2010 sees leading Irish traditional band Dervish reach their 21st birthday - and there's still time to catch them in concert at Newtown's Theatr Hafren.
Tickets are still available for the February 6 gig, part of a 17-date Jan/Feb tour of the UK, which coincides with the release of a double pack live CD and DVD Stage to Stage – recorded at concerts in the band's Sligo base and the USA.
Dervish formed in 1989 as an all instrumental line-up and recorded the album The Boys of Sligo.
Two years later singer Cathy Jordan – still a teenager at the time – joined and the embryonic Dervish sound began to develop.
Through years of playing together, the band have become deeply at home with each other’s styles, carefully crafting their arrangements to capture the energy, but also the subtlety and finesse of the Irish tradition.
This has resulted in a recognisably “Dervish Sound” – the result of their own particular exploration of the endless rhythms and complexities that make great Irish music. The instrumental line-up of bouzouki, fiddle, mandola, flute, accordion and bodhran blend satisfyingly together to produce one of the most distinctive, yet expertly balanced sounds anywhere in the folk scene.
After the UK tour, the anniversary year will see tours to America and Europe, but Dervish return to Britain in the summer for a number of festival appearances, including the Avalon Folk & Roots stage at Glastonbury.
Visit www.dervish.ie for more details.
Dervish will be appearing at Theatr Hafren on Saturday, February 6, at 8pm. Tickets are £12 each. Call the box office on 01686 625 007 or book online at www.theatrhafren.co.uk.