KIERAN HALPIN
KIERAN HALPIN Tel+Fax: 00 44 (0)1750 725595
Email: kieran@kieranhalpin.com
IN THE
LAST 26 YEARS IRISH SINGER SONGWRITER KIERAN HALPIN HAS RECORDED SEVENTEEN
ALBUMS AND PUBLISHED TWO SONGBOOKS. HE HAS JUST RELEASED HIS LATEST - "A BOX
OF WORDS AND TUNES", A COLLECTION OF 12 NEW SONGS WRITTEN IN THE LAST YEAR.
KIERAN HAS UTILISED THE TALENTS OF SOME LONGSTANDING MUSICAL PARTNERS AND
FRIENDS ON THIS ALBUM: CHRIS JONES ON GUITAR, MAART ALLCOCK ON BASS AND GUITARS,
ANTH KALEY ON PIANO, YOGI JOCKUSCH ON PERCUSSION, SALLY BARKER ON VOCALS AND
CHRISTINE HANSON ON CELLO. KIERAN IS A SUCCESSFUL SONGWRITER WITH MANY OF
HIS SONGS COVERED BY OTHER ARTISTS INCLUDING DOLORES KEANE, THE BATTLEFIELD
BAND, VIN GARBUTT, NIAMH PARSONS, ILSE DE LANGE, GERALDINE MCGOWAN, CHRIS
JONES, THE JOHN WRIGHT BAND AND MANY OTHERS. KIERAN'S SONGS ARE PERFORMED
IN CLUBS, PUBS AND CONCERT HALLS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. HIS ALBUMS ARE EAGERLY
AWAITED BY FANS AND MEDIA ALIKE AND NEVER FAIL TO GENERATE SUPERLATIVES. NEVER
ONE TO STAND STILL, KIERAN HAS ALWAYS LOOKED FOR NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO
PRESENT HIS SONGS. IT IS THIS FRESH APPROACH WHICH HAS SEEN HIM RECORD ALBUMS
OF VARYING STYLES ALL AROUND THE WORLD--- FROM A TINY STUDIO IN LONDON (MISSION
STREET); TO NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (THE RITE HAND); TO DUBLIN (CRYSTAL BALL
GAZING); AND ALL THE WAY TO SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (CLOSING TIME IN PARADISE).
WHILST HIS ALBUMS ARE ALWAYS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO, IT IS LIVE ON STAGE
THAT KIERAN MAKES HIS MARK. POWERFUL, PASSIONATE, INTIMATE AND INTENSE, HE
IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE. KIERAN'S VOICE HAS SUCH AN EDGE TO IT THAT HE SOUNDS
LIKE HE'S LIVING EVERY SONG. HE HAS MANAGED TO MARRY HIS INTELLIGENT AND SOMETIMES
THOUGHT PROVOKING LYRICS WITH GREAT MELODIES AND HIS NOW TRADEMARK ACOUSTIC
GUITAR SOUND. ALL OF THIS IS UNDERSCORED BY AN INCIVISE, SARDONIC WIT AND
HUMOUR IN HIS INTRODUCTIONS WHICH HELPS AN AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE
SONGS COME FROM AND HOPEFULLY HINT AT WHERE THEY MIGHT BE GOING. A UNIQUE
WRITER AND PERFORMER, HIS WORK IS AS INDIVIDUAL AS BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, NEIL
FINN, JONI MITCHELL, PAUL BRADY OR JOHN MARTYN. ROCK 'N'REEL SPRING '99 -
"SOLO"…."the whole performance resonates with a compelling immediacy and freshness,
proving that a stripped-down setting is an extremely effective context for
appreciating the songs, indeed for revealing their full power." Q-MAGAZINE
JUNE '00 - "JANGLE"…. "Kieran Halpin is a serious performer. Since his 1979
debut he has produced a series of sharply defined albums, and "Jangle" is
his most ambitious since '93's "The Rite Hand". Strong stuff".
1979
“PORT OF CALL” - RECORDED IN NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND WITH FIDDLER/SINGER
TOM McCONVILLE
1981
“THE STREETS OF EVERYWHERE - RECORDED NEAR EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND AGAIN
WITH TOM McCONVILLE
1983
“THE MAN WHO LIVES IN BOTTLES” - RECORDED IN DUBLIN, IRELAND. FIRST
SOLO ALBUM WITH STUDIO BAND
1985 “LIVE AND KICKING” - LIVE
RECORDING OF 3 CONCERTS IN IRELAND WITH MAARTIN ALLCOCK ON BASS
1989 “CRYSTAL BALL GAZING”
- RECORDED IN DUBLIN WITH THEN CURRENT LIVE TOURING BAND
1991
“MISSION STREET” - RECORDED IN LONDON. WITH DAVY SPILLANE ON UILLEANN
PIPES. PRODUCER DEX SMITH
1992 “AKOUSTIK” - RECORDED IN DUBLIN. WITH JIMMY
FAULKNER ON GUITAR (EX-CHRISTY MOORE AND PAUL BRADY)
1993
“THE RITE HAND” - RECORDED IN NASHVILLE. FEATURING TOP SESSION MUSICIANS.
