Music
05 Jun 19

The Big Geraniums reform for two Irish live shows

Their street performances brought them national acclaim back in the '90s – and they went on to record two excellent albums. Now, they're back – hopefully with a bang!

Legendary folk-pop act The Big Geraniums are to come out of the woodwork (so to speak!) to perform two live shows in Dublin and Galway, after a short, 21-year hiatus.

The Irish-Anglo-American hybrid outfit are set to play Whelan's on July 11, and the Roisin Dubh in Galway, on July 13.

The Big Geraniums started in London back in 1990, when fiddle player Neil McCartney and guitarist Jonas Read (plus Neil's dog Oscar) started busking together in Convent Garden. Soon, Seanin Hawthornthwaite on mandolin, violinist Laura Forrest-Hay, vocalist Jenny Wood and Dubliner Dara O'Donaghue (guitar and tambourine) joined the fray and they became a fully-fledged band.

They soon received recognition from an increasing number of fans, for their theatrical and buoyant street shows – which landed them a gig at the Kendal Folk Festival in Cumbria.

After a period bumming around the UK, they decided to travel west to Ireland, landing in Dara's hometown of Dublin. They took to the fair city, before taking themselves even further west to Galway. After picking up new members Marcus Molloy and Seamus Sullivan during a successful year-long stint in the City of the Tribes, they began to attract media attention. Hot Press called them "the best unsigned act in the country at the moment." We had a point!

The Big Geraniums blossomed fully in the early '90s, with international tours and two albums, before dissolving down to a four piece in 1996. By 1998, the entire band had officially retired.

Their forthcoming gigs in Dublin and Galway will be their first shows in over two decades and are surely not to be missed.

Tickets will be available at the box office.