Reviews

Live music: The Blades - The Olympia, Dublin

Paul Cleary’s appearance at a tribute to the late Radiators frontman Phil Chevron in the Olympia last August came as a complete surprise. His brief set was so rapturously received that he finally agreed to reform his first band, The Blades — after a mere 27 years.

At their comeback gig, The Blades opened with ‘The Last Man in Europe’. At 54, Cleary seems to have aged little since his band’s late ’70s/early ‘80s heyday, and he still has the charisma and self-confidence of old. The Blades’ classic singles seem just as timeless. ‘Hot For You’, ‘Ghost of a Chance’, ‘The Bride Wore White’: the three-minute pop songs are just as perfect now as when they first graced the airwaves way back when.

In their time, The Blades were often compared to The Jam. It’s true they had much in common: sharp suits, sharp songs, a spiky attitude. But whereas Paul Weller’s songwriting leaned towards the polemical, Cleary always favoured the personal. His lovesongs were tinged with sadness and regret, but still had in them some glimmer of belief in the promise of romance and happiness.

Cleary also had musical ambitions beyond the confines of a guitar band. On ‘Downmarket’, arguably The Blades’ finest moment, he added a brass section to the mix. Never has a song about being stuck in a rut (“I’m not waiting at an airport, I’m not waiting at a station, I’m just waiting at a bus-stop… Downmarket!”) sounded so ebullient. At the Olympia, the band obliged the cheering crowd by playing it twice.

One of Cleary’s most poignant songs came after The Blades, in the shape of his first solo single, ‘Some People Smile’. Cleary now elects to play it alone, and it seems more heartbreaking than ever.

Songs age. People change. It follows that most bands should never reform, at least not after nearly 30 years. On the evidence of their brace of gigs at the Olympia, however, The Blades are the exception to the rule. They may never have been destined to top the charts or embark on grandiose world tours, but as local heroes go, we never had it so good.

Panto: Jack and the Beanstalk - The Everyman, Cork

A grown man twerking, jokes about Education Minister Ruairi Quinn… a magic goose. It’s panto time. Oh yes it is. Jack and the Beanstalk is a hit with all ages. My seven- and five-year-old were the perfect age for the slapstick humour and puns. The dame flashing her bloomers as she bounded across the stage on a giant spacehopper in the ‘chase scene’ was one of the highlights.

Adults enjoyed Jim Mulcahy, in fine form as long-suffering Mammy Dawe, who has to put up with seven children, including her optimistic son, Jack Dawe (Lee Matthews); along with his saucy girlfriend, Jill (April Kelly); and her tantrum-throwing daughter, Marjorie (Fionula Linehan). Mulcahy relished the role, and while the jokes were scripted, expressions such as “merciful hour” and “ah now we’re suckin’ diesel” put a local slant on the panto and helped make itspontaneous and funny for adults as well.

Producer/director Catherine Mahon-Buckley, and script-writer Martin Higgins, have produced a lively, entertaining show.

Everyone was jokingly given 3D glasses on the way in, and every so often a member of the cast would encourage us all to don them. The magical scenes, such as the rapidly-growing beanstalk, impressed young children and there were so many costume changes that my little girl couldn’t decide which flouncy, rainbow-coloured outfit she liked best. I don’t need magic beans to tell me I’ll end up ferrying someone in a tutu to dance lessons after Christmas.

The milking of Daisy the Cow, and Gertie the Goose producing another golden egg, were classic panto moments that had everyone laughing. References to Love/Hate from dastardly baddie, Con McSleeveen (Michael Sands), provided current jokes.

Jack and the Beanstalk will be at the Everyman on MacCurtain Street until Jan 12 — but some performances are sold out, so don’t dawdle.

www.everymancork.com/2013/08/jack-and-the-beanstalk