Following on from their successful gig in Trinity Chapel last year, the Trinitones took to the Dublin Unitarian Church last night for their annual Christmas performance, “How the ‘Tones Stole Christmas”. Dozens of people braved the biting cold weather as a line formed outside well before the doors opened. Tickets sold out in advance, with far more demand visible on the Facebook event page. At a reasonably priced €5 for students and €12 for adults, all proceeds were in aid of the Mansion House Fuel Fund, which distributes cash grants through a number of charitable societies.
The Dublin Unitarian Church provided a perfect backdrop for the evening, adding to the festive feeling with a large Christmas tree lighting up the space. The performance kicked off, despite a slight delay in proceedings, with a humorous rendition of Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go”, with member Sam White taking the lead. The irony of the male a cappella group performing the song was not lost on the audience, with laughter rippling through the Church and followed up with a large round of applause.
The group went on to perform “In the Still of the Night”, succeeded by a rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock,” with several of the members taking cues from the Mean Girls version as one particular member donned a Santa jacket and hat, resulting in laughs and whistles throughout the audience. A particularly notable performance of Mumford and Sons’ “Timshel” stood out, with the strength of the group’s harmonies echoing through the venue, making it a highlight of the night.
As part of a Trinitones’ annual tradition, the new recruits were suitably embarrassed as each took to the stage to show of their skills during different stages throughout the night, in their very own “Trinitones Got Talent”. Barry O’Connell was up first as he managed to do the splits down the middle aisle of the Church. During the second half of the event, Billy Behan showed off his talents as he attempted to simultaneously beatbox while also perform some ventriloquy. Last but not least was Ranald Macky, all the way from Australia. Macky’s jokes were a highlight of “Trintones Got Talent,” proving to be a hit with the audience.
Before the midway interval, the group went on to perform White Christmas, the traditional Danny Boy as well as an original written by another a cappella group “Christmas Gets Worse Every Year,” with group co-director Neil Dunne taking the lead.
Following a quick break which included a raffle for the audience members, fellow Trinity student Eve Belle joined four Trinitones to sing “Winter Song”. This was a definite highlight of the event, as the Trinitones’ strong harmonies complemented Eve Belle’s vocals in what was a stunning rendition of the song. The rest of the group then joined the other members, with Australian member Macky leading in a performance of Etta James’ “At Last”. Other performances included “Mr. Grinch,” with member Karl Hegarty perfectly personifying the Dr. Seuss character, as well as a Trinitones’ favourite “Raglan Road”.
Being no strangers to a mash-up, the Trinitones did not disappoint with their Christmas remix which included Barra MacMahon taking the lead in Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” as well as Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” and rapping from Sam White. Continuing on with the humorous tone which the Trinitones are known for, and which ran throughout the evening, the group performed the Christmas favourite “Baby It’s Cold Outside”.
In an emotional bid farewell to member Jeff Johnston, the group saved one of their finest performances of the night to last as they performed their newest release “I Shall Be Released”. The evening ended with a standing ovation from all those in attendance, highlighting the success of the event which is now an annual Christmas event for many.
Speaking to Trinity News, Sam White spoke of how the group felt the event went for them: “We were honestly delighted with how it went. The performance, the gags, the crowd, the setting, and the fact that we raised a lot of money for a very worthwhile cause.” Having gone from strength to strength over the past few months, there seems to be an awful lot more on the horizons for the Trinitones as White explained “we hope to record and release an album next year”. Following up from their successful Australian tour last September, they are “currently planning our next international tour which will most likely feature the east coast of America and parts of Canada”.