BBC - Radio 3 - Womad 2004

KILA (IRELAND)

Like many a legendary combo, Kila began their life busking in the drab and dreary streets of a big bad city, Dublin in their case. It's a desirable education for any musician because it teaches you how to vibe up any kind of audience, in any kind of place and at any kind of time. This street-level suss combined with a huge repertoire of self-penned tunes which lean heavily on Irish folk traditions have turned Kala into one of the most exciting new prospects on the Irish music scene.

Their hi-energy live shows are already becoming the stuff of legend in Ireland, and although they comprise only seven members (three Ó Snodaigh brothers, two Hogan brothers and a solitary Dee Armstrong on fiddle) who play the usual collection of trad Irish instruments like flute, bodhran, uilléann pipes as well as bass, drums, guitar and djembe, Kila somehow manage to generate more volts in one show than many other Irish artists do in a whole year.

The latest of their 9 CD releases, ' Luna Park ', is sitting pretty in the Irish charts and gaining plaudits in the US, Spain and other corners of the globe. The readers of leading Irish music mag Hot Press have voted them best trad act for two years running. The band have also been involved in composing music for numerous film, TV and theatre productions. It seems that the Irish have found an inexhaustible source of renewable energy at last...and you can dance to it too!

Courtesy of Andy Morgan, July 2004

Read other people's comments then

Tell us what you think:

Kathy, French blown-in in Eire
Fair play to BBC & go raibh milé maith agaibh (1000 thanks) for de gig. Kila's music's is my favourite buzz, seriously hooked like ! De more, de better ! Kila Abu ! (Go on Lads !)

Timo Leinonen, Finland
The band is absolutely breathtaking. Shivers. And lots of thanks, BBC, for this service.

Sue Paris
I saw Kila around 8 years ago in Paris, and have followed their progress ever since. They're a great group and I'm really glad that it's working out for them. Bravo, can't wait for the next concert here !!

EDDIE
Goes to show, people over time not only trade things, ideas, but also music. The only tangible of all the sciences'

besi scotland
u need more band rithym nd u need a backing sound not just u nd u singing need 2 be more better????

Ian Ipswich
Totally mesmerising. Kila certainly hit my sweetspot in the groove. Fantastic. I need to see these live.

amin uk
ineed to listern zanzibar dumbak

sergio- aix en provence-FRANCE
It's very nice, I'm very grad to have listened to it!

Gonzo, Splott, Cardiff
Kila have always been a wonderous band since they first appeared and even though my computers sound isn't brilliant it's a wonderous gig as any.

Elijah Lausanne
so fantastically different, would have expected it to have come form an arabic country. incredible

Murkey
Just listening to the first track, and bizaarely it reminds me of the the fantastic Jump and Shout by Basement Jaxx!

Alec, reading
Errr... for me Kila were rather dull and definitely didn't bear comparison to most of the excellent acts at this year's WOMAD. Seemed to be more of a case ofthe schedulers going 'I suppose we need an Irish band...'

stuart wright- north warwickshire
ELECTRIC! If you didn't dance for this set, you're dead already!

Mike Grenville, Forest Row, UK
wow! at last an irish band that dosn't sound like a.n. other irish band! Intense muisc almost arabic in flavour. A fantastic uplifting buzz of energy. brilliant