Ancient Scottish dub from An Dannsa Dub, in the immaculate Acapela Studio. The recipe for a perfect night out.
Back again to the outskirts of Cardiff for an evening of live music in one of the capital’s quirkiest venues. Off the beaten track, occupying a converted chapel, Acapela Studio features a timber clad concert hall with balcony, along with a recording studio and bar. Despite being tucked away in Pentyrch, some distance from the city centre, the venue has established a reputation for hosting high quality artists over the last decade. Originally built in 1835, the venue features state of the art PA and lighting.
We arrive early for a change. In the past we have rocked up fashionably late and had to make do with looking down on the band from the pews on the balcony. Today we arrive two hours early, having booked a table downstairs, and order two of their near legendary hand-prepared pizzas.
We find ourselves sat next to a friendly couple and get chatting. After about ten minutes we discover that the fella was the vicar who did the honors at my friend’s funeral in Llantrisant about ten years ago. Small world.
Eventually, An Dannsa Dub emerge out of darkness and smoke, like sailors on a ghost ship emerging out of fog. But nice sailors, like Casper the Friendly Ghost, not Pirates of the Caribbean or anything like that.
An Dannsa Dub (The Dub Dance in Gaelic) are following in the footsteps of bands like the Peatbog Faeries, Shooglenifty and Croft Number Five. A fusion of traditional Scottish folk music with beats, dubs and post-rave dance. Formed in 2020, the band is the brainchild of dub vocalist & producer Tom Spirals and traditional Scottish musician Euan McLaughlin. The project fuses the mystical energy and instruments of traditional Scottish music and Gaelic song with the heavy, meditative, driving basslines of digital dub music. Hence the band’s tagline, ‘Future dub from ancient Scotland’.
The gig is part of an extensive tour to promote their new album, ‘Through the Storm’, which was released at the tail end of April this year. The album was produced by old friend of Peppermint Iguana, Daniel Gaudi and mixed by dubmaster Paolo Baldini DubFiles. It’s a concept album that follows the course of a storm, two waves of rising crescendos that thunder around the central track of the record – ‘I, Of The Storm’. The tour is stopping off at several of our favourite venues, including The Lost Arc in Rhayader later this week. Last week they played the amazing Fox n Firkin in Lewisham. Whilst chatting to the merch man come tour van driver we learn that Daniel turned up for the gig, along with many of the collaborators that have thrown spoonfulls of magic into the album.
Tonight, the line up is Tom Spirals – flute, synths, and vocals; Euan McLaughlin – mostly fiddle with a bit of theremin chucked in; Ben Burnside – Drums; Maxi Lemos – Bass Guitar and Nicky Kirk – Guitars, Backing Vocals. Tom and Euan contribute other instruments for the album, but that would get a bit complicated for the live set up. Guest vocalists contribute to tonight through the magic of technology, but the hauntingly beautiful vocals of Josie Duncan are provided organically as Josie slips on and off stage as appropriate.
The set opens with the first three tracks off the new album, ‘The Storm Gathers’, ‘Low Down In the Broom’ and ‘Tha Mi Ar Chall’. The crowd goes mild. They are receptive, and polite – applause and cheers come from the seated crowd. Tom thanks everyone for their welcome and comments that “This is the first time we have played to a fully seated audience. Feel free to come down the front and dance. Although, if you just do you and we do us, and we will have a classic time”. Slowly but surely, the dancefloor starts to fill up and hair is let down.
It’s a ninety minute set that showcases the new album, along with other back catalogue tunes from previous albums, such as ‘Blue Dream’, ‘My Blood Runs Deep’ and ‘Sparks’.
At the end of main set Tom takes time to dedicate ‘All Things Shall Pass’ to the people suffering around the world, from Palestine and Ukraine to America. The crowd is receptive and on the same page, even though Sharon Osbourne would be clutching her pearls if she had been listening. Time and time again, it is reassuring that the creative community are predominantly on the right side of history. The good guys have all the best tunes.
There’s a short break before Euan and Nicky return for a trad instrumental with just guitar and fiddle. The band returns to the stage and we learn that ‘Tombaca’, a tune which involves Josie creating a deliciously rhythmic Celtic vocal is a reworking of an old trad number that has a far more mundane meaning than the you would think. “Oh, the tobacco is dear, Oh, the tobacco is a guinea, Oh, the tobacco is dear, I wish it was less”.
On paper, it makes little sense. A band that play dance music, in a venue that is all seated. But the music is beautifully crafted and intricate, with much to admire from a seat. And once the pizzas had gone down, many got up to wiggle their hips and those that remained seated were tapping their toes. What more can you ask for on a school night? As we walked back to the car, with the summer sun still not quite set, we were satisfied that we had just had a perfect night out. I just wish we could make the Lost Arc gig on Friday. No seats there – it’s gonna be a belter.
*For interview with producer Gaudi – go here – GAUDI INTERVIEW (August 2022) – Peppermint Iguana Zine