St James's Church in Dingle might be a fantastic live venue for the show Other Voicesbut it just doesn't translate to television, writes MICK HEANEY
GIVEN ITS church setting, it is unsurprising that Other Voiceshas sometimes invited quasi-religious comparisons. The concert series, filmed in St James's Church in Dingle and broadcast on RTÉ2, has been described as "a little hospital for the soul" by Richard Hawley, the normally bluff Sheffield singer-songwriter. Mike Scott of the Waterboys spoke about expressing the "spirit of this part of Ireland" when he performed at the annual week-long event in 2006. And the show's best known moment is a rendition of Hallelujah, as sung by Rufus Wainwright, a clip viewed more than eight million times on the website YouTube.
Other Voicesalso evokes ecclesiastical echoes in a more prosaic way, however. For all the much-vaunted atmosphere surrounding the gigs themselves, the end product is more akin to a televised church service: flat, reverential and ultimately meaningless to outsiders who weren't there. As the ninth series is aired, the main weakness in the Other Voicesproject comes into focus: despite the quality of the acts and the grand cultural claims made for the show by its creator, Philip King, it is dull television.
The opening episode of the new run crystallised the programme’s flaws.
Presented by Dublin-born BBC DJ Annie Mac, the show features promising acts: American indie act The National, highly-rated Dublin singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow and English guitarist Anna Calvi, tipped as one of the stars of 2011. But so familiar was the backdrop and so predictable the staging that the venue actually detracted from the music.
Calvi has built her burgeoning reputation on the back of her live intensity, but this was not conveyed on screen, with the camera using a limited palette of close-ups and band shots. McMorrow was even more poorly served, his low-key performance filmed with such respectful sensitivity that he came across as yet another fey Irish troubador. That the National overcame the limitations of the church is a tribute to their music rather than the programme itself: visually, their performance looked as though it was shot in a rehearsal room. The second show of the series was not much better. Marina and the Diamonds gave a solo turn on the piano which may have been affecting live but was painfully worthy on screen while promising Irish newcomers O Emperor lacked the stage presence to transcend the dreariness of the stage.
These problems have dogged Other Voicessince the Frames performed on the first edition in 2003. With its arched windows and self-consciously atmospheric lighting, St James's Church may be a wonderful place to attend an exclusive gig but it makes for an uninspiring studio setting, the implicit air of hushed awe exacerbating matters. On-screen, there is little sense of chemistry between performer and audience: instead, the camera lingers reverently on the artists.
The show has evolved over the years. Having effectively started out as a showcase for the Irish singer-songwriter scene – the first series featured Glen Hansard presenting sets by peers such as Damien Rice, Paddy Casey and Mundy – Other Voicesexpanded its range. It attracted international artists, expanded its format to include several acts per show and used different presenters, such as singer Jerry Fish and, later, RTÉ DJ John Kelly.
The current run has displayed flashes of inspiration. The sequence where the National performed in a living room was enjoyable, while Belfast post-rock instrumentalists And So I Watch You From Afar injected a welcome shot of adrenalin to the second show of the new series. But with Other Voicescontinually stressing the uniqueness of the Dingle experience – with obligatory shots of Fungi the dolphin to hammer the point home – there is still an air of fawning preciousness to the proceedings.
And the programme remains, at best, a niche attraction. Despite reams of favourable press coverage, the show has never been a priority for RTÉ, remaining stuck in its late-night slot. Though it is sometimes compared to Later With Jools Holland, it has none of the freewheeling energy of the BBC show's live studio arena. Nor does it have the same cachet: Other Voiceshas never broken an act the way that Holland's show has done with the likes of KT Tunstall.
That the show has lasted so long is a testament to the oft-lauded ambience that exists around Dingle during each December filming season.
This festive air has helped attract gig-goers and stars alike, Jarvis Cocker being the biggest name to sample the town's charm for this series. (For the record, this writer has never attended the event.) But Other Voiceshas been built up into something greater.
King, using suitably sacred terms, has talked about the “virtually miraculous sense that with all of the wonderful musicians coming here we’re bringing light to Ireland, and making it considerable in international terms.” It’s worth remembering it is a local music festival King is describing: by this measure, concert promoter MCD would rival the Arts Council as a cultural body.
If people tune into the show, it is because of the music rather than the setting. The online success of the Hallelujahclip is down to the popularity of the song, which featured in the Shreksoundtrack, rather than due to the uniqueness of the Dingle venue. To infer otherwise is to confuse the medium with the message: after all, seven million people have viewed another YouTube clip featuring Wainwright's studio recording of the same track playing over a still from the animated film.
In the end, Other Voicesmay be a thriving boutique festival but it is a mediocre music show. With the onscreen incarnation such a dull experience, it is no wonder the wider viewing public has remained agnostic.
Other Voices
is on RTÉ2 tonight at 11.20pm
