SOMEHOW Deiseal brazened out disastrous PA Gremlins at the Cork Opera House on Saturday to win over the audience. For half their effortless spot, lead instruments, were too far back, but after the achievement of some balance these ice cool lads paraded Walsh's Hornpipes, Jimmys' Return and the new Sunshine Dance selections superbly, with Cormac Breathnach's effortlessly bubbling low whistle, Ritchie Buckley's impelling sax, Niall O'Callanain's effects laden bazoukis and Conor Guilfoyle's hard drum.

In this concert format Nomos presented an interesting contrast, not utilising the venue's space thoroughly, but concentrating on powerful and pushy melody driven by Niall Vallely's concertina, and, increasingly, by Vincent Milne's fiddle. Playing familiar sets like New Mown Meadows, Fr. Francis Cameron's, The Saratoga, Corsair and Tartar Frigate, they were the audience's favourites, with local hero John Spillane giving a great showing on Johnny Don't Go to Ballincollig. Frank Torpey's "bubbling bottle" bodhran solo worked well, unaffected by the booming bass end, which had earlier frustrated Deiseal's Paul O'Driscoll.

Davy Spillane fared better with the sound desk, his band's bass and guitar parts working nicely, and keyboards were bright and hard hitting. His low whistle, like Breathnach's, was beautifully paced and pitched, notably in The Hidden Ground Volume was excessive, however, and his pipes were harshly domineering, not hitting home at all on his relaxed Liffey Banks, the frenetic Lady Anne Montgomery, or the concluding McKenna's.