Final Descent x KLEIN: Macdara Yeates (ir) + ULC Trio (dk/ir)

Join us on a journey from Dublin to Fanø as Final Descent, in collaboration with Fanø Free Folk Festival and KLEIN, presents the Irish singer Macdara Yeates and the Danish-Irish folk music trio ULC for an evening where songs and melodies with centuries of history are given a contemporary twist, with deep respect for the roots of the music.

Macdara Yeates (IR)

The scene surrounding the Dublin pub The Cobblestone has kept Irish folk music alive for centuries, with daily jam sessions featuring both the city’s many local musicians and visiting performers of traditional music from across the country. When Macdara Yeates appeared on the scene ten years ago, he quickly stood out—not only because he was 50 years younger than the average musician, but especially due to his heartfelt singing voice and his impressive repertoire of songs from the Irish songbook. This marked the beginning of the weekly singing event The Night That Larry Got Stretched, organized by Yeates in collaboration with a handful of young musicians who shared a renewed passion for their musical heritage. Many of these musicians later helped spark a global interest in Irish music through bands like Lankum, Landless, and Øxn.

It would take another ten years before Macdara Yeates made his own album debut in 2024 with a release aptly titled Traditional Irish Singing. Here, he interprets songs from the Irish songbook in an intimate and minimalist setup, where his powerful voice is only occasionally accompanied—either by sparse acoustic guitar or a bodhrán, a traditional Irish frame drum. The album earned him a spot on Mojo Magazine’s top 10 folk releases of 2024.

Expect a concert that brings you up close to the Irish singing tradition, led by a remarkable singer and storyteller.

ULC Trio (DK/IR)

Experience captivating interpretations of traditional Danish and Irish music from the 17th century with ULC Trio, who delivered a heartfelt and beautiful concert at the Fanø Free Folk Festival last summer.

ULC Trio was formed in 1996 and consists of three seasoned figures from the Danish folk music scene: Seamus Cahill, a herboende Irish singer, guitarist, and bouzouki player, Sonnich Lydom on diatonic harmonica and mouth harp, and Peter Uhrbrand, a Fanø fiddler. The trio was born out of a shared fascination with the traditional dance music from Sønderho on Fanø, which also served as the foundation for their debut album from 1998.

Although ULC Trio jokingly refers to themselves as Denmark's oldest boy band, and their concerts are always infused with a good deal of humor, their relationship with traditional Fanø and Irish folk music is deeply serious. Their effortless fusion of tradition and innovation is clearly evident on their debut release, Sik og Sejs from 1998, which was recently reissued.

Read more on finaldescent.org