This past Saint Patrick’s Day was one of the first performances by local Long Beach Irish band, The Whooligans, at the Auld Dubliner since the beginning of quarantine last year.
The band has three main members, Matt Brislawn who plays violin, mandolin, and vocals. Matt Clatturbuck plays bass, guitar, and vocals. Ed Bell plays the tenor banjo and does lead vocals.
“I am so excited that I was able to go out after a whole year of being indoors. Being able to see a live band as good as The Whooligans was the best way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.” said concert attendee Aaron Pearce. “Everyone was having a good time listening to the band, I will definitely be coming back.”
The Auld Dubliner, located in the Pike Outlets, was full with people waiting in line to sit down and watch the band perform on the patio outside.
“It was weird being able to play in person again after having to play mostly online.” said Brislawn after his performance. “I was worried about crowd control and people becoming too rowdy, but thankfully the crowd was well behaved.”
The band has not been able to perform at any venue since March 16, 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. “We learned two days before Saint Patricks’s Day that there would be no more gigs for a while, which was shocking to us.” said Brislawn.
“We did a lot of gigs online once a month on Facebook, but it has not been the same because there is no eye contact. There is no feedback from the audience.”
However many people at the Auld Dubliner were cheering on the Whooligans and some even danced in between tables throughout the night.
While the Whooligans were unable to make any income through performing, they were able to make ends meet through their regular jobs.
Brislawn said, “I teach private violin lessons and I am a Violin coach at Wilson High School. Matt (Clatterbuck) is a science teacher at Wilson, and Ed is a freelance actor.”
“We are very fortunate to have other jobs or else I don’t know what I’d do.” continued Brislawn.
With some restrictions being lifted recently in Long Beach, the Whooligans are optimistic to be able to perform again and begin to have some sense of normalcy back.
Brislawn concluded by saying “It felt somewhat normal performing at the Auld Dubliner. I still try to keep my distance, and I know it will take time to feel like it is completely normal with the restrictions in place. We’re optimistic for the future.”