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When Flook were formed back in 1995 there was nothing to compare them to; they were a flute driven phenomenon, not Irish nor English, perfectly comfortable in their own musical skin and free to go as the wind goes. So boldly go they did. If their music was a challenging brew to label for the trad cognoscenti, to many it made heart strings quiver. The musical freedom of having no fixed abode, married with the obvious joy they were creating onstage saw new fans flock to their shows in droves. One third of their flute front line would leave in 1997 and ever since they have remained unchanged, their formidable musical prowess marked through the years with a quartet of acclaimed studio albums; Flatfish (1999), Rubai (2002), Haven (2005) and Ancora (2019).
After 30 years Flook show no sign of letting-up in their brilliance, their dynamism, or their inventive flair. The band early on evolved an inimitable trademark sound and hold fast to their rightful reputation as exceptional musical innovators; the whistles and flutes of Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen, the guitar of Ed Boyd and the bodhran of John Joe Kelly weaving and spinning tunes rooted in tradition over precise acoustic grooves, with a rare blend of fiery technical brilliance, delicate ensemble interaction and a bold, adventurous musical imagination. There is an ever present abundance of individual virtuosity amongst Flook’s four members, but there is also something wholly unique when this iconic Anglo-Irish band step on stage together, their playing always an intuitive, almost symbiotic, exchange between the various flutes, whistles, frets and skins.
An absolute powerhouse, a flute and whistle-led, eight-legged jig machine. Jigs, reels and waltzes whirl by. Each as glorious as the last, the musicianship as extraordinary, the mood never any less than euphoric
FATEA Live Review, November 2023
Nothing short of transcendent… No other band sound like Flook and the new material has pushed them to new, exhilarating heights
Songlines, July 2019
Never have I seen so many people so completely and utterly spellbound…the most magical of experiences
The Irish Post
Iconic, ground-breaking, progressive and all-round brilliant
Lynette Fay, BBC Radio Ulster
Virtuoso playing abounds … the most creative bodhran player on the planet … superb technique plus a genuine feel and some stonking tunes is a powerful recipe
MOJO
Flook’s role and influence in the exploding excellence of instrumental folk music of various persuasions on these islands shouldn’t be underestimated… as vital as ever … Class is indeed permanent
fRoots
…it’s Flook’s absolutely unique combination of sensational musicianship and sensational symbiosis, the rapport and interplay, the astounding precision of phrasing and rhythm, the unfathomable tightness and phenomenal agility, the boldness of their musical flights, and yes, the immense variety concealed within the beauteous intricacy of the traditional-styled yet mostly self-penned tunes they play…. As brilliant, inventive, and tremendously exciting as always… Music to move and uplift. Again and again. Encore!!
David Kidman, Fatea
Four brilliant musicians. Four times as much brilliant music
Time Out
Sheer musical magic…Stunning technique, impossibly agile rhythm work and virtuoso flights of jazzy improvisation add up to one of the most enthralling sounds around.
The Scotsman
Multi-layered, rhythmically sophisticated and meltingly beautiful.
Glasgow Sunday Herald
In the pantheon of Irish/English folk groups they don’t come much more revered than Flook.
The Irish Post
Never have I seen so many people so completely and utterly spellbound…the most magical of experiences.
The Irish Post
In the US, their reputation borders on the Messianic …
Irish Music Magazine
Head and shoulders above the rest… Magnificent
The Irish Times
A sensational live act…. in the front rank of the innovators
The Rough Guide to Irish Music
You need a cold shower to fully wake up to the phenomenal potential of this music
Irish Music Magazine
Coolness with fire, tightness with space, delicacy with toughness…a uniquely thrilling whole *****
Glasgow Sunday Herald
They looked for all the world like four people – until they started playing when they became as tight as one while producing a sound as rich as ten
The Shetland Times