Theme Night Newsletter - March 2021

Kieran’s newsletter bringing you all the latest Theme Night and Teenage Theme Night news first.

So - here’s what’s new this month…

1 - “Not a Theme Night” well received by audience and musicians alike.

It was fantastic to be able to present this show to you all last month. We got great feedback from so many people all around the world, and a huge thankyou to everyone who watched and supported us.

There was original music in the show from performers Steve Wickham, Seamie O’Dowd, Niamh Crowley, Luke Devaney and I. We also covered music written by other artists, and it was lovely to hear feedback from the likes of John Douglas and Eddi Reader, Michael Rooney and Mike Scott that they enjoyed what we did with their songs and tunes.

You can see that performance of Saints and Angels here.

2 - Mammoth online St. Patrick’s Day Festival Gig

Seamie O’Dowd is at it again.

He put together an amazing line-up for the second (and no offence Seamie but hopefully last!) online Sligo Musicians St. Patrick’s Day Festival.

It was broadcast in two parts, and you can watch it back on the Sligo Musicians Online Festival Community Facebook page.

3 - A podcast you’ll enjoy.

We had Saw Doctors founding member Leo Moran as a guest on In The Lamplight recently, and the reaction to the show, and to Leo himself was just huge. What a humble, grounded person, on top of being a fantastic songwriter and performer. Click on the image above to listen.

4 - One to watch - Joe Gorman

From a well-known Sligo family, Joe was a big part of the first ever Teenage Theme Night back in 2014. He is on the right of the below picture with his Leaving Cert colleagues after their last show.

I had planned to feature his new Shiprecs newsletter this month - a curated package of longform writing recommendations - but then I came across this honest, timely and brilliantly written essay of his this morning. It might take a few minutes, but it’s worth it. Go on - have a read.

5 - A performance brought to mind recently.

One of my piano students recently asked to learn the epic piano solo from Phil Lynott’s Old Town (1:12 on this video).

So boy was I glad that this man put me through my paces years ago when he chose Old Town as his contribution to one of the earlier Theme Nights. It took a bit of learning but it came back to me.

So, for the week that’s in it, something inherently Irish (and a look at how the Theme Nights have changed over the years) - here’s Old Town, from Theme Night #11, featuring Seamie McGowan.

So that’s all the news for March. Don’t forget to watch back the The St. Patrick’s Day gig from last Wednesday.

And if you have a friend who enjoys the theme nights, please tell them about this newsletter. Delivered straight to your inbox, it’s where they’ll hear first about news of any new Theme Night shows. They can subscribe here.

Thanks for reading! Kieran.

Kieran’s newsletter bringing you all the latest Theme Night and Teenage Theme Night news first.

So - here’s what’s new this month…

1 - A new show - Not a Theme Night (!) - Coming Feb 19th and 26th.

This February, Kieran has brought together some of his favourite musicians and performers in Sligo to present two great shows which you can watch online from the comfort of your own home.

Due to COVID restrictions, this show “Not a Theme Night” can't include some of the hallmarks of a usual theme night. However it does include a stellar line-up, some uplifting songs and toe-tapping tunes to raise the spirits.

Performers include Sandy Kelly, Steve Wickham, Niamh Crowley, Seamie O'Dowd and Tabby Callaghan. And, this time all artists are presenting their own choice of material, which has led to huge variety in the set - some relevant to our times, some brand-new material, and some real surprises.

Get Tickets Now

2 - Ollie White sets up a tennis match with Roger Federer…or does he?!

Ollie White was a Teenage Theme Night regular and left that stage with a bang in 2018. He has since performed in 3 adult Theme Nights and we saw a glimpse of his wit in Theme Night #26 last April. Check out the video below for a brilliant synopsis of an epic prank he and his mate Jamie pulled on the whole country last week.

3 - A podcast you’ll enjoy.

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our end-of-year special on In The Lamplight to hear the inside story how 2020’s two Virtual Theme Nights were put together. Part 1 features a stunning new song from the pen of Theme Night Regular Aileen Concannon.

4 - Sandy and Gráinne star on The Late Late Show.

Two theme night regulars - Sandy Kelly and Gráinne McCarthy both appeared on The Late Late Show recently - Sandy to present Philomena Begley with her Hall of Fame award, and Gráinne to sing with the Discovery Gospel Choir.

5 - A performance brought to mind recently.

The Saw Doctors have been back in the news recently - with the success of this version of N17 by Tolu Makay and the RTE Concert Orchestra. And it is stunning, but when it comes to Saw Doctors covers, for me it’s hard to beat this version of To Win Just Once by Sarah Crummy in Theme Night #17.

That’s all the news for February. Don’t forget to check out Not a Theme Night - coming later this month.

If you want to hear all the theme night news first, you can get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Thanks for reading! Kieran.