Screaming Orphans at the Newport Irish Festival

I have to admit that it was the billing for the Screaming Orphans that made me commit to driving to Newport for the Irish Festival and not the advertising of “authentic” Irish food. Black 47 was also performing, and the weather dictated that it was not going to be a pleasant beach day and be it my company had never seen Newport, we crossed over Jamestown to Newport, found parking, strolled the grounds at the International Tennis Hall of Fame before settling in at Crowley’s or La Forge, or both, for mid afternoon refreshments.

While it seemed the crowds at the festival were hampered to some degree by the sticky drizzle, we entered and made our way to centre stage to hear the Screaming Orphans begin their set. They played favorite Irish drinking songs with some of their own touches and their original songs. As the set continued, the crowd... and the band, settled in. Last time I discovered this group, I thought the traditional Irish music they played was first-rate; this time, besides the few favorites they played (Finnegan’s Wake, Whiskey in a Jar), the high point must have been Liar, an original tune they either did not play back at Woodhaven House or did not remember them playing! The song was flavored with a hint of cranberry, but it was excellent. Enough so, I bought it online.

Black 47 followed suit, but by that point I was getting a little sluggish and hungry, and my party was tired of standing in the elements, so we skipped out after a few tunes. Even so, I wasn’t as impressed with B47 as I was with ScOr. And it wasn’t because they happened to be attractive and B47 decidedly not. No seriously, it wasn’t. Their lively attitude and energy seemed to challenge the crowd to get excited regardless of the crowd being mostly ambivalent to their sound at first. By the end of their set however, most of the spectators found their respective grooves and were shaking the cobwebs off of their toe-beats and patented head nod moves. There were even a few enthusiasts jigging out to the Irish tunes and hopping around for the pop selections. ScOr is a fun band meant to be experienced with a beer and met with a lively attitude. Again, a good experience!