Ronan Guilfoyle’s Bemusement Arcade at the Whale Theatre – the award-winning Irish bassist brings his critically acclaimed band on its first Irish tour
'Elegant cool-school music for our overheated times.' Irish Times
Ronan Guilfoyle has been a major figure in Irish jazz for more than thirty years, and Bemusement Arcade, his innovative new quartet, is devoted to exploring the rhythmic language of jazz while using the tradition of blues, swing and standards.
Bemusement Arcade have just released their debut album ‘At Swing, Two Birds’ to great ‘A true master’. The Jazz Bureau UK critical acclaim, and the release has just been named as one of the best Irish jazz albums of 2025 by the Irish Times. The music is both grooving, and distinctive but also familiar, intriguing, yet firmly in the great jazz tradition - expect grooves, blues, and swing but with a twist!
Joining Ronan in this adventure are three brilliant young musicians; Sam Norris, on alto saxophone; Chris Guilfoyle on guitar, and Darren Beckett, the powerhouse Belfast drummer who carved out an international career based in New York, and now in the UK.
Come and join them for this trip into a new musical landscape – expect grooves, blues, swing and lots of rhythmic intrigue!
The musicianship is excellent, the collaboration is precise, it almost seems effortless – it’s excellent from start to finish. Tempo On The Pulse, Geelong Australia
