Creation
Leoin Rua was born from the meeting between musicians and friends from Lorraine who have been perfecting their skills in traditional Irish music through courses and sessions in Europe (France, Luxembourg, Germany, Ireland), for more than 15 years. Each of them had the opportunity to play with each other without different formations, Irish but also touching on other musical styles (jazz, funk, in particular). A long-standing friendship therefore.
Yann Caroff (guitar, bass, vocals) and Axelle Colombo (violin) have played together for a long time in their group Sligo (around ten years) with Fabio Andreazza on technique. At the same time, Rebecca Noël (vocals, concertina, piano, bodhrán) and Julien Destange (vocals, guitars) played with Blossom (around fifteen years old), whom Axelle joined a few months after the end of the Sligo adventure.
During the first confinement, Yann then set up this new Irish music project, Leoin Rua , with other musicians from Luxembourg, including Sean Hogan (banjo, violin), who will remain in the group until the end of March 2022 and Martina Menicchetti (vocals, flute). Eventually, a natural merger was created between the Sligo and Blossom fires to become Leoin Rua. Very quickly, Yann suggested that Fabio, his former professional sound technician and drummer, should switch to bodhrán and join the team. Fabio thus tames his new percussion with great interest. On the technical side, Alex Haïkine takes the torch, pianist and sound engineer, who has worked for a long time with Rebecca and Julien (Becky & Cloud).
The beginnings
With rehearsals during the fall of 2021, the group quickly performed its first concerts on the occasion of Saint-Patrick's Day 2022. It took part in the Festival Hommes et Usines in Talange and was scheduled for the Festival Interceltique de Lorient of the same year.
From September, the group plans to record its first EP but everyone's obligations delay the completion of the project.
Origin of choice of name
The founding members being mainly based in Luxembourg and its border, Yann naturally turned to the choice of "red lions" which he adapted into Gaelic. In the meantime, the core of the group moved to Metz. However, the name stuck and a feminine touch was added to the new logo concocted by Atelier Adma. Furthermore, the group is regularly surprised by occurrences of red lions, particularly in the coat of arms of Creuse, where Axelle is from or even in the coat of arms of the Chaix d'Est-Ange family (a distant genealogical branch of Julien?). There is never any chance!
Coat of arms of Luxembourg, Coat of arms of the department of Creuse and Coat of arms of the Chaix d'Est-Ange family
Concerts, music videos, EPs and...
It took coming out of the Pandemic and still some infancy to define the group's identity. Traditionals rearranged with a touch of modernity and lots of singing carried by two leads and vocal harmonies. According to the formula, additional instruments are invited: piano and bass in trio.
After three weeks of crowdfunding , Leoin Rua finances his first clip " At McCarthy's Party " as a trio, released at the end of August 2023. The machine launches and six months later, the 6-track EP arrives in their hands , ready for distribution on St. Patrick's Day 2024.
The logical continuation ? Multiply the concerts thanks to the clip and this disc, but also work on a five-person clip.
Leoin Rua is ready for what’s next!
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