Once is more than enough for Canadians

GERALDINE Hollett feels like she’s come home. It’s an overcast afternoon in Dublin and, gazing at the grey Liffey from her hotel room, The Once’s lead singer has a sense she’s crossed an ocean and yet not travelled all that far.

“I’m from Newfoundland in Canada,” she explains. “There’s a huge Irish and Scottish influence. If you’ve ever been you’ll understand. You’d notice the similarities. I travel to Ireland and it’s like I’m with family. The connections run deep.”

The Once formed in St John’s, Newfoundland’s capital, in 2006. With a rootsy sound that draws on Celtic traditional playing – as brought to Canada by generations of migrants – their music is full-blooded and rollicking, shot through with a powerful melancholy.