THIS band has no vocalist, but flautist Conor Byrne acts as a focus for the audience, engaging in a lighthearted banter that goes well with their traditional style of music. He endears himself with sporting hurrahs, and looked forward to Sonia's race, that night with the introduction to one song, while dedicating another to Michelle Smith.

The band's sound is led very strongly through the twin devices of Breda Smith on fiddle and whistle, and Conor Byrne on flute and whistle. They play predominantly Irish airs over hefty, mostly dance, backing from drums played by Lloyd Byrne (also with Eleanor McEvoy's band), and bass (Joe Csibi, who has played in Riverdance).

Included in the set are the Junior Creehan Set, a collection for hornpipes, Hardiman The Fiddler, which has jigs and a slipjig, and Bunker Hill, a reel which the band has converted from four/four time to six/four. You couldn't keep up with them.

Gavin Ralston on the guitar is far more interested in ambience and texture than in egotistical pyrotechnics, using his "Guvnor" distortion effect for only eight bars of one song. Refreshingly enough, he's a back seat driver of sorts - he doesn't fret too much. At least that's until we get a short blast of wah-wah for the final song, Basil and Thyme.