Thursday, December 01, 2011
Gavin Friday
The Olympia, Dublin
Gavin Friday is touring on the back of his latest album, catholic, his first in 15 years. As he remarks at the Olympia, the project has been received far better in Europe than it has here, where he is more often written off as Bono’s best friend.
This seems a shame. Since he first emerged fronting the Virgin Prunes in the 1970s, Friday has engaged with the notion of Irishness as no other music artist of his generation has done. This is nowhere more evident than on catholic, whose cover features him dressed as Michael Collins lying in state.
Friday opens his set with the Prunes’ Caucasian Walk, and follows with material from the three albums he wrote and recorded with Maurice Seezer, as well as from catholic and a judicious selection of covers. The most effective of these is Jacques Brel’s Next.
Friday reminiscences about his first kiss being the one he planted on the television screen when he first encountered glam rock on Top of the Pops in the early ‘70s. He closes the first half X with King of Trash, his homage to the music of that era.
The highlight of the second half is the arrival of Sinead O’Connor, clad in leather and with her head newly shaved. "Two baldies," says Friday. Two fierce spirits, more like. Their performance is mesmerising.
Friday’s new band is led by his latest collaborator, Herbie Macken from Cork, on keyboards, and features Kate Ellis on cello. It’s a slick, well-oiled combo. At 51, Friday himself remains as fearless and engaging a performer as ever.
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