Alison O’Donnell & Bajik
Dublin Crawdaddy
21st July, 2010

Alison O’Donnell was a member of late 60s/early 70s Irish acid-folk rockers Mellow Candle. And while you couldn’t doubt her pedigree, in front of this the very small crowd, she seemed uncomfortable at first. Still, the upbeat Harbour Boy worked well as an opener, and the intricate, bubbly Dated But Still Lovely was a chirpy number. The rockier Dog With A Lion’s Mane hinted at the heavier sound that the band, Bajik, are obviously moving her towards. It was perhaps no surprise then, that, given the 40-year gap, there was only one Mellow Candle song on offer – Messenger Birds. The Zeppelin III-inspired The Page And The Plant highlighted O’Donnell’s sincere delivery, as well as the band’s instrumental talents, and the climax of the show focused on Ireland – both influx and exodus – in the form of Seals In The Sand and Songs Of The Gael. An entertaining evening of folk-rock.