A review from James Allen at the Cambridge Rock Fest of Emerald Sky!
http://blogs.myspace.com/jamesallenofficialmyspaceEmerald Sky
It was an interesting lineup on the Classic Rock Society stage, mixing some more traditional rock acts in with the progressive rock, and first up are Emerald Sky, a 3-piece who played some excellent straightforward rock. They open with Madness, from their second album Shadows Of Darkness, and as the drums roll off we get some Thin Lizzy treble licks from guitarist Ceara O'Neill, then she kicks off with a hard riff before the sound gains a lighter feel as we move into the soft vocals of Aislinn O'Neill. It is an uptempo, melodic track, with some crunching guitar in the background, and Aislinn's wonderful vocals dominate. It flows on with the guitar sound building into an intricate solo with a hard edge, Ceara's fingers playing on the neck, and the solid rhythm from drummer Siobhan O'Neill takes us into a big finish. Next up is Dark Angel, also from the album, and they ease into the intro, the drums tapping and the guitar floating, then the drums kick off, the vocals are smooth and the guitar riff cuts in. It rocks off with the vocals soaring, now sounding more confident, and a great melody rocks us into a considered guitar solo with some flourishes. It is a really enjoyable light, rocking uptempo track and another guitar part takes us to the close. To be honest, Back In Black by AC/DC is an inspired choice given the way they perform it - I have never been a fan or a band just playing the original track and sounding like the original band, and Emerald Sky certainly do not fall into that trap here. They still keep that down and dirty feel, and the guitar sounds great and the rhythm section is so solid, but the vocals give it a whole different twist and the solo has a more laid back feel, and then they build it into a massive finish. Not Alone is from their first album and sees some bluesy guitar flowing as the hi hat taps, then the riff kicks off and we rock. Then it eases back into that blues-rock feel as the vocals come in, building in parts and then the track bursts through harder, with a wonderful melodic theme running through the guitar part, and this hard rocking guitar and the soft, smooth vocals make a great combination while the drums hold the whole thing together. The drums thump us into Movers & Shakers, also from their first album, and Aislinn's bass thuds and the guitar crunches across it all. The drums move on to a rolling rhythm as the guitar sound grows, and the track continues to build as the vocals add another layer. It kicks into a swirling guitar solo, now with an insistant beat, bouncy, rolling, rocking, and over the top of it all we have those wonderful vocals - brilliant.
Then they really ease down, hi hat tapping in, guitar flowing, "you'll probably know this one", and they roll into Green Day's When September Ends, the vocals so clear and hitting every note, the guitar growing and then growling as the tempo rises, while the track still has that easy feel to it. The guitar solo rolls out melodic, and they move on to a big close. A big riff takes us into a more rocking track, Last Train, with the drums hitting out a solid, driving rhythm. The guitar is moving all over the place and there is a great bassline running it, with the vocals floating high above. A biting, melodic solo becomes more intricate towards the end, and the track rocks on into an epic finish. "Are you rocking yet, Cambridge ?", asks Aislinn, and we are ! They continue on with Insurrection, another from the Shadows Of Darkness album, a glorious celtic sound to the guitar to open and then it rocks away with a hard edge before returning to that celtic theme, adding in some flourishes, playing on the neck, and this has become a very accomplished track, a great sound, expertly executed, and it moves into another intricate, flowing guitar part to finish. The bass rumbles us into On The Run and some laid back guitar floats in to join that bass rhythm, with the hi hat tapping, and it is real clap along stuff, and we clap. Then it kicks off rocking, the guitar circling, continuing its theme but harder, the whole sound really growing and the tempo rising. The wonderful guitar theme is joined by driving drums and soaring vocals, and it all comes to a close far too soon. "You guys have been absolutely awesome, thank you", and I cannot help thinking it is us who should be saying that to them for a very entertaining opening slot, which they have handled very well. They close their set with Electric, another from the current album, an uptempo beat with the guitar cutting through, another great rocking number. It moves into a more melodic chorus, the vocals climbing with the guitar, then eases into a more echoing guitar part, picking out the notes, slowly, then building it up, flowing, screeching, and it rocks off again into a big finish to a very accomplished set.