Billow Wood will play its first Ballina concert in some time when the group performs in St. Michael’s Church on Saturday, June 15.
The Ballina church was the location for two series of the popular TV music programme ‘Other Voices’ in 2018 and 2020, which saw international artists such as David Gray, Elbow, Denise Chaila, Sam Fender and Villagers play in its tranquil and inspiring surroundings, a setting that is blessed with warming acoustics.
Ballina-based Billow Wood has been active on the music scene at a national and international level for seven years now, playing Irish and folk music fused with mainstream influences and textured with delightful vocal harmonies and layers of instrumental virtuosity. The group’s delightful arrangements of songs and tunes blend together traditional and non-traditional sounds, with both original songs and evergreen favourites among its repertoire of genre-breaking music.
The group has played extensively across Europe and is a particular favourite with German audiences. Billow Wood also trilled audiences at last year’s Electric Picnic, Ireland’s largest music festival.
Earlier this year, the group performed at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City, USA.
Founder members Mark O’Donnell and Harry Lawlor are delighted to be back on home ground and promise that the five-piece band will deliver an outstanding show for their fans.
The band originally came together as Flat Out in the last decade, before changing its name to Billow Wood in 2017, and leading to a number of changes in the group’s line-up.
Special guest on the night will be Niall McCabe, the singer and songwriter from Clare Island. Niall has performed extensively with his folk-soul group The Niall McCabe Band over the past decade, but has more recently being touring with Beoga, and is the organiser behind the Clare Island Folk Festival, which takes place in August.
Tickets for Billow Wood’s Ballina are available from Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/billow-wood-tickets-899169749927?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR17mvJKvR3sGrlCQURVAZVetGDVCJiwy-96gVrmdwosNfkEquSmyLbrozw_aem_ARbFaEkrbjRBfgd6JEdbiMt9c9PF1w6mnt6vgC61v6hvHlJXUNA7DHRaJs4sMC4DyFhMJFOS5mp1XE0-V8MtcxWR
