Dirty Three

Dirty Three (Whelans, Dublin)

There is something very special about what happened when that barest and most beautiful of band units, the trio, comes good in live performance.

Melbourne’s Dirty Three are such a triumvirate of musicians/magicians. One on-line obsessive urges the web surfer to “knock down old ladies to get into a Dirty Three show”, and you can see why. Fortunately I didn’t witness any casualties when strolling into Whelans last Friday; that came later, as hearts, minds and ears were devastated by a truly awe-inspiring gig.

Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White play their instruments – respectively violin, guitar and drums – with God-like skill and passion. Any doubting Thomas’ are well and truly won over midway through the second number ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ – and from there on, it just gets better and better.

Part-time Bad Seed Warren Ellis leads the proceedings in magical ‘Fiddler of Dooney’ mode. Ellis introduces each carefully-crafted instrumental soundscape with witty, impassioned between-song banter.

Towards the close of this most enchanted evening he urges the crowd: “ . . . and always remember . . . you are never alone with Dirty Three”, before launching into a mind-blowing ‘Epic’ and coming back for seconds with ‘Remember A Time When We Were In Love’ and the curtain-closer ‘Hope’.

Warren prefaces the last number by remarking that “this song should have been a hit single” and, of course, he’s right.

Dirty Three weave a sublime band of musical chemistry. Truly this was a magic night. Good is not the word. Genius, is still a criminally offensive understatement.

• Eamon Sweeney