The rhythm kings
PADRAIG BYRNE’S FINAL WRAP-UP OF FESTIVAL FRINGE REVIEWS...
WHILE the Wexford Spiegeltent Festival brought some of Ireland's finest talent to Wexford's quayfront, perhaps the greatest performance that the big top saw over the 12 nights was Wexford's own Extreme Rhythm.
Having played massive concerts in the O2 in Dublin and Wembley Arena in London with pop superstar Kelly Clarkson, the group, led by frontman Nicky Bailey, are once again focusing on their own ‘Primal' shows.
In all the years that The Spiegeltent has toured the world, it is unlikely to have seen a show like this, as Bailey and the rest of the group exploded onto the stage with an awesome energy. The precision and timing that the group show is truly spectacular and has to be seen to be believed.
‘Primal' is an extremely apt title for the live show as both the audience and the group get completely caught up in the beat with members of the group letting out roars every now and again. They were accompanied on the night by a stunning band consisting of two sax players, a piano player, a bassist and a guitarist, who joined the group on every second song and covered a variety of styles.
Members of the group jumped on and off the stage, switching drums with ease while maintaining perfect rhythm. You would imagine that with around ten drummers on stage, some little mistakes would be inevitable, but the level of practice that goes into each show must be immense, as these guys never miss a beat. They play through every song with a smile on their faces and you can really tell that they love what they do.
At one point in the show, four of the group sat down without any drums at all and just played rhythms by slapping their knees and stomping their feet with amazing precision. The show was a sellout, and the crowd, who had been lining up in the cold to get in, were in no way disappointed and were visibly in awe of the group.
At the end of the show Nicky thanked the crowd for their support, saying: ‘It makes us really proud to come back and play a show to a full house in our hometown. It gave us a massive lift seeing that queue all the way along the quay before the doors opened and you've been amazing in here tonight.'
There's no doubt that each member of the crowd will be looking forward to seeing Extreme Rhythm back in their hometown again soon. For those of you who can't wait, the band are due to play a show at Dublin's prestigious Olympia Theatre this coming Sunday, November 18, and for the show they put on, it would be well worth the trip.