PRODUCER JAY VERNE
1995
“GLORY DAYZ” - RECORDING OF CONCERTS FROM NORWAY TO SWITZERLAND WITH
CHRIS JONES ON GUITAR
1997
“CLOSING TIME IN PARADISE” - DUO ALBUM WITH WRITER/PIANIST ANTH KALEY.
RECORDED IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
1998
“SOLO” - RECORDED AT ASHKIRKTOWN FARM STUDIOS, SCOTLAND ON AUGUST 23
AND 24. NO STUDIO OVERDUBS
2000 “JANGLE” - RECORDED IN
OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND. FEATURING MEMBERS OF FAIRPORT CONVENTION
2001 "BACK SMILING AGAIN" - RECORDED AGAIN IN BLUE MOON STUDIOS, OXFORDSHIRE
2001 "MOVING AIR" - ANOTHER LIVE ALBUM WITH THE TRULY REMARKABLE AMERICAN GUITARIST CHRIS JONES
2003 "BOOTLEG" - RECORDED IN OXFORDSHIRE. SOLO GUITAR AND VOCAL 2004 "THE ROUNDTOWER SESSIONS" - .........RECORDED AGAIN AT BLUE MOON STUDIOS. COMPILATION/NEW RECORDINGS
2005 "A BOX OF WORDS AND TUNES" - RECORDED AGAIN AT BLUE MOON. FEATURING MAART ALLCOCK,
.........ANTH
.KALEY, CHRIS JONES, YOGI JOCKUSCH, SALLY BARKER
AND CHRISTINE HANSON.
"HALPIN'S MATERIAL IS STARTLING FOR IT'S SHEER CLASS AND ORIGINALITY,
STRONG ENOUGH TO MARK HIM DOWN AS ONE OF THE VERY FINEST WRITERS TO HAVE EMERGED
IN RECENT YEARS" –MELODY MAKER-
"DEAR DIRTY DUBLIN, PENNED BY HALPIN, IS SUFFICIENTLY GOOD TO CONVINCE ANYONE WHO DIDN'T KNOW THE PLACE TO GO AND LIVE THERE" –THE
IRISH TIMES-
"THE MAN WHO LIVES IN BOTTLES"
1983--"A WORK OF VISION AND ASTONISHING MATURITY. THIS ALBUM REVEALS
KIERAN TO BE ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S FINEST SONGWRITERS. A PERSONAL TRIUMPH FOR
HIM...IT'S THE SONGS AND VOICE THAT FEATURE MOST PROMINENTLY AFTER REPEATED
PLAYINGS." –HOTPRESS-
"LIVE AND KICKING" -"....THE LACK OF TECHNICAL SOPHISTICATION
IS MORE THAN COMPENSATED FOR BY THE SHEER QUALITY OF BOTH THE MUSICIANSHIP
AND THE SONGS THEMSELVES...IGNORE IT AT YOUR PERIL" –HOTPRESS-
"THE SONGS HOWEVER ARE
ONLY PART OF THE STORY, HALPIN, MORE THAN MOST HAS A VOICE THAT SELLS THE
SONGS. IT'S UNUSUAL FOR A CONTEMPORARY SONGWRITER TO SOUND SO IRISH (CHRISTY
MOORE APART) AND IT'S RARE FOR ANYONE TO SOUND SO HARD. THIS HAS THE EFFECT
OF ACCENTUATING ALL THE EMOTIONS."
"FOR MYSELF AND MY COMPANIONS IT WAS HALPIN WHO STOLE THE SHOW WITH
AN IMPRESSIVE SELECTION OF SONGS WHICH ENCOMPASSED A DIVERSE RANGE OF TOPICS
FROM THE BERLIN WALL TO HOMESICKNESS. KIERAN CAPTURED OUR HEARTS WITH HIS
EMOTIVE LYRICS AND MYSTIC CHORDS AND IS ARGUABLY ONE OF IRELANDS MOST UNDERRATED
WRITERS. "NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT ALL " IS NOTHING SHORT OF SUBLIME."
-OLYMPIA THEATRE, DUBLIN -