Review: The High Kings- opinion.

Subject: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,Dennis Byrne.
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 08:20 AM

Just came across them on Youtube, from the same stable that brought you Riverdance, and Celtic Women. Seems to be an attempt to fill the gap left by The Clancy Brothers, designed for the American market, painfully un-original but very polished with a lot of push behind them.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,highlandman at work
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 09:48 AM

They spend too much time in the palm-up, jaw-clenching Emoting Position for me, but they have fabulous voices and the arrangements, if a bit theatrical, are high quality. Personally I prefer something with the occasional raw edge. But if you like the highly-produced variety of music, these folks are tops at it.
-Glenn

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,FolkGiant
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 10:54 AM

There are performances of theirs that I have liked and others that I felt were not so much over-produced as over-arranged. Just too many layered counter-melodies and strings and so on that were cooked up by some knob jockey in the studio. I bet listening to the boys themselves, alone, with acoustic instruments would be wonderful.

Cheers,

FG

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: Gavin Paterson
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 11:30 AM

They are better to be heard than seen in my opinion.

There's a Clancy and a Fury in the line up so there is a degree of carrying-it-on.

But, yes, far too polished for me.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: michaelr
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 12:15 PM

The TV show I saw of them had The Goddess - Nollaig Casey on fiddle. So that wasn't all bad.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 12:20 PM

Kuke Kelly - the Rocky Road to Dublin!

L in C

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 12:21 PM

Luke Kelly - the Rocky Road to Dublin!

L in C

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,Mariner
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 03:24 PM

To me they are a boring folk version of a manufactured boy band.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: Mr Fox
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 07:52 PM

What was it Spike Milligan said?

Oh, yes: "That high nasal Irish tenor, known and hated the world over..."

Only this time there are four of the buggers. Horrible, horrible stuff!

And just in case people aren't convinced how awful it really is, here they are doing bloody violence to a Richard Thompson classic..... Have a bucket ready.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: michaelr
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 08:15 PM

Ooh, that really sucks.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: EnglishFolkfan
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 09:41 PM

Found an interview on their website from an RTE show, Finbar said their aim is to reach the Pinacle of Paddywackery and they are quite self deprecating about the boyband imagery too. It seems the American & Home Country audiences that they perform for really enjoy the show so why not let them get on with it, we none of us have to see them if we don't want to.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 11:03 PM

"Seems to be an attempt to fill the gap left by The Clancy Brothers, designed for the American market, painfully un-original but very polished with a lot of push behind them."

Hi Dennis,

Do you really think so? I see absolutely nothing of The Clancy Brothers in their show. I like to hear solid harmony which The High Kings have. I don't like the High Production show which the kings do as well. So I never watch them. If I want to watch eye candy and white bread music with zero excitement I'll watch the Celtic Men or The Celtic Women. harmonically I hear more of The Tannahill Weavers in The High Kings than I do The Clancy bros.

The Makem and Spain Brothers are more like The Clancy's than anyone else and I like their show a ton.

Don

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 01:32 PM

I first stumbled upon them a few months ago. I honestly think they're great. I love their voices. I know they're a little cheesy and a little too stage school but when they're whole "production" image is stripped back they perform a beautiful, raw and energetic show. They seem very down to earth and I like how they've modernised while still doing justice to the much loved folk songs of the past.

Im going to seme them in concert on Thursday and I must say I am looking forward to it

- Sophie x

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 18 Jul 10 - 08:39 AM

I too have only recently stumbled upon the High Kings on Youtube.. and ahve to say their way of saying goodnight actually moved me..... suggest you watch all the way through.. I have nothing negative to say about them.

The Parting Glass... High Kings

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,Sandy
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 07:50 PM

I grew up listening to the Clancy Brothers/Tommy Makem and The Irish Rovers too. I love listening to The High Kings. They have a great barbershoplike harmony.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,The Mighty Quinn
Date: 28 Feb 11 - 08:20 AM

In my opinion, anyone who can even barely tolerate the pretentious stage school-ery of these summer cabaret auditionees, has no understanding of good quality Irish music.
This is painfully phoney and the cringe-o-meter goes off the scale for most Irish people. I almost feel it's our duty in advance to apologize for this embarrassing musical export.
Some accountant is right now humming (badly) their tunes and laughing at all the guillible idiots who pay to listen to this muck. The lads are just totally rapturous that they don't have to audition for amateur productions of the HMS Pinafore anymore.
This crap can be seen in any low grade pub across the back end of Ireland - where it belongs.

M. Quinn.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,fionnamcgill
Date: 28 Feb 11 - 07:00 PM

To all of you saying that The High Kings are so over produced and polished....there is a huge difference between 2008 when they first came out, to now. They were polished for the PBS audience and for PBS pledging (when they try to sell you a CD for $150 when you can buy it on Amazon for $10) Check out some of their newer videos: http://www.thehighkings.com/video/video-the-high-kings-performance-clips/ I also got to see them this past summer and they were awesome...it is just the 4 guys now playing over a dozen instruments between them....check them out again people - They rock!

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: DonMeixner
Date: 28 Feb 11 - 11:39 PM

I like hearing The High Kings. I don't like seeing the show. I prefer them to The Celtic Men.

D

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: sandinmyears
Date: 06 Aug 19 - 09:21 PM

I’m the person who started the post and haven’t drifted off. ;) I now see that the new member (George) who replaced Martin is gone— and not by choice, or so he says on facebook. (Hmmm). The High Kings said at the Iowa Irish Fest this weekend that they have some good news to share soon. I’m hoping the news is that Martin is returning.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: sandinmyears
Date: 06 Aug 19 - 09:26 PM

Ignore my last post. It’s on the wrong thread and I don’t know how to delete it.

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,kenny
Date: 07 Aug 19 - 04:38 AM

If you enjoy that type of music, fine. If not, no one is forcing you to listen to them. Live and let live.
"It ain't rocket surgery" :) [ Rich Hall ]

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,CupOfTea, no cookies
Date: 10 Aug 19 - 10:17 AM

I heard these guys a year or two ago at the Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival, where they present a wide range of styles from very traditional, pop, rock, local and international.
Clancy & Makem, and (later just Tommy Makem) were an annual staple of this fest. There are many of their fans who skimmed the top of what these icons did, without understanding, or caring about the roots. It seems like the High Kings cater to that strata of fans to whom Irish song is a couple times a year, or only in pubs experience. The cliche repertoire turned me off. I walked out on "Fields of Athenry" which was covered by 5 other groups that same weekend. There's skill, there's musicianship, but the format is what pop culture thinks of as trad, not what actual traditionalists like. But we're then minority.
I much preferred Makem & Spain, Robbie O'Connell or Aiofe Clancy.

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: Mrrzy
Date: 12 Aug 19 - 03:58 PM

They do a great version of Star of the County Down...

Subject: RE: Review: The High Kings- opinion.
From: GUEST,beachcomber
Date: 15 Aug 19 - 10:31 AM

Surely it is just four (sometimes five) young men trying to make a living from their talents, thousands have done likewise and many with far less talent to begin with. Good luck to them, one is Finbar Clancy, a son of Bobby Clancy and nephew of Liam's. He knows how to play an audience, having learned with various combinations of Clancys , O'Connells and Powers, his relatives, over a good many years.
Good luck to him and his colleagues, if they're not for the "purists" then those critics may "switch off" . I'm sure the lads won't worry.