Dec. 10, 1979 review: Horslips at Stage One

 


One of the better lesser-known bands that came here under auspices of Bruce Moser and Doug Dombrowski from Could Be Wild Promotions:

Dec. 10, 1979 

Horslips’ New Emphasis Brings Forceful Attack

         When Horslips, the Irish rock quintet, decided to drop Charles O’Connor’s folk instruments and assign him an electric guitar, it was feared they would lapse into anonymity. Sunday night in sweaty, smoky Harvey and Corky’s Stage One, they proved such fears were groundless.

         Happily, they didn’t leave O’Connor’s fiddle and mandolin or keyboardman Jim Lockhart’s flute and pennywhistle back in Dublin. Their set was dotted with delightful solos on these instruments – jig-rock, you might call it.

         Those were the numbers in which they sounded most like Jethro Tull, tunes like “Aye, But the Boy Was Green.” They also were the band’s oldest and most familiar offerings. The crowd of roughly 300 cheered those the loudest.

         But Horslips’ new emphasis on rock paid off elsewhere. O’Connor illuminated the material with strong and distinctive guitar lines. The band’s attack was more forceful than ever.

         Their hit a head-bobbing, foot-tapping groove midway through their set with several selections from their new “Short Stories, Tall Tales” album – “Guests of the Nation,” “Ricochet Man” and “Soap Opera” – unfamiliar numbers that charmed the crowd with their energy.

         When Horslips struck up the Guess Who’s 1965 rocker “Shakin’ All Over” in their first encore, it seemed as if they’d make good on their promise to keep people up all night long.

         Opening was a competent new Buffalo blues-rock quintet called Phoenix, whose repertoire ran from Pat Travers to Bad Company.

* * * * *

IN THE PHOTO: Horslips in a 1970s promotional photo. 

* * * * *

FOOTNOTE: Horslips, founded in 1970, revved up old Irish folk tunes and is considered to have been the first Celtic rock band. Comparisons abounded with Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull and Steeleye Span. Popular in England and Ireland, they never become more than a cult item here in the U.S., despite the efforts of Bruce and Doug. They broke up in 1980, but at least three of them are still active individually.

        Remarkably, there's a full accounting of this night at Stage One in setlist.fm:

The Power and the Glory

If It Takes All Night

Soap Opera

Guests of the Nation

Law on the Run

The Man Who Built America

Ricochet Man

Speed the Plough

Sure the Boy Was Green

Trouble (With a Capital T)

Warm Sweet Breath of Love

Loneliness

Dearg Doom

(encores)

Shakin' All Over

Blindman

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