Jason Ward reviews Maria Doyle Kennedy at Levis’ in Ballydehob
Our ideas of places we have never visited are often influenced by how we see them in movies, in books and on TV. My first ideas of life in Ireland were formed by the movie The Commitments.
In 1991, I had been through Catholic School in England and had many friends whose families had emigrated from but never spoke about Ireland: nobody discussed how life was ‘at home’.
It was the same with the teachers: a wall of silence, a deliberate ignoring and hiding of their secret origins. We never learnt about the Famine, separation, or why there were so many people of Irish heritage in the UK.
When The Commitments was released, it illuminated the culture, attitudes and ambitions of Irish youth. This was not the regular image of Ireland that we saw in the UK. In place of the masked men in balaclavas, cruel nuns, or leprechauns; were regular young people, like us, who wanted to do something with their lives. They were also funny, sharp and sexy.
Maria Doyle Kennedy was one of the breakout stars of The Commitments. She was cast as the beautiful silky soul-voiced Natalie whose character had been invited to join the band as bait for the lads’ fantasy blonde, Imelda. For us English lads, Kennedy was always so much more than ‘the other one’.
Just before Christmas Maria Doyle Kennedy played Levis’ Bar in Ballydehob accompanied by her husband and long-time creative collaborator Kieran Kennedy. The place was packed. Stools and bar stools were shifted and dragged around to make room; a sign was put on the door sending patrons to the back door and a real-life movie star shared a space the size of a large living room with a crowd of West Cork locals.
Kennedy once said that she wouldn’t miss acting but could not pass a day without singing. And when she starts, you realise why; because her songs and her voice come from her soul.
This isn’t the fake soul of pained expressions on TV talent shows, or Aguilera-style meaningless runs or Mariah’s notes for the auditory range of dolphins: this is the soul of telling a story, of expressing an emotion and of telling a truth.
There is nowhere to hide in Levis’. The performer stands at a shop counter or sits at a piano, elbows touching the patrons, never more than 30 centimetres away from those watching. The artist looks into the whites of the audience’s eyes and sees the bloodshot reds, the tired yellows, and the jealous greens.
Kennedy sang songs from across her career. There were folk-infused ballads and foot-tapping barnstormers, trips into trip-hop and even the Bond theme that never was: ‘The Ladies of Bohane’ from 2017’s Maria DK album. The Kennedys are serious songwriters who are experts at their craft, and it is astounding that their material is not picked up by other artists.
There are no showbiz anecdotes in the show. In their place Kennedy tackles social and political issues with strong support for the Palestinians in the face of genocide and she talks about the story behind the song ‘Colour Code / These Streets Are Always Blue’, which ends with her listing names of people of colour whose lives were ended by police brutality.
Out here in West Cork, at the end of Europe, it is easy to feel insulated from social issues. The world’s problems can seem abstract, but Kennedy forcefully brings home the threats, the obstacles and the violence faced by others that we must never forget or ignore. Her music and artistry deliver a plea for social and political justice in a way that journalists and politicians can only dream of.
But in case you think that this gig was a case of big star takes herself seriously, sings, pouts and leaves, then pick up a cloakroom ticket and check that preconception at the door because Maria Doyle Kennedy is authentically herself and the causes she espouses are genuinely meaningful to her.
She is also great fun, encouraging a singalong and even mocking her own lyrics. She once wrote the line “where does the North wind come from?”. But instead of sounding wistful, the line elicited the response “The North” from live audiences and she encourages us to do the same.
Her husband, Kieran, plays guitar, manages a million loops on his pedals and sits down at the piano in the middle of the room for a few songs too.
There is a hope that runs through The Commitments. It is a promise made by Joey ‘The Lips’ Fagan that he can get soul superstar Wilson Pickett along to see the band. But the group disintegrates before Pickett can see them and only erstwhile manager and storyteller Jimmy Rabitte meets the man. In real life the star came to see us in Ballydehob and we will talk about her for a long time to come – even though she didn’t sing ‘Bye Bye Baby’!
Support for this gig was provided by a local singer songwriter Molly O’Mahony who writes beautiful, introspective and melodic songs with hints of Abandoned Luncheonette-era Hall and Oates, Jorja Smith and the more obvious Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones influences.
She is definitely one to watch.
