Dardanelles at The Company House - Newfoundland Traditional Music at its Finest

Newfoundland traditional music has a new name - The Dardanelles. 

 On Friday night, Newfoundland's The Dardanelles played their first ever show in Halifax to a packed house at The Company House.  If the reaction of the crowd was any indication, it will not be their last packed house in Halifax.  

The Dardanelles are Matthew Byrne (vocals, guitar, bouzouki), Tom Power (guitar), Aaron Collis (button accordian), Emilia Bartellas (fiddle) and Dartmouth's Richard Klaas (bodhran).  They have two releases (The Dardanelles, 2009 and The Eastern Light, 2011).  The band is named after a small street in St. John's connecting Barnes Rd. to where Hayward Ave. turns into Catherine St.

Prior to the show, the twitterverse was abuzz with excitement about the Company House show.  The many who showed up were not disappointed.  These five young musicians brought a combination of youthful enthusiasm, musical talent, love of playing and humour that called to mind the early years of Great Big Sea.

Throughout the night, the crowd was clapping along and tapping their feet to the music.  They were treated to witty banter and stories by Power (host of  CBC's Deep Roots and Radio 2 Morning), lovely singing by Byrne (who has his own solo album of ballads, appropriately titled Ballads), along with the exceptional musicianship of the entire band.

This was Newfoundland traditional music played at its finest.




The band played two sets.  At the end of the second set, when the band finished playing The Badger Drive and The Ship Inn Reel/Bridgett's Reel, the appreciative crowd jumped to their feet to give The Dardanelles a standing ovation. 

Fortunately, the band returned for an encore of Big Bow Wow and a few more instrumentals (including Mussels In The Corner).  Again the crowd showed their appreciation.




By the end of the show there was no doubt that although this was their first show in the city, Halifax has not seen the last of The Dardanelles.  You will not want to miss them next time.

The band is now in Cape Breton for Celtic Colours.  No doubt they will be a welcome edition to that fantastic week of music.