Such a delight to be present at live music again. So close to Christmas, and with new lockdown restrictions being rolled out in Dublin, it was not clear whether this gig would actually proceed. Happily, Aileen and KJ were given the all-clear and, despite a reduced crowd, as a result of the confusion, we were treated to some superb playing and excellent entertainment.
The opening act on the night was Gráinne Hunt, a singer-songwriter who has been part of the fabric of the Irish music scene since her first release back in 2015. She has a very confident stage presence and her fine vocal sits nicely with a fingerpicking guitar style and rhythmic delivery. Grainne included songs from her latest album, Top Secret, which surfaced in late 2019. Both, Let Go and Breathe, were impressively performed and a cover version of Closing Time (Tom Waits) was also very interesting, with a suitably different arrangement and open tunings. Another song, Unacceptable, was co-written after an experience with trying to get motor insurance as a professional musician. The response by the company employee, to Grainne’s confirmation of her full-time career, was “unacceptable” and of course, the seed of a song immediately started growing! Great instincts will get you far in the music business and she certainly has all the talents to succeed.
The Remedy Club setlist was taken from their two albums and, across seventeen songs, they serve a strong reminder of just how polished Aileen and KJ have become, both as performers and songwriters. Their signature Roots sound is expanded with the presence of a full band to fill out the arrangements and old favourites like, I Miss You / When Tom Waits Up / Big Ole’ Fancy and Come On, sound fresh and vibrant. The newer songs are also very strong and highlights like, Fire and Gasoline / Let the Good Times Roll / Time Won’t Wait For Me / Seeing You Again and Reclaim, deliver both quality and resonance.
A cover version of Wild One (Phil Lynott) was dedicated to the memory of good friend and musical talent, Gavin Ralston, who sadly died in 2019. It formed part of a two-song acoustic set with just KJ and Aileen holding court in fine style. The other song was Django, itself a tribute to the memory of Django Reinhardt, and KJ really showcases his dexterity and touch with a sublime guitar performance. Indeed, his playing is of the highest order throughout, always interpreting the song dynamic and adding lots of subtle fills and runs as the melody unfolds. His playing is both understated and innovative, as it lifts the band performance.
All songs from the latest album, True Hand True Heart, were featured as Aileen warms to the joy of being onstage again. She sings with a seductive bluesy tone and showed her powerful vocal range on songs like Reclaim and I Survived, the latter as a final encore that saw her crown a really energetic and engaging performance. An additional encore song, As the Crow Flies (Tony Joe White), was dusted off from the time when Aileen and KJ performed as, B and the Honeyboys, back in a previous life.
The band was comprised of Mark Colbert on drums, Podge Kilbride on keyboards, and Aongus Ralston on bass (brother of Gavin). All three musicians played with a creative economy, always serving the songs and adding great colour to the arrangements. Aongus is a superb bass player and has a warm musicality that adds to the easy flow of Mark on drums, always playing in the pocket and adding some nicely timed rhythmic cadence across the full set. The keyboards of Podge add great traction to the overall sound and his interplay with KJ’s guitars was both impressive and superbly nuanced.
I Got You is a song that KJ wrote for Aileen and it’s performed with the loving care that the lyric suggests; almost a Sonny and Cher memory as Aileen sides up to KJ and gives him ‘that’ look! The stage presence is always confident and poised as Aileen chats with an easy charm between songs, sometimes poking gentle fun at the constraints of being married to a musician who gives Christmas gifts of songs (the aforementioned, I Got You); at others, reflecting on the real frustrations of trying to maintain a career as musicians during Covid lockdown. It’s been twenty-one long months since they last performed as a live band, and that was meant to launch their new album. The ensuing tour was cancelled and here we are, all this time later, the band playing with just a few rehearsals, and turning in a stellar performance. It was a very enjoyable evening and, if you were looking for the perfect antidote to the Covid blues, then this was it – an ideal remedy if you’ll excuse the pun.
Review and photo by Paul McGee