cua are a folk, world and roots music trio based in Ireland
A View from the Fringe: Cua
Limerick Fringe·Saturday, 1 April 2017
Shannon Rowing Club | Friday
Edward O’Dwyer
A woman in the front row is telling Cua she’s excited. She has heard them on Youtube and thought the folk three-piece made some exceedingly “pretty noises”. She is told in bantering fashion: ‘We can do pretty noises.’
It turns out to be an apt appraisal of the show, particularly given the set’s smooth blend of styles, such as the Middle Eastern sounds of ‘The Gimp and the Anvil’.
A rendition of the well-known ‘Ye Jacobytes by Name’ has the small, appreciative crowd entranced early on. Delivered a Capella in a rousing chant harmony, it functions as a rallying cry.
Otherwise, the band’s set is entirely original material, taken from the album and EP they have released to date. The overall sound is characterised by swirling, muscular textures and powerful vocals. Though acoustic, at full pelt, it can even get raucous. One highlight was ‘King and Queens’, a song about ‘how the rich get fat and the poor get beaten’ that makes clear the historical interests and social conscience of this thoughtful, intelligent band.
Limerick Fringe·Saturday, 1 April 2017
Shannon Rowing Club | Friday
Edward O’Dwyer
A woman in the front row is telling Cua she’s excited. She has heard them on Youtube and thought the folk three-piece made some exceedingly “pretty noises”. She is told in bantering fashion: ‘We can do pretty noises.’
It turns out to be an apt appraisal of the show, particularly given the set’s smooth blend of styles, such as the Middle Eastern sounds of ‘The Gimp and the Anvil’.
A rendition of the well-known ‘Ye Jacobytes by Name’ has the small, appreciative crowd entranced early on. Delivered a Capella in a rousing chant harmony, it functions as a rallying cry.
Otherwise, the band’s set is entirely original material, taken from the album and EP they have released to date. The overall sound is characterised by swirling, muscular textures and powerful vocals. Though acoustic, at full pelt, it can even get raucous. One highlight was ‘King and Queens’, a song about ‘how the rich get fat and the poor get beaten’ that makes clear the historical interests and social conscience of this thoughtful, intelligent band.