Damien O’Kane & Ron Block Band – Band On The Wall, Manchester: Live!

By Mike Ainscoe on 17th October 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Damien O’Kane & Ron Block – Band On The Wall, Manchester – Thursday 16th October 2025

BANJO IN EXCELSIS

‘An acoustic revolution’ shouts the Band On The Wall promo. Certainly a banjo fest in excelsis and when Damien O’Kane suggests that the band do another couple of tunes on the banjo (for a change…), it’s banjo heaven for those who can’t get enough of the tenor and five string variety, long necks, short necks, big or small. Perfect fayre for anyone, like the fan encountered earlier on the tour, for whom one just isn’t enough...

It’s the Banjovial album tour that sees Damien and Ron Block set forth with wingmen Stevie Byrnes and Duncan Lyall; Duncan, whose image over the years has evolved from Partick Swayze to Lionel Messi, whether it’s banjo time or Rusby time, the first name on the teamsheet and tonight is an interesting exercise to see how, alongside the regular double bass, the keyboard and Moog fit with the organic banjo pallette.

TUNESMITHS OF REPUTE

And it’s the cluster of bright and breezy Banjovial tunes that get a thorough workout, coming to life on the BOTW stage and proof that the recorded versions are just a starting point. A different kettle of fish for Ron to encounter the banter and English culture after a huge round of US touring with Alison Krauss. It’s nice too , to hear a few blasts from the past with the perennial favourite Trip To Portugal (inspired by….well….) and Manny Mountain tunes infiltrating the new music.

The stories behind the inspirations that mark Damien as not just a tunesmith of great repute but also a storyteller who along with Bob Mortimer, would form a banjo free but formidable duo on Would I Lie To You . Imagine David Mitchell struggling to make sense of “I ‘d been down to the allotment to dig up some potatoes when I met a neighbour (whose family are from Armagh) who admired my crop and related how she had anxieties about having no potatoes in the house…” Yes David, Damien was telling the truth! All that and playing with a precision (like his driving according to Ron) yet not without the odd (as in occasional, but you never can tell) concession to throwing in a few gurning faces while shredding the bejaysus out his four stings.

RHYTHM CHAMPION

It’s the opposite side of the spectrum to Ron’s more straightforward literary inspirations as he continues to amaze with his ability to remain stock still and totally focussed, yet watch the hands. It’s all in the hands, which are making what he does seem so simple as it looks like he can do it in his sleep. The band is a well oiled and in tune unit. Even sitting back and take the chance to admire Stevie Byrnes’ rhythm work – a rare skill, joining likes of Jenn Butterworth proving a similar virtususo of the craft. He’s the pulse on which Ron and Damien scatter their notes and often he provides the links that bridge the tunes in a set.

It’s not all fast and furious – no formulaic duelling banjos here – as Damien explains in the intro to Youthful Echoes as he talks of how the duo write for two banjos in a more subtle way. It shows too as they’ve had the chance to evolve over three albums. So much so that Ron’s neglect for his songwriting in favour of mastering the tunesmithery, has led him to Love Is Like That on the new album.

not all banjo

Aware that a full set based around two banjos might push it even for those for whom one just isn’t enough, there are moments when the tunes make way to allow the songs come to the fore. Foresaking his now The Loudest Word from the album, Damien adds his vocal to his own Summer Hill to provide a real tender highpoint. A touch of reverb from FOH sound wizard Josh Clark to a couple of vocal parts.

Along with Stevie’s Alba, See You Soon (which has the honour of closing the album), the banjo less arrangements – two guitars and a tenor guitar – see the strings ring out brightly in contrast to the percussive banjo twang. Both Ron and Damien grace the letter with solo parts while Ron’s solo in Summer Hill is an exercise in taste. Along with the gift of two back up voices, we later spot Mike McGoldrick in the bar – a shame he didn’t appear for this one as he always seems to have his instrument in his back pocket – ‘have flute/whistle, will travel’ sort of thing.

The tour continues to zig zag the nation over the next month before the Kate Rusby Christmas parties start to kick in. You can’t beat a bit of banjo banter from the meninback.