This is a band that has been waiting to happen in Ireland for a very long time, but where would the magic distil?Sontas has come together in the North West of Ulster, drawing on musicians from Derry, Donegal, Tyrone and further afield. They proudly display a banner at their gigs which says Sontas, Where Traditions Meet.The dominant memory of the sound of Sontas is the highland bagpipe of Darren Milligan. It’s a rare instrument to find in an Irish group, yet pound for pound there are more highland pipers in the country than uilleann. Maybe it goes against the template established by the Bothy Band and it flies too close to the Caledonia cliché of the Tannahill Weavers, but hey who says you can’t have highland pipes in Irish music. Now here as Sontas explore their roots in the Irish and Scottish traditions, it is evident it can and does work. Milligan by the way contributes 5 original numbers to the album, he is a talent to watch out for.The band is ten strong with drums, bass and lead guitar in the mix, this shifts the feeling to Celtic folk rock with theatricality in abundance. I can see it working really well as a live show in Europe. There is a Phil Coulter drama in their conversation song Raggle Taggle Gypsy that wouldn’t be out of place on a Celtic Legends tour of the USA. They follow it with Raggles Return which is a pure Folk Rock number with high hats crashing a the bass pounding under Milligan’s devilish piping. The far more restrained title track comes with words in the liner notes, but is a guitar, pipes and flute number on the album.If you want a big sound, something that crosses hitherto picketed cultural boundaries, if you are curious how the war pipes fit into an Irish group setting, if you want to inspire your local pipe band to come along and join on with your session then Sontas is what we’ve been waiting for.As a prospect they are going down the right road.
Seán Laffey - Irish Music Magazine