Beoga are the band that made Irish traditional music sound modern enough for a global pop hit, and they do it with two accordions and a bodhran rather than any studio trickery. A five o'clock start in a 250-capacity Lower East Side room is about as close as you will get to them. If you have only heard them through Galway Girl, the actual repertoire is far stranger and better than that suggests.
What to expect
An early-evening set in a small standing back room, with the band playing largely instrumental arrangements that move between trad tunes and jazz-inflected originals. The crowd mixes Irish music regulars with curious first-timers. Because the start is early, the whole thing is done well before the night is over.
Good to know
- Take the F to Second Avenue; the club is directly by the station on East Houston.
- The set is early evening, so this works as a first stop rather than a whole night.
- The back room is standing only, with a separate front bar for between-set breaks.
- It is 21 and over, so bring photo ID.
- Mercury Lounge often books a later show the same night, so the room clears promptly afterwards.
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Common questions
What are Beoga known for?
Reinventing Irish traditional music with jazz and blues influences, and co-writing and playing on Ed Sheeran's Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan.
Where are they from?
County Antrim in Northern Ireland.
Is it a late show?
No. It is an early-evening set, unusually early for Mercury Lounge.
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