The Wicc comes to Clonmel this Halloween!

Carol Keogh is a name synonymous with some of the best alternative music of the past 25 years in Ireland. Formerly of Plague Monkeys, The Tycho Brahe and Autamata, the re-emerging Irish singer-songwriter is performing for the first time in Clonmel having released a uniquely creative conceptual album “Wolf” in early 2022.

In Wolf, Keogh takes on the alter-ego of The Wicc, exploring the overlap where folklore intersects ritual. “Fairy tales are a part of our cultural heritage and they are very dark.” In this live performance The Wicc brings the album eerily to life in a multidisciplinary theatrical performance at Old St. Mary’s Church, Clonmel. And what more apt time of year for this world premiere performance than Halloween.

With an underscoring of strings, synthesizers and rhythm, Keogh’s otherworldly voice soars above the music, in a style reminiscent of Kate Bush’s more conceptual work. Narrating a story with an eerie sense of someone being hunted, audiences will be left to discern whose voice we are hearing. Is it the voice of The Wicc whose world has been infiltrated by an uninvited guest? Or is it the voice of the wolf, about to be hunted to extinction?

Taking inspiration from Ireland’s dark folklore and pagan past, Keogh wrote the album after relocating from Dublin to Wexford and, for the first time, taking on her “irrational fear of recording technology.” With gear that was borrowed from friends, the idea of Wolf ultimately came from a keen observation of a seasonal wolf spider outside of her Wexford home’s window through the lens of a new phone. From there the album grew organically into a multi-part audio-visual project.

In Wolf, Keogh explores the archetypal symbol of the wolf which evokes “primal fear, wonder, and something deep within ourselves from which we have become distanced,” while also intertwining the narrative with themes of the environment and how we treat the earth and each other.

On October 29, The Wicc will descend upon Clonmel’s Old St. Mary’s Church with an exceptional band, eerie vocalists and a stirring string section. This is not strictly a gig, nor is it definable as theatre. It dances the lines of possibility, shifting between the two while bewitching audiences with the story of the Wolf’s journey. Only those gathered in the familiar pews of Old St. Mary’s Church will know its ultimate fate.

Listen to the album https://carolkeogh.bandcamp.com/

Tickets are €15 plus booking fee and available from www.whennextwemeet.ie. While this is not a children’s show, children are welcome at the discretion of their parents/guardians, with under 12’s tickets available for €7 plus booking fee. The October 29 show starts at 8pm sharp and is approximately one hour in duration. This world premiere is an exciting addition to Halloween in Clonmel, and indeed the reputation of the town as an ever-growing hub for alternative independent Irish music.

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