Hothouse Flowers begin Tour of Oz

KC Irish Festival 2006 headliners, the Hothouse Flowers, tonight start their Tour of Australia in Fremantle. The Flowers will be touring Australia and New Zealand for all of April before returning to Ireland where Liam Ó Maonlaí performs some solo gigs, and then the Festival season starts.

In a fit of madness last year, Bono, at the launch of the current Hothouse Flowers CD Into Your Heart, forgot about Van Morrison, and described the Hothouse Flowers' Ó Maonlaí by saying, Liam is the best white soul singer in the world.

If you don't know what the messianic one meant, watch this terrific little clip from RTE of Liam Ó Maonlaí being interviewed and singing. As if to emphasize the beauty and nature of Irish soul singing, Liam is outdoors on the gorgeous Kerry coast.

Handy Irish Phrase: Thabharfainn fuil mo chroí duit   (I'd give you the blood of my heart)