High Praise for High Kings

Armed with time tested ballads and sweet harmonies that rival the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, The High Kings are well on their way to conquering the music world. Whether at a festival performing for a crowd exceding 5,000 or in the newly renovated and beautifully decorated Erin Room on the top floor of Chicago’s Irish American Heritage Center (IAHC), the Kings will undoubtedly excite all within earshot. Renowned vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Martin Furey, Darren Holden, Brian Dunphy and Finbarr Clancy have revived the Irish ballads by making them accessible to the new generation of music lovers.


Most audiences at Celtic concerts these days are comprised of two or three generations of fans. “We try to pick songs that we think will work across all age groups,” says Holden. With this in mind, the show at the IAHC started with a revamped “Step It Out Mary.” The packed room of parents, grandparents, and kids were whipped into a frenzy from the first chord. To avoid exhausting the crowd, the Kings’ repertoire is perfectly balanced in tempo and tone. Glory days on the pitch ode “Fields of Glory” flowed as clear as the Boyne into the beautifully harmonized a cappella version of “Cavan Girl.” And so went the rest of the first set, rolling along like the countryside hills.

The scheduled intermission gave everyone in the audience, as well as the band, a chance to catch their breath. Upon returning to the stage, and possibly playing on the notion that the Kings are less rebellious than their balladeer predecessors, a band member wryly said, “There’s the most beautiful cup of tea backstage.” Without missing a beat, Martin added, “With a shot of whiskey in it.” The crowd burst into knee slapping laughter. Impassioned performances of “Fields of Athenry” and “The Rising of the Moon” quickly disproved any theory that these lads are subdued performers.

Even the tunes performed without backing music had spirit and energy. With the Kings arm in arm surrounding the center microphone, they showcased their spine-tingling harmonization on “The Auld Triangle.” The audience could be heard loud and clear joining in on the somber chorus.

To lighten the mood on such a dark night, Darren announced a tune from Liverpool was next on the list. All of a sudden, the Fab Four appeared on stage and began playing “When I Saw Her Standing There.” No, not really. It was a fun segue, however, into “The Leaving of Liverpool.” It is a glimpse of the spontaneity one can expect but never see coming from the Kings. 

To end the night, acclaimed fiddle master Maurice Lennon   joined the Kings on-stage for classic sing-along “Whiskey in the Jar,” a rousing rendition of “Irish Rover” that had the entire crowd jumping out of their seats, and an up-tempo version of “The Holy Ground” that closed the set. The applause continued long after the Kings left the stage signaling the crowd’s desire for more. The High Kings will return to Chicago again and hopefully rule the stage for more than one night.