Irish soul for 'night of magic'

The energy and excitement of Alan Parker's classic film The Commitments will be shifted to Valletta when the Irish band of the same name play at the Notte Magica on January 6.

The Maltese audience will relive all the soul classics from film live in concert, featuring original stars Ken McCluskey and Dick Massey.

The band has been lauded for their thrilling, unforgettable live experience packed with soul.

Following a worldwide tour in 1991 to promote the global success of the film of Roddy Doyle's acclaimed novel, the band went their separate ways.

There were so many requests for the band to reform that by 1993, several of the stars decided The Commitments should be reborn as a live, working, touring band and become "Dublin's Saviours Of Soul" for real.

They have toured the world ever since and on many special occasions, their co-stars from the movie (including Michael Aherne, Robert Arkins and Johnny Murphy) all perform with the band.

The Commitments have played to sold-out audiