Many things stand out about inter-Celtic band Mirrorfield when they take the stage, from their kilts to their easygoing humor and infectious energy.
“We want people to participate in at least half the songs. So they’re going to sing, they’re going to clap their hands,” said Jim Rowlands, guitarist and singer for the group.
“One thing that surprises the audience is they don’t realize when they turn up at the concert that they are part of the show. We get them to sing back, sometimes we get the audience up on stage,” added John Kenwright, who also sings and plays guitar.
And the audience certainly participates when they take the stage ― jumping, dancing, clapping. The band is currently on its first tour of Asia and Korea, appearing on Saturday in Seoul for the Fete de la Musique a Seoul, before moving on to Daejeon and Busan on June 12 and 14. The tour is sponsored by Institut Francais, Alliances Francaises of Daejeon and Pusan, Seocho District Office, Schneider Korea and IdaDaussy.com.
Rowlands and Kenwright began playing music together 23 years ago. The two met in university in England but formed the group in France. Rowlands said they followed each other around in Europe before settling in France. They started as a Welsh band, but now call themselves an inter-Celtic band since many of the different Celtic countries are represented in the band members and their music.
 |
Mirrorfield members pose before an interview with The Korea Herald on June 7. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald) |
The current group of five has been playing together for about seven or eight years, according to Rowlands.
Rowlands is Welsh, Kenwright is half Irish and a quarter Welsh, and bass player Thomas Greuent is Breton, from the Celtic nation in Brittany, France. He also plays bagpipes, which adds a Scottish flair to the group.
“We just love doing it. Celtic culture is very important to us. It’s a very happy, very festive, generous culture. It’s not pretentious at all. People sing along. People dance. People clap their hands,” Rowlands said.
Kenwright added that another reason for focusing on Celtic music was to defend Welsh culture, which is on the decline with fewer and fewer people speaking Welsh. The band sings in English, French, Welsh, Breton and Irish Gaelic.
“There are very few bands who try to play music from all the Celtic countries. And in several languages,” Rowlands said.
The inter-Celtic mix of the group has opened doors for them, leading them to play in music festivals all over the world ranging from Celtic festivals such as the Interceltic Festival of Lorient ― the biggest in the world ― to world music festivals and playing with top music acts such as Deep Purple and Ricky Martin.
The band carries a certain political statement as well. They said they are ambassadors for Celtic culture, but the name of the band ― Mirrorfield ― alludes to the wiping out of the culture by modernity. Kenwright gave the example of the flooding of valleys in Wales for hydroelectric power, which wiped out villages that had been there for thousands of years.
“Mirrorfield is an allusion to the fact that when you get up into the high mountains and you look, for example, into the valleys in Wales, you can see a field of mirrors,” he said.
“Basically the sun shining down on where all these people used to live, and their culture is gone. So, we are ambassadors of inter-Celtic music apart from the fact that we’re funny guys, but there is a certain seriousness behind it.”
By Emma Kalka (
ekalka@heraldcorp.com)
