REVIEWS

Three recent concerts are reviewed by Irish Timeswriters.

That Petrol Emotion

Spirit Store, Dundalk

No hype, no fuss, no sense of expectation, just a back-to-basics approach, a heightened sense of anticipation, a very swish tour bus waiting outside and making its debut in this venue, a merchandise stall featuring T-shirts - the design of which were decided by a fan-vote on the band's website.

Connecting into the fervent fan-base that started in 1986, which they held in a tight grip up until their official split in 1994, That Petrol Emotion perform as if they've never been away.

Seattle singer Steve Mack went off to join the dotcom boom, while other members drifted away into obscurity and back into The Undertones. Yet throughout their absence, the fan-base feeding frenzy continued, exacerbated and complemented by internet usage. Apparently, getting up on stage to play the old songs again was an offer they couldn't refuse.

So here we are at one of the country's finest small venues, listening to songs we thought we'd never hear live again.

Forged out of the original break-up of The Undertones and infused with a political bite that bypassed the Derry band, That Petrol Emotion were once genuine contenders: highly skilled pop/punk with a scintilla of hip-hop rhythms was their forte, yet despite critical adulation and fans who would go to the ends of the earth for them, the band could never negotiate the right balance between localised adulation and widespread acceptance.

After many years of leaving their CDs undisturbed on the shelves, listening again to the likes of Big Decision, Sensitize, Hey Venusand more, only consolidates further how good a pop/rock act they were and how unlucky they were in not being able/allowed to cash in their chips when their profile was at its highest.

Petrol Emotion return to the fray at a time when - let's be honest - perhaps they are not needed beyond a few reformation gigs to rekindle memories and sell a few T-shirts.

Whatever they do in the meantime is open to conjecture, but it needs to be said that, however long they'll be around this time, it's genuinely good to have them back performing on stage. - TONY CLAYTON-LEA

David McNulty (piano)

John Field Room, NCH

Brahms - Three Intermezzos, Op 117 Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition

David McNulty's change from the advertised programme was certainly not designed to make things easy for him. The combination of Brahms Intermezzos and of Mussorgsky's legendary Pictures at an Exhibitioncalls for high virtuosity and for wide-ranging musicianship. By the standards of most lunchtime concerts, this was a heavyweight, for the audience as well as the performer.

Throughout the Mussorgsky, it was clear that David McNulty had the technique and imagination to create a colourful and evocative account. He took occasional liberties with the instructions in the printed score, but they were always purposeful. His command of tone and volume was nicely focused on the character he wished to create for each picture. This was an impressive performance, but for various reasons it stopped short of being a scintillating one.

Throughout the concert, there was an inclination to do things that seemed more like mannerisms than useful expressive devices. In a musicianly and deeply contemplative account of the Brahms Intermezzos Op 117, stress was too often achieved by delaying the beat concerned.

Also, some of the chords in these pieces have to be spread; but not as many as we heard, either there or in parts of the Mussorgsky. In the Brahms in particular, it seemed as if the player had become over-absorbed in the beauties of the moment, at the expense of larger-scale shape and contrast.

The overall impression created by this very challenging programme was that David McNulty is a player of serious musicianship. Also, that he is an indiosyncratic musician whose occasional eccentricities can be fascinating - when they are not getting in the way. - MARTIN ADAMS

Biggs, Byrne, Ó Cuinneagáin, Turrisi

John Field Room, NCH

This was a welcome fourth instalment of Conor Biggs's series, What Makes a Great Song?The first three concerts, devoted to music from Germany, France and Russia, took place last January. Now it was Italy - a country famous for opera, but which also has a largely unknown wealth of art-song.

The format followed the same successful pattern. A selection of songs by various composers was supported by projected slides and commentary; and because the emphasis is on song as a vehicle for poetry, poets receive as much attention as composers, and each poem is read before the performance.

You can't have Italian song without a tenor. So, for the first time in the series, there were two singers. Conor Biggs was joined by the tenor Donal J Byrne, whose lyric tones neatly complemented Biggs's bass voice.

Throughout this concert, Pádhraic Ó Cuinneagáin's pianism showed finesse and musical intelligence.

The poems were read by Francesco Turrisi; and his inherently musical intonation reminded me of a wistful comment written more than 300 years ago by John Dryden, who, when he was struggling with the problems inherent in writing quality English verse suited to musical setting, declared that Italian seemed to be invented for music and poetry.

Exactly! Although Conor Biggs was marginally less native-sounding in Italian than in the other languages he had presented, this concert was an authentic voyage of discovery. Gems by Rossini, Verdi,

Donizetti, Mercadante and even the very non-Italian Schubert and Liszt, came across as if transported directly from their places of birth.

The songs were written for the salons of France, Germany and Italy; and those are now long-gone. But this impeccably crafted and presented evening opened their doors just enough for us to understand their nature, and the expressive world of this music. - MARTIN ADAMS