Recreating magic music of The Commitments

The Stars of The Commitments come to Róisín Dubh on Saturday, September 2, celebrating the soul music that lit up Alan Parker’s hit film. After playing bassist Derek Scully in the 1991 movie, Kenneth McCluskey went on the road and hasn’t looked back since. When he takes the call from the Tribune, Kenneth is getting ready for the band’s trip to Sardinia.

When the low-budget comedy was being made, Kenneth never envisaged it would be bringing him to the Mediterranean a quarter of a century later.

“I was 24 years of age when I did the film and I remember thinking would it even end up in the cinema,” he says. “We were making it and I thought ‘will this go straight to video?’ Then we ended up in Hollywood at the premiere, and here I am 25 years later. It’s amazing.”

The Commitments was a phenomenal hit that saw the young cast grace red carpets in Hollywood, Chicago and New York. The cast’s versions of Mustang Sally and Try a Little Tenderness were all over the radio, and a life off the silver screen beckoned.

“In 1993, a few of hooked up and the concept for The Stars of The Commitments came up,” Kenneth says. “There was a lot of interest from England, asking would the band come over and play. We were lucky enough to get a booking agent.”

And they seized the chance.

“It was really rough and ready, but we jumped on a tour bus and went over. It worked – the band was good and then it just grew. We did England, and then we made some phone calls and started going to France and Germany, and wherever. It expands, and you just keep it moving.”

Indeed, keeping the show on the road is very much Kenneth’s department.

“I manage the group as well, so if I’m not playing I’m behind the scenes working on preparing the next run of dates,” he says. “There’s a bit of office admin that has to dealt with on a regular basis. It’s good in the sense that it keeps me grounded and it keeps my mind active, and in touch with stuff.  It’s kept me alert to the business side of things.”

Joining Kenneth from the original cast is Dick Massey, who played the drummer Billy Mooney. But the band has been fleshed out by other players, including singer Sandra Jayne Hyland – who wasn’t even born when the film hit the cinemas!

For more, see this week’s Connacht Tribune.