Ireland’s HighTime Bangor Arts Exchange 193 Exchange Street June 7, 2019 7:00 pm
This fresh new trio from the heart of Connemara, Ireland combines Irish music and an intriguing blend of modern folk influences to produce a rich sound and exciting experience to delight listeners. Featuring an unusual line-up of flute, whistles, harp, bodhrán, guitar and vocals (with some Irish dancing steps thrown in!), HighTime make a youthful and energetic statement. Equal measures of music and tradition from old Ireland coupled with bold new arrangements make for a tasty platter of story, music, song and dance from these three young men; hailing from the ‘trad hub’ of Manchester, England and the village of Ardmore on the rugged west coast of Ireland.
The name HighTime came about in reference to a feeling within the band and between its members that it was long overdue (high time) that they started a band seeing as they had been playing together for so long. This is a widely used saying in Ireland and throughout the world. The band are more accustomed to the Gaelic version of this saying as they come from a Gaeltacht (Irish Speaking) area in Connemara in west Galway. This expression has an equivalent in the Irish/Gaelic language (thar ama – pronounced haur – awwmah).