Something amazing happens when Hothouse Flowers step onto the stage – something that has been shaped by over thirty-five years of singing and playing all over the world, yet no two shows have ever been the same! There is a sense of musical adventure, an impulse to reach new heights and depths in music where the unspoken aim is that the band and the audience become one and the world becomes a different place for a while.
There is an unpredictable energy in the band that harkens back to their “Risk” days playing on the dancefloors of Dublin’s late-night clubs. They call upon their grand repertoire to create a show that is unique to the time and place. Improvisation can come at any point and allow the band to express their brightest and their darkest influences. “Rock and Roll is not about safety or politeness, it is not about perfection either. It is expression and it is spirit.” Humour is also never far from a Hothouse Flowers night. They do not take themselves seriously however, there is no mistaking the musical integrity among them as they open up to each other in musical dialogue.
Fiachna, Liam and Peter are traditional musicians. This allows for moments of ancestral connection. From a Doors-like musical workout one minute, to an earnest and timeless offering to the memory of Currachaí na Tra Báine the next. A song inherited by Fiachna describing the blow inflicted upon a community and a family due to drowning. This moment and moments like these set the Flowers apart from almost any other band of their time and trade. Their debut album, ‘People’, was the most successful debut album in Ireland ever!
Hothouse Flowers are a rock n’roll band, Hothouse Flowers are a traditional band, Hothouse Flowers are a soul band. Despite the bands lengthy career there is a sense of unfinished business. Every night they want to play the best gig they have ever played and take the musical risks that can maybe make that possible. There are still songs to be written and emotions to share.
The band was touring in Ireland, the UK and on the festival circuit prior to the global pandemic and saw them reveal new material from their brand-new album Let’s Do This Thing which they released on www.hothouseflowers.com and on all digital platforms just as their touring plans were all put on hold. Throughout the pandemic Hothouse Flowers played an online concert at Dublin’s legendary Whelan’s music venue as well as appearing on the Late Late Show, The Tommy Tiernan Show, and as part of RTE TVs Ireland in Music and TradFest series. The band returned to their natural habitat in front of a live audience performing shows in Ireland such as the Galway Folk Festival and Forest Fest, Glastonbury and Rewind in the UK, The Comfort Festival in Italy, The Zeltic Festival in Dudelange in Luxembourg among many more!
