín goes swimming with a seal, and when she becomes entangled in the nets of a trawler, the seal changes into a boy to save her.

The use of shadow puppets and painterly scenes has a naturalistic appeal which allows the magical elements of the story to be completely acceptable. So we are not surprised when Ronan (the seal boy) barks instead of speaking and we are drawn further into the mystery of his existence when we discover that a curse has been placed on the owner of the seal skin (you see, the captain sells the valuable seal skin found in his net).

The story loses some pace at the seal tribunal (partly because the Irish dialogue gets a bit too long and complex for some of us), yet the skilful manipulation of images of seals inquiring into the captain's actions remains one of the most striking visual scenes in the show.

The musical score, composed by Colm Ó Snodaigh, adds to the atmosphere.

At the end, puppeteers Niamh Lawlor and Mícheál Ó Gruagáin came on stage to answer questions and explain how the puppets and the scenery were made. But rather than demystify the process of shadow puppetry for us, they instead left us feeling greater admiration for the subtle attention to detail required for such a fluid performance.

Róisín agus an Rónis on tour throughout Ireland

Sylvia Thompson

Vampire WeekendAmbassador, Dublin

THE CURRENT musical landscape may demand that bands press the flesh of their audiences worldwide several times throughout a tour, but this show was Vampire Weekend's first visit to Dublin and by starving fans of their presence they merely guaranteed themselves the warmest of welcomes.

If the press surrounding Vampire Weekend was to be believed, the band members could only ever appear in public wearing skinny jeans, tucked-in shirts and designer sweaters while boasting about their Ivy League backgrounds. Such has been the labelling of the Columbia University graduates as "preppy" that the reality should come as a disappointment.

Thankfully, it doesn't. Frontman Ezra Koenig may be used to having an ego-bloating gaggle of female fans in his line of vision, but this young band is all about the music. And as for only appealing to indie kids, the New Yorkers attracted a diverse selection of age groups, gathered anxiously to catch a glimpse of the much-hyped four-piece.

By the fourth song, I Stand Corrected, everyone was dancing. The call and response chorus of One (Blake's Got A New Face) was a stand-out as the personable Koenig coaxed a singalong from even the most tone-deaf.

Blending Afropop with Talking Heads and Paul Simon influences, Vampire Weekend have found a modern way of doing something old, and as a new song, White Sky, signified, there's plenty more of the same coming along the line.

The Ambassador has never been blessed with the best acoustics, but the sound was exemplary. From Koenig's guitar lines and impressive vocal range to the crisp snare cracks from Chris Tomson's drums, every note was crystal clear. With an encore that included a cover of Fleetwood Mac's Everywhere, an hour-long set sent the audience home satisfied.

If Vampire Weekend can maintain this standard of performance they won't have to fall back on those third-level qualifications any time soon.

Brian Keane