At times this fully charged performance from Captain Beefheart’s old band was so good, that it felt like dancing on a dead man’s grave. The main protagonist Don Van Vliet (Beefheart) was obviously not present, having passed away last year aged 69, yet the soul of his music certainly figured, as the Magic Band mixed Beefheart’s trademark syncopated signatures with a shuffling straight rock groove to an engaged and appreciative audience throughout.

Mixed emotions were to the fore going to see the remnants of a truly ground breaking and idiosyncratic rock group that spanned three decades (albeit in a number of incarnations), attempt to recreate a sound that was firmly anchored around Van Vliet’s earth shaking, blues soaked baritone.

Remaining from those heady days were Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) on bass, Antennae Jimmy Semens (Jeff Cotton) on guitar and Drumbo (John French) on drums, mouth organ and now taking over the vocal duties from the sadly departed Beefheart.

The trio were one of the seminal line-ups of the Magic Band in the late 60s and early 70s when they helped create some of Captain Beefheart’s most inspired music. All three remain exceptional musicians: Morton thundering away to give the bottom end to equal any heavy rock band, while Cotton conjured the type of dexterous guitar playing that makes Beefheart’s music instantly recognisable. 

Just as in the original recordings, French’s exceptional percussion continues to be the focal point to square the circle of the disparate guitar and bass parts, and although he does an admirable job of trying to recreate one of the greatest vocal ranges in the history of rock n roll, it still leaves one wondering just how out there it would have been to have heard Van Vliet blasting out his creations in his fleshy, guttural pomp.

I will never know; therefore this was a wholly enjoyable musical experience - executed expertly by the people who were part of its very osmosis.

And they pulled out plenty of tunes from right across the back catalogue, including crowd pleasers such as Upon the My-O-My, Bat Chain Puller, Veteran’s Day Poppy and Circumstances. The Magic Band were not afraid to ‘freak out’ as well, playing tracks from 1969’s Trout Mask Replica (an album of which the three musicians are inextricably linked and produced by Frank Zappa no less), which depending on your disposition, is one of the most important art rock records in the canon or an indulgent, bizarre and out of tune head trip.

The live set opened with a rocking rendition of Steal Softly Thru Snow - as well as nailing a fantastic instrumental version of My Human Gets Me Blues – and did not let up on the ‘sweet baby beat’, as Beefheart used to say, for the rest of the night. 

Fans young and old were delighted to hear music they probably imagined they would never see in a live setting (how many Beefheart tribute acts do you see around?). And despite the great man not being there, his spirit was definitely in the Dublin air this night.

Red O'Hand