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Irish singer/songwriter The Mighty Stef a force to be reckoned with

Mike Farragher

Irish Voice Newspaper Columnist

Published Thursday, May 21, 2009, 1:18 PM

Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:48 PM

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Read more: Mighty Stef, The Pogues, Dublin

The Mighty Stef

“Garage and fifties rock ‘n’ roll, country, gospel, soul, punk, folk... Johnny Cash, the Pogues, the Dubliners, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, the Soft Boys, Nick Cave, Scott Walker, Bruce Springsteen, the Libertines, Elvis Costello, Lee Hazelwood, Gram Parsons, the Clash and Tom Waits” are just some of the influences the Mighty Stef lists on his MySpace page, and miraculously, they all make it into the music on 100 Midnights.

The end result of these textures is the creation of one of the most original voices that makes 100 Midnights such an amazing ride.

The Mighty Stef is a singer and songwriter from Dublin who has been celebrated in the U.K. press for the storytelling in his songs and for his passionate live shows.

His vocals are a sensually hoarse baritone coaxed out of a dark corner of some pub with temptations of whiskey, cigarettes, and pleasures of the flesh, themes that run through the offbeat songs on 100 Midnights.

“Tonight we must walk/tonight we must run/tonight we must lay down the remainders of our lives for the hound dogs of live/please trust me my darling/I will deliver for you/tonight won’t be ruled/won’t be schooled/won’t be swept to the side,” Stef sings on “Hound Dogs of Love,” a classic slice of garage band pie.

He slithers like a lizard around a lover on “Come Over to the Dark Side” in a way not heard since Jim Morrison prowled around a microphone.

“A lot of people say Jim Morrison when they hear my voice,” Stef says. “I listened to the Doors a lot as a kid when I was trying to discover my singing voice, so the lizard king must have had some baring on my formative years. My favorite Doors song is ‘Wintertime Love.’ he sings so beautifully on that.”

“You can stick that needle in that last responsive needle/but don’t let it steal the sunshine from your eyes,” sings Stef during “Sunshine Serenade,” a dustbowl ditty with drug references that make it a country cousin to the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers.”

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As the Irish people have a genuine sense of fun, Irish entertainment can be found in every town, village, city and county. One of the most popular forms is the festival, which is used to celebrate all sorts of occasions &emdash; everything from literary pursuits to a love of oysters. Here are a few highlights of entertainment in Ireland throughout the year: Londonderry boasts the biggest Halloween Festival in the world with around 30,000 celebrating the ancient Celtic New Year every October. Grab a dodgy mask and join the party! / The Belfast Festival at Queen’s is Ireland’s biggest International Festival and boasts an eclectic mix of music, talks, comedy, exhibitions and film. / The Galway Races, the Rose of Tralee Festival, Puck Fair in Killorglin, and the Oul’ Lammas Fair in Ballycastle are world famous and offer a great chance to enjoy Irish entertainment, life and laughs with the locals. / Food festivals are now a big draw in Ireland with local produce scoring high among international foodies. Head to the famous oyster festivals in Clarenbridge in Galway, or Hillsborough, County Down. / Tune in to a spot of music with the Open House Festival in Belfast, the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera, or the Feile an Phobail in west Belfast. Or grab a pint and tap your feet to some cool tunes at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. / If you prefer your festivals small and intimate, try the harp festivals in Roscommon or the rough and ready horse and pony fairs from Cavan to Cork. Even today, the horses are priced in guineas, and bought and sold with a spit in the hand. / At the other end of the scale of entertainment in Ireland lies the Wexford Opera Festival with full-scale opera productions, concerts, recitals, talks, cabaret, fireworks, and, of course, parties. / For something a little different, try the Magnus Barelegs Festival in Downpatrick offering a slice of Viking life, or the Eagle Wing Festival in Groomsport, County Down, which celebrates Ireland’s cultural links with America. / Theater fans should head to Dublin for both the Dublin Theatre Festival and the excellent Dublin Fringe Festival, with wildly exciting performances taking place in fabulous venues. / Around March 17, the country turns a shade of green for a host of St Patrick’s Festivals. All over the country, from the Saint’s hallowed burial place in Downpatrick to the more carnival atmosphere of parades and exceptional fireworks in Dublin and Belfast. / Literary lovers should head to Dublin in June for the intriguing Bloomsday Festival, where fans of Joyce’s Gargantuan Ulysses dress up in traditional gear and scoff old Dublin food like “nutty gizzards” and “urine-soaked kidneys”. Alternatively, seek out the delights of the Aspects Literature Festival in Bangor in September, an annual celebration of Irish literature with lectures, discussion and music. But festivals are just one aspect of Irish entertainment—let's not forget about music! From impromptu sessions in your local bar to the thrilling beat of U2, Ireland has always been home to the best sounds of music. Ireland’s massive successes in the Irish entertainment world include some bands and artists you may have heard of…U2, The Corrs, Enya, Westlife, Snow Patrol, Ash, David Holmes, Van Morrison and The Thrills, to name just a few. Unique and distinctive, the harp holds a special place in Irish entertainment and has come to symbolize the harmony of people and music in Ireland. It’s the earliest musical instrument mentioned in Irish literature and has been used as an official emblem for Ireland since medieval times. Today, it’s on Irish passports and stamps. But there's more: Fleadhs, or festivals, are a major part of Irish entertainment as well as cultural life, and impromptu trad sessions have become the stuff of legend at West Belfast’s Feile an Phobail, the Galway Racing Festival or Kerry’s Puck Fair. Rock and dance music festivals are also big news with the Oxegen Festival, Tennents Vital Belfast and the Electric Picnic held in summer.

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