Brian Roebuck

GIG GUIDE SUMMER 2008

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

Mulligans, Manchester

Mulligans
12 Southgate
Deansgate
M3 2RB
tel: 0161 288 0006

‘Liffey Street’ will play Mulligans (Southgate, off Bridge Street) in Manchester on Sundays (8:30pm) throughout the year from 1st June onwards. Brian will be there in great form along with renown all Ireland traditional musicians, Grace Kelly on whistles (and maybe vocals!!) and fiddler extrordinaire, Dezi Donnelly. There’s always a great atmosphere altogether. It’ll be packed…so get there early for a seat and enjoy the music and craic!
For Booking enquiries please email: brianroe@ntlworld.com

Eugene from Bantry says..”Possibly the best Irish bar I have come across in Britain. No themes, no crap hanging from the ceiling, just a great atmosphere. Liffey Street were performing. They were awesome. What a night! Great Irish band,friendly staff and easily the best Guinness in Manchester.
For Booking enquiries please email: brianroe@ntlworld.com

“Mulligans is a traditional backstreet Irish pub, muched loved by many Manchester locals. It attracts a wide variety of people from regulars having a drink after work, music lovers checking out the likes of Brian Roebuck, Grace Kelly and Dezi Donnelly, shoppers supping an end of day pint and younger folk seeking an alternative to the more trendy bars along Deansgate. In the days of Roy Keane and Denis Irwin, Manchester United players famously started their team nights out in here too. A very pleasant change from the franchised ‘Irish Pubs’ dotted around the city, it’s one of the best places in town to sit back with a Guinness and is also very proud of it’s Whiskey.”

Luke Kelly Tribute Concerts:
Brian Roebuck along with the full band including Grace Kelly and Dezi Donnelly are planning a series of “Rare Ould Times” concerts in Ireland and the UK.
The concerts are honouring the memory of the late Luke Kelly who was such a major influence on Brians music. January 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of Luke’s death and as brian says.. “We’ll carry him in our music wherever we go….he’ll never be forgotten.”

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

The ‘Rare Ould Times Concert’ Review; The Southern Star, Sept 2003

admin — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:51:55 +0000

The Everyman Theatre in Cork played host to a special tribute to the late great Luke Kelly on Sunday 31st August 2003. The show was opened by Aoife Clancy and was followed by the main act, of which some famous traditional names were included. The band, Brian Roebuck on vocals and 12 string guitar, Gerry O’Connor on tenor banjo, Pat Kelleher on banjo, Mick O’Brien on whistles and uileann pipes and on fiddle, Dezi Donnelly.

From the opening bars of nostalga, ’The Rare Ould Times’, the audience were treated to a performance of Luke Kelly’s finest. Brian Roebuck, with his own Dublin brogue in tow, brought songs to life that are rarely heard sung with such feeling anymore. Right through songs like Dirty Old Town, Peggy Gordon, The Town I Loved So Well, the audience were made to feel part of the tribute with many joining in the tunes and shouting requests for songs which showed that there were true Kelly fans amongst the audience.

After the interval the crowd were treated to a stirring rendition of Luke’s moving poem Sons of Roisin followed by the beautifully moving ballad Raglan Road, sung with passion and clarit; the remarkable similarity of Brian’s vocals to that of Luke made the hairs stand on your neck. From this point on the musicians on stage came into their own and once they kicked into God Save Ireland there seemed to be no stopping them , even breaking into an impromptu session of The Masons Apron that could possibly have gone on all night without any objections from the audience.

The two banjo maestros, Gerry O’Connor and Pat Kelleher playing tenor and long neck folk banjo’s respectively, graced the stage with wonderful dexterity . That, coupled with Dezi Donnelly’s ability to make the fiddle talk with perfect diction and and Mick O’Brien’s beautifully flowing whistle and pipe playing, brought together a band so musically talented on stage that one hopes that this was not just a one off, and with the renowned voice of Brian Roebuck, what better instrument is there to pay tribute to possibly the greatest ballad singer this country has known.

With the closing notes of The Auld Triangle the band left the stage only to be called back time and again by an audience that genuinely did want more. As Brian sang the final song- Luke’s version of ’The Night Visit Song’ I swear there were tears in the eyes of the appreciative and knowledgable folk of Cork city and its surrounds. (It was the last song Luke Kelly ever sang on stage before he died in 1984). The tribute concert to Luke Kelly came to an end with a Monto style ‘good night to you’ from from the band and a rousing applause from an audience didn’t want to leave.

Tony O’Donovan

Brian Roebuck

admin — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:39:01 +0000

Brian Roebuck needs no introduction as one of Ireland’s finest balladeers. He has performed as a solo artist and with his band ‘Liffey Street’ in Ireland and Europe throughout the years.

There is always an unquestionable passion and honesty in his music.

A sincerity that shines deeply throughout his songs.

A recent review claimed…

“I won’t attempt to recall what came next when, one classic stormer followed the next. Saturated with emotion drenched vocals, Brian’s power and emotion would steal away your soul!. If ever a singer embraced his subject with respect, there would be none more than this man.”

Brian Roebuck has recorded three albums on the Dublin based ‘Beaumex’ label. He is supported by Gerry O’Connor of Four Men & a Dog fame(Tenor banjo & fiddle)and Mick O’Brien (uillien pipes) along with Pat Kelleher on long neck banjo.

His latest album, launched in Ireland in 2006 is a ‘live’ collection in which he pays homage to the late Luke Kelly. The album was recorded live at “The Rare Ould Times Concert” - A Tribute to Luke Kelly in West Cork . Nicky Rossiter writing in “Rambles cultural arts magazine” describes the album as an excellent collection, beautifully combined with instrumental pieces, sung with an obvious love for the man and his music.”

Dezi Donnelly, Pat Kelleher and Marcus Maloney are literally instrumental in the band for what proved to be a memorable series of shows captured on this 80 minute long album.