Twenty-three years after their first appearance in Ireland at Kilkenny Roots Festival and eight years since their last Dublin show, Calexico made a triumphant return to Ireland, the final date on their forty-plus tour celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their ground-breaking album Feast Of Wire. That the venue boasted excellent sound and a near capacity audience added to the overall sense of celebration. Originally the rhythm section in Howe Gelb's bohemian band Giant Sand, Joey Burns and John Convertino formed Calexico in 1996, and their core distinctive and cinematic border sound has remained unchanged since then.
The support act tonight is Brian Lopez, who plays a selection of tracks from his latest album, Tidal. Lopez is also a guitarist in Calexico's touring band, and together with some solo acoustic songs, the other Calexico band members join him for some impressive Tex-Mex-shaped songs.
Feast of Wire's subject matter was migration across the USA's southern borders, and Burns' prediction that - 'The future looks bleak with no sign of change' - on the album's central song, Across The Wire, remains very much to the fore today.
It's evident that most of this evening's audience has been on Calexico's musical journey from the original release of the album and possibly beforehand, and the level of expectation in the hall is apparent when the six-piece band come on stage. What follows is a masterclass in Tex-Mex, Latin rhythms and jazz-tinged Americana as the six-piece band performs the deluxe edition of the celebrated album in chronological order. Calexico's live shows consistently surpass the quality of their studio work, and tonight is no exception. The dynamism, passion and sheer musical brilliance on display this evening are equalled by the slickness of the performance.
That album, as with most of their original material, is rich in instrumentals, and the delivery of the jazz-tinged Crumble, the rhythmic Dub Latina and Guero Canelo are sublime, surpassed only by the crowd favourite Close Behind, which is bolstered by the spectacular twin horns assault, courtesy of Martin Wenk and Jacob Valenzuela. A cover of Love's Alone Again Or and Joy Divisions' Love Will Tear Us Apart which was tailed on to the end of Not Even Stevie Nicks also featured, together with the electronic and experimental Attack! El Robot! Attack!
What follows the sixty-five minutes devoted to Feast Of Wire is equally spectacular. Burns takes the opportunity to credit the musicians, the sound and lighting crew, and the tour and merchandising manager for their input throughout the tour before they launch into a six-song celebratory encore with an up-tempo selection from their back catalogue. Jacob Valenzuela takes the lead vocals on Inspiration and Flores y Tamales, and also included are Cumbia de Donde and Harness the Wind.
It's pointless attempting to highlight any one backing musician who accompanied Joey Burns and John Convertino on stage tonight, given their excellence. Four players, Jacob Valenzuela, Martin Wenk, Scott Colberg, and Brian Lopez, shared over a dozen instruments, and all added vocals. However, overall plaudits have to be directed at Burns and Convertino, whose crystal-clear vocals and phenomenal drumming, respectively, championed what was an outstanding and joyous return to Dublin by Calexico.
Review by Declan Culliton. Phone photograph by Kaethe Burt O’Dea