The Henry Girls at Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham - Preview

Post

Subscribe

Posted 2015-10-21 by Andy Coleman ⇒ follow

Fri 30 Oct 2015 - Sun 08 Nov 2015

The Henry Girls are one of the most talked about folk/roots acts to emerge from Ireland in the last decade. They play Birmingham's Kitchen Garden Café on November 1 as part of a short UK tour.

Who are they?

Karen, Lorna and Joleen McLaughlin, three sisters from County Donegal. The group's name is a tribute to Henry, their grandfather.

Type of music?

A blend of classic traditional Irish with a hint of Americana and a nod to bluegrass. Renowned for their fine close-harmony vocals, they are multi-instrumentalists, with harp, fiddle, accordion, guitar, piano and ukulele all making an appearance.

When was the band formed?

The early noughties, but at first they played mostly in the north west of Ireland. Karen and Lorna initially performed as a duo during a visit to Australia and on their return to Ireland they persuaded Joleen to join them on some songs they had written. The Henry Girls was born!

What albums have they released?

Debut, Between Us, was released in 2003, followed by Morning Rush in 2007. Dawn was released in 2009 but it was with 2011's December Moon, which included a cover version of Elvis Costello's Watching the Detectives, that they began hitting their stride. Produced by Calum Malcolm (The Blue Nile, Heidi Talbot), the record got them noticed internationally, leading to European and American tours. Their latest release is Louder Than Words, also produced by Calum Malcolm.

Do other artists rate them?

They do if their collaborations are anything to go by. The sisters have toured and worked on various music projects with Mary Black, Imelda May, Clannad, Sharon Shannon, The Hothouse Flowers, Donal Lunny, Altan and Dervish.

And what do the critics say?

There have been very positive reviews. fRoots magazine described their music as 'full bodied and powerfully dynamic', while Music News Nashville proclaimed 'get ready to listen, folks, because this is something special'. The Henry Girls have become renowned for their captivating, heartwarming and often moving live performances. The Irish Times simply described the experience as 'a joy'.