Opening the show, the young Armagh/Derry five-piece Connla made the most of their festival debut with a winningly vivacious, artfully accomplished set, combining classic Irish instrumentation – uilleann pipes, harp, flutes, whistles, bodhran and guitar – with Ciara McCafferty’s potently alluring, intensely emotive vocals. Again, strong original material featured prominently, together with a rhythmic tautness and attack at times reminiscent of Flook – although it was a cover version that earned their last and loudest applause, as they finished off with an unexpectedly effective reworking of Eric Clapton’s Layla, its unmistakable guitar lick rendered instead by Conor Mallon’s pipes.
Wooden Ship Productions 