Legendary Irish folk-rock band Clannad celebrated the 40th anniversary of BAFTA-winning TV series 'Robin of Sherwood', with an evening full of iconic tunes from the series, alongside a collation of their greatest hits. The Mic's Sami De Jong reminisces on this night; the band's final ever live performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
Clannad are a band with a long, prolific career going all the way back to its members’ time spent in school (during the early 70s). The revolutionary group, who fused Irish language trad-folk with harmonies/melodies inspired by American rock artists like the Beach Boys and The Mamas & The Papas, influenced many, from film composers such as James Horner to indie-pop artists—most notably U2, and Enya (the sister of Clannad’s Moya Brennan). Their discography ranges from folk-infused 80s pop hits to television soundtracks, the latter being a main focus of the band’s first performance in 10 years, and final ever concert.
The first half of the gig revolved around the 40th anniversary of 80s series Robin of Sherwood, for which Clannad had composed the soundtrack. Pol Brennan explained that this concert had been in the making since tapes of lost tracks from the OST were discovered by the members, giving them the opportunity to share previously unreleased music to the audience during their final send off. The band were introduced by Michael Praed and Jason Connery—both of whom had played Robin in the show—and after an hour of memorable, ethereal hits from the soundtrack (including Robin the Hooded Man, Strange Land, and Lady Marian) other cast members were invited on stage. The occasion was also graced with by presence of Nickolas Grace, the Sheriff of Nottingham, who was subsequently (light-heartedly) booed by the audience.
"There was a genuine sense of bittersweet nostalgia in the interactions and stories, making it clear that each member was sad to see such a long project finally come to an end."
After a break, the group returned with many of their bigger hits, such as Harry’s Game – Theme, Closer to Your Heart, and I Will Find You (from The Last of the Mohicans OST). A rendition of In a Lifetime, which Bono had famously lent his vocals to, was performed with Moya Brennan’s own daughter Aisling Jarvis, filling in for Bono with an astoundingly impressive vocal performance. In-between each track, Pol, Moya and Ciaran Brennan would explain their personal creative stories surrounding each song: there was a genuine sense of bittersweet nostalgia in the interactions and stories, making it clear that each member was sad to see such a long project finally come to an end. But that didn’t stop the individual performances from excelling. Brilliant extended keyboard, saxophone, guitar and double bass solos showed that each instrumentalist was having fun with their parts, and the multi-instrumental talent of the Brennans was on full display as each of the musicians showed what decades of experience could deliver. The Royal Albert Hall’s grandeur lent itself well to Clannad’s blending of more orchestral styles with different pop-rock elements and the audience reception was overwhelmingly positive, with lots of crowd interaction, especially during the sing-along folk jigs. By the time the encore had finished, the crowd was still clamouring for more, but like all good things—including the band itself—the concert eventually had to end.
Sami De Jong
Edited by Bethany Coldwell
Image courtesy of Clannad on Facebook (2024)
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