EARLY CENTURY decadence heralded this wonderful band's entry and exit - a skin tight, gold leotarded Jack in the Beanstalk descending and ascending, spotlit from nowhere, contorting languorously to middle earth membranes. The packed 14-24 age group audience mirrored it in the seats with "Kila bop" on the spot.

"Celtic Caribbean" is one possible location for their unique style - raw, almost pidgin, native American evoking, with as Gaeilge vocals from the extrovert, but unpretentious Ronan O Snodaigh. This is a busy, non elitist, hard working band which shares talent and 30 or so instruments with theatrical control and with an obvious absence of need for personal kudos. They are content, too, to let their magnificent lead singer be the magma core of their visual enterprise, with an original steel bar modified bodhran technique and dramatic use of striking body control. Terrific light box projections completed the picture.

The central idiom was Irish, but with no tunes as such. Riffs and Eastern European style, progressively developing two and four bar fragments were worked, up on uilleann pipes, flute, fiddle and whistle.

Bodhran, snare, tom and djembe built out layers of rhythm, while electric guitar and bass with effects constructed a formidable sound. Hammer dulcimer, piano accordion, clarinet, saxophone, bouzouki and trumpet added some precisely metered idiomatic seasoning.

In spite of poor individual instrument sound resolution, Kila here demonstrated a break out from that straitjacket which gives lrish traditional music great soloists but, compared to the Scots and Bretons, weak acoustic new bands. Here was a European style "festival" big band with neither smoke nor keyboards, yet an accessible dance, compelling engagement with its audience. It was all propelled by beautifully warm performance that deserved more than its single, venue restricted Gwerzy encore.