Brian Roebuck

THE MARK ADDY REAL ALE FEST; Sun 28th Aug, 2011

Brian — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:42:41 +0000

Brian will be playing The Mark Addy Real Ale Festival on Sunday, 28th August to Bank Holiday. On this occasion, Brian will be reunited with fiddler extraordinaire, Dezi Donnelly. It promises to be a memorable night.!!! Don’t miss this one !!!!

St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, 17th March

Brian — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:14:46 +0000

Brian will be playing a special ST. PATRICK’S DAY gig at award winning chef, Robert Owen-Brown’s Gastro Pub “THE ANGEL” Manchester at 8:00pm. Robert is preparing a special ‘Hog Roast’ during the afternoon so it should be a good old ‘hooley!!’ For details visit : www.theangelmanchester.co.uk

GIG GUIDE SEPTEMBER 2010

Brian — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:27:16 +0000

An Evening with Brian Roebuck & Grace Kelly

at ‘The Mark Addy’

Stanley Street, Manchester, M3 5EJ
tel: 0161 832 4080
email: info@markaddy.co.uk website: markaddy.co.uk

Sunday, 5th September, 2010 & 1st Sunday of Each Month! at 6:00pm

We are delighted that Grace Kelly and Brian Roebuck are taking up a residency at the Mark Addy on the 1st Sunday of the month starting in September. Diary Date: 5th September and thereafter.

“Anyone who ever listens seriously to Irish Folk music, are in for a treat. Brian Roebuck & Grace Kelly are back in town!! With emotion drenched vocals and melodic whistles, their music will steal away your soul!. The Irish Music Magazine recently acclaimed that “ Without doubt, Grace & Brian have the heart and the art to clatter your old Triangle any day!!”

The band have been entertaining audiences together for over 13 years now and still retain an obvious love of their music. Brian originally played as a solo artist with his band, Liffey Street, and has travelled throughout Europe, USA and Canada. He has guested with the Dubliners, and recorded three albums on the Beaumex label. Brian’s rendition of “Scorn not his Simplicity “ brings a tear to one’s eyes, as he coaxes his guitar and gravelly voice to a Luke Kelly special.

Grace Kelly needs no introduction; An amazingly gifted musician, who is renown throughout the Irish Traditional scene in Britain and Ireland. She plays a variety of instruments including fiddle, accordion and pipes, but is most celebrated for her amazing tin whistle playing. An All Ireland tin whistle Champion, she is one of the finest exponents of the art in the World.

For Booking enquiries please email: brianroe@ntlworld.com

Watch this space for further news regarding Brian Roebuck and the ‘Luke Kelly Tribute’ concerts.
Also visit www.lukekellytribute.com for further details and information.

Dublin, Past, Present & Future;

Brian — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:10:33 +0000

Dublin In The Rare Ould Times sung by Brian Roebuck and written by Pete St. John

“RAMBLES” CULTURAL ARTS MAGAZINE REVIEW OF “A SONG FOR LUKE” WEXFORD 2006

Brian — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:48:05 +0000

Anyone who ever listened seriously to Irish folk music will have heard the distinctive sound of the Dubliners. If you heard the Dubliners you cannot have missed the distinctive voice of Luke Kelly. Sadly, Kelly died at the height of his popularity and probably years before he reached the peak of his performance. Ronnie Drew often referred jokingly to him as “a communist who even gave pennies to the poor.” In fact, Kelly was a man of strong views and many of his best-known songs had a social message. Through these he inspired singers throughout the world and one of these is Brian Roebuck.

From this inspiration we get an excellent album of songs associated with Luke Kelly, sung with an obvious love of the man and the music.

The live performance opens with the reel “Sporting Paddy” and moves into the Dublin song most associated with Kelly, “Raglan Road,” combining Irish traditional music with the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh; although Luke gave the definitive version, this CD offers another very good rendition. Another song linked in many minds to Kelly is “Joe Hill,” and again Roebuck gives it a powerful performance.

