11 October 2022
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
We recently reported that Spillane had released ‘Princess Street’ as a single. Now comes the album
Musician John Spillane
Photo Darragh Kane
Musician John Spillane
Photo Darragh Kane
Processed with VSCO with av8 preset
File photo of John Spillane and Pauline Scanlon at the Cork Opera House. Cork Folk Festival 2020. Photo: Bríd O’Donovan
Renowned Irish songwriter, John Spillane, is set to release his latest album, In Another Light, recorded live with Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra on October 14, 2022. The live album includes performances by John Spillane and Pauline Scanlon with the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra and conducted by John O’Brien and Orchestrated by Kevin Codd, Paul Frost, Daniel Murphy and Robbie Pender.
In Another Light is a career spanning album, the songs ranging from 1983 right up to John’s most recent release in 2020. This album is a result of a live concert with the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra in November 2021 as part of the Right Here Right Now festival. Every person involved with the concert experienced these songs in a different way. For John and Pauline, who have been performing these pieces for years, it meant learning them anew, in collaboration with the orchestra. For the orchestra, playing newly orchestrated pieces brings new challenges and excitement. For the audience members, they could sit back and experience these well known and much loved songs as they have never heard them before.
The resulting recordings are a perfect marriage of true lyrical and melodical brilliance of the songs, lifted by the perfect accompaniment of a professional orchestra. There is a true sense of family and community around this album, how many people does it take to put a show of this scale on a stage? How many people does a musician such as John meet on his journey? We want to welcome everyone into this community, experience these songs with us, hear these tracks that you know and love, In Another Light. Of the album John says, “We have tried to weave this narrative of community and progression into every element of this project, from the artwork with Megan, the mixing with Brian & Sarah at Wavefiled to the video projects with Al. Hearing the mixes brought the whole community of the concert back together for us in the most exciting way.”
Two-time Meteor award winner John Spillane is a musician, songwriter, performer, recording artist, storyteller, poet and dreamer. Rooted in people, place and story, his music transports the listener and his live performances captivate audiences around the world. John’s extensive back catalogue begins with the 1997 album The Wells of the World.
The focus single ‘Princes Street’ is accompanied by an imaginative video, directed by former member of Gráda, Alan Doherty and is the second instalment in a triology of films telling a unique story. Speaking on the series John says, “As In Another Light is a career spanning album including songs I have written between the years 1983 – 2019, we wanted to create the videos in a similar vein. We wanted to work with one videographer across all three videos to have a consistency in the vision, Al Doherty who created these videos has a really wonderful point of view and a great eye, so it had to be him.”
Tour Dates
- September 17 – The Marketplace Theatre, Armagh
- September 18 – Clonakilty Guitar Festival
- October 6 – DeBarra’s, Clonakility
- October 7 – Hot Spot, Greystones
- October 15 – The White Horse, Ballicollig
- October 21 – Cleere’s, Kilkenny
- October 23 – Roisin Dubh, Galway
- October 29 – Gleneagle INEC, Killarney
- November 6 – The Pavilion, Dun Laoghaire
- November 27 – The Spirit Store, Dundalk
- December 2 – Duncairn, Belfast
- December 16 – Doolin Hotel, Clare
- December 18 – The Everyman, Cork
Album release October 14 – Focus track: ‘Princes Street’
