By Evan Flores
If you are looking to escape the hum-drum of life and experience a unique event that will make your week, look no further than MSC OPAS! They are presenting an on-stage concert with the band, The Gloaming on March 29. The Gloaming brings an Irish folk sound to their concerts, and with their variety of instruments and blends of talent, this is a must-see concert.
The Gloaming consists of the band members Iarla Ó Lionaird on vocals, Thomas “Doveman” Bartlett on the piano, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh with the hardanger, Martin Hayes playing the fiddle, and Dennis Cahill with the guitar. The band stands as a group of extraordinary talents and expert musicians each with successful individual careers and masters of their instruments.
The success of the band is known throughout the music world, and they were even known for their music prior to their first album. Before The Gloaming released their debut album in 2014, they were recognized by the Irish Times hailing them as “one of the great forces in Irish music.” The group has quickly become one of the world’s best live performances, showing their talent to packed houses at the Barbican in London, Sydney Opera House in Australia, Mexico City’s Teatro de al Ciudad, New York’s Lincoln Center, and WOMAD festivals worldwide, as well as selling out multiple concerts at home from Dublin’s National Concert Hall to the Cork Opera House.
Their fame has brought them to the attention of their own country, at one point playing for an audience including Irish President Michael D Higgins to commemorate the Republic of Ireland’s first state visit to Britain. The self-titled recording made waves, winning Ireland’s Mercury Choice Music Prize for Album of The Year, Britain’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and making year-end best-of lists in America (NPR Music) and the UK (Mojo Magazine), as well as an “Album of the Year” title from The Irish Times.
Continuing on with their success, The Gloaming’s second album titled “2” was released this past February via Real World and Brassland. They will be coming to A&M this March, and tickets are available at the MSC OPAS website.