On a more light-hearted side he gives us “Whiskey in the Jar” and the great humorous song about a sad profession on “The Monto.” There are a few lovely instrumentals on the album and one of my favourites is “Autumn in Paris.”

So often we forget the vast repertoire of songs made accessible and popular by Kelly and his fellow Dubliners. “Peggy Gordon” is a song in point. Here too you can bang the table and stamp your feet as you sing along with “God Save Ireland” or “Kelly the Boy from Killan.” Both tracks are beautifully combined with instrumental pieces.

The album closes with “The Night Visiting Song,” the last song Kelly sang before his life was cut all too short. It is a Scottish song but Kelly gave it a wonderful Dublin feel and Roebuck carries on the tradition. Ironically, the song fits all too neatly into the end of a life or a concert.

If you were a fan of Luke Kelly or just like good old Irish folk favourites, this is the album for you.

Nicky Rossiter

Rambles Magazine 2006

FolkWorld CD Review -Issue 32 12/2006

Brian — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:44:19 +0000

“The late Luke Kelly is a legend. Brian Roebuck is a Dublin man himself (from Drimnagh precisely), and Luke is his hero since the age of seven, when he started singing Dubliners songs and playing the banjo. Luke kept him from getting into rock’n'roll!! Brian, now based in Manchester, honours Luke’s memory in all his songs. Why Luke? He put so much feeling and compassion into his material. Every song he sang seemed to end up as the ‘definitive’ version. As a folk singer he was awesome, none better. As a character he had charisma. Luke sang his heart out with conviction. He was sincere in his singing. His emotion poured out in every rendition. He believed in his songs. Luke took ownership of them. Kelly gave a voice to the ordinary man in the street. In the sixties he gave us dignity and self-respect. “A Song for Luke” is a collection of classic songs, recorded live in County Cork (because he says the Guinness tastes far better down there!!). Brians voice remarkably resembles that of Luke. He is joined by fiddler Dezi Donnelly, banjo players Marcus Maloney (tenor 4-string) and Pat Kelleher (5-string; see CD-review above). Well, younger folk afficionados might familiar with Luke’s repertory, but no longer be acquainted with Luke Kelly himself. So listen to Brian Roebuck for a glimpse of Dublin’s past. The ballads are still present and remain there in the future as well.”
Walkin’ T:-)M

Follow Me Up To Carlow

Brian — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:00:03 +0000

Brian singing The Four Green Fields

Brian — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:53:28 +0000

Brian singing The Rare Ould Times.

Brian — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:48:43 +0000

‘A Song For Luke’- Irish Music Magazine Review by Sean Laffey

Brian — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:11:00 +0000

Now here is a man after my own heart, there was a time (sorry to admit the anoarkism) that I knew every song in the Luke Kelly canon, oh the agony my poor old dad had to put up with as I lacerated Wean Macula classics in the bathroom every morning. I’ve had a suspicion that Brian Roebuck probably did the same and he’s still at it but he’s a swath’s cut above the ordinary.

Essentially what we have here is a Luke Kelly Tribute band of the highest order. Roebuck’s voice is very close to the original, a native Dubliner himself the accent is natural, nothing contrived which gives him the freedom to let rip unselfconsciously.

Recorded live in Cork (at De Barra’s Clonakilty, West Cork, and The Munster Arts Centre in Kilworth). Brian is now based in Manchester and he’s joined on the album by Mancunian Dezi Donnelly on fiddle and he’s on top form. Alongside those two are a pair of banjoistas, Marcus Moloney on tenor and Pat Kelleher on five string, giving that authentic early Dubliners sound.

There are a dozen and a half-tracks, ‘Raglan Road’ is on there (of course), ‘The Foggy Dew’, ‘The Monto’, ‘Peggy Gordon’, familiar Luke Kelly territory, nothing form the backwoods, it’s a familiar drive through an open well known landscape.

In an age of tribute bands, Brian Roebuck deserves a higher profile and a constant stream of work, from what we have here, he has the heart and the art to clatter your Old Triangle any day. Play it in your bathroom and you’ll be singing along within seconds.

-Sean Laffey