The Killigans

    First off let me preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of Irish and Irish inspired music, it is a genre that can convey both the sorrows and joys of life together in one bit of melody, and lets face it, it is awesome to drink to!  The dancing isn't bad either!  So, a couple of months back I was a little leery when I heard about an Irish band here in Lincoln.  I mean there aren't any "real" Irish bars here, so I thought maybe this was just an attempt to jump on the Dropkick Murphy's / Flogging Molly bandwagon.  Yet, I decided that I would give this band a chance, and actually listen to them before I ruled them out. 

        So a couple of weeks ago, I surfed over the web to the Knickerbocker's webpage to see if a band I liked was going to be playing there...they weren't, but the next day The Killigans were going to be playing, and since I was going to be on downtown that night anyway, I decided that I would check out the show.  So I showed up at the venue and saw the band setting up, at about 9:30 The Killigans hit the stage.

        Like I said I wasn't sure what to expect, but a couple of them had scally caps and there was an accordion and a fiddle so I had hope.  They launched into their set and wave of emotion flooded through me that I hadn't felt since I lived in Alexandria VA and used to frequent the Irish bars there to enjoy the music.   I was very glad at that moment that I decided to attend the show.

        Let's talk a bit about the music of the Killigans and the show, what first impressed me was the stage presence of the band.  They took the stage and owned it.  They genuinely looked like they were enjoying themselves up there and that is always a bonus from and audience perspective.  Of course it helped that there were many beer bottles up there, both empty and full!  What struck me about the music was the originality, although heavily by Irish, Country, and Punk music, it still had a feel that it was the band's own style.  They truly capture the feel of the Irish music, the rowdy beer swilling nature of a night out with the lads, sprinkled with a touch of sadness that is always a part of life.  They also played a couple of traditional tunes that are always favorites of Irish music fans such as "The Wild Rover".  Personally, I like a lot of the traditional tunes, but I was very impressed that they focused on their own original music.  Although the crowd that was there to see the Killigans was a bit small, they were a lively bunch and they really got into the music.  I also believe that there were a couple of converts to the band's sound, myself included.  After the show, the band was very accessible and I had a very good conversation with Brad, Chris and Trevor.  Let me say this, these guys are here to stay and I can't wait for their next show! 

Check out the bands website!  www.thekilligans.com