Iron and Wine

Our short visit to Dublin was specifically timed so that we could attend a show by Iron & Wine, a band in which Chris and Beth both had a specific interest. From what I can gather from texts about the band, their much like Nine Inch Nails in that the singer/songwriter is Iron & Wine, and the other musicians on stage are performers filling in the holes. From what I saw on stage, however, the band seemed like a much more integrated collaboration. Eight performers filled the stage, and much of the key instrumentation was in the hands of the steel guitarist. Additionally, the one woman on stage had the same last name as the lead, and both wore wedding bands, so I suspect it is a tighter-knit group. Overall I thought the music they performed was okay, but nothing obviously special. Beth told me after the show that setlist tended toward the groups mellowest songs, and their overall sound tended to have a little more energy.

I was much more interested in the opening band, a curious little group called Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit. Johnny rotated through a significant array of instruments, including guitars, a violin, and what I recall being a mandolin. A girl I suspect (and for Beth's sake hope) was Johnny's sister and not his wife, sang back up and played flute. The other two guys in the band shared duties on drums and guitars. I think I felt I got my money's worth out of the show from their brief performance, which was both lively and well tuned for a live setting.