They may incite the odd begorra (or sacre bleu), but the oddity of a sextet of Frenchmen from Toulouse peddling traditional Irish folk under the moniker of County Clare’s most renowned music centre is obliterated by the band’s polish and panache. Corroboration comes in a self-titled sixth release. The fact Doolin’ was produced by a stalwart of the American-Irish folk scene, John Doyle, in a Nashville studio with assistance from local legends serves only to consolidate the band’s credentials, which are showcased in a perfectly balanced set. Sophisticated interplay between instruments (violin, accordion, guitar, whistles, bodhran and bass) that echoes Irish luminaries Lunasa and the Bothy Band combine with influences from jazz, rock and funk — even rap — to add spice to traditional jig and reel medleys. Doyle’s rhythmic drive on bouzouki helps propel The Road to Gleanntan and Wind Her Up to standout status. In other instrumentals, Mike McGoldrick’s flute imbues Reel Africa with trance feel; Jerry Douglas’s dobro lends sustain to the reflective Le Dernier Kouign Amann and Mary Shannon’s tenor banjo authenticates Mary’s Jigs. Elsewhere, Alison Brown’s five-string banjo embellishes readings of Steve Earle’s The Galway Girl and Bob Dylan’s Ballad of Hollis Brown, rendered by Doolin’s resident singer-accordionist with an inflection that’s more Gaelic than Gallic. The only real assertion of Wilfried Besse and the band’s identity comes in his/their version of Jacques Brel’s Amsterdam, and even that classic chanson gets an Irish makeover.
The Australian
Doolin' in Video :
Last Albums
Nouvel album à paraître
"CIRCUS BOY"
En Tournée 2021/2022
à paraître > voir Article Ouest-France
Doolin'
Compass Records/Autre Distribution (2016)
to listen :
Line Up :
Nicolas Besse - guitar
Wilfried Besse - vocals, accordion
Niall Murphy - fiddle
Jacob Fournel - tin & low whistles, séraphone
Josselin Fournel - bodhrán
Sébastien Saunié - basse
The press speaks about it. :
They’re an all-French band who play
Irish traditional music brilliantly. IRISH TIMES
France’s premier Celtic band… well worth investigating. SONGLINES
Doolin’ is a mighty band. Equally adept at Irish, French and American music, they deliver it all with wit and wizardry. Vive le craic! WXNA Nashville
" knowledge, there hasn’t been a band come out of France
that plays, that honors the tradition of Irish Music as much as Doolin’ does,
and at the same time they bring their own twist to it.”
Compass Records
Scenic references :
— U.S. Summer tour 2018 : Dublin Festival (Dublin - Ohio) / Irish Fair of Minnesota (St-Paul - Minnesota) / Milwaukee Irish Fest ( Wisconin) / Kansas City Festival (Missouri) / Pittsburg Irish Festival (Pennsylvania)
— International tours : Tall Ships Festival (Waterford, Irleand), Whelan’s (Dublin), Das Da Theater (Germany), Fêtes de Genève, Tempo Color (Belgium), Leeds Irish Festival (England), Nueche Folk (Asturies, Spain), Santa Tecla Festival (Taragona, Spain), Matt Molloy’s (Westport, Ireland)…
— French tours : Festival Interceltique de Lorient, Le Cabaret Sauvage (Paris 19ème), Le Bikini (Toulouse), Les Roches Celtiques, La semaine du Golfe du Morbihan, Celt’Istres, Festival irlandais d’Auberives, Jazz à Montauban…
— Tour with Irish dance international company Celtic Legends (2011).
— Participation in the film soundtrack “Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia” (2012). — Concert film “Man Of Aran” by Robert Flaherty.
Next Concerts:
Date | Places | Hour | City | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
03/05/21 | [RÉSIDENCE] L'Aria | 11:00 | Cornebarrieu (31) | infos |
07/08/21 | Festival Celte en Gevaudan | 20:00 | Saugues (43) | infos |
24/09/21 | Salle polyvalente de Saint-Martin | 20:00 | Bréhal (50) | infos |
09/10/21 | Salle Jacques Brel | 20:00 | Castanet Tolosan (31) | infos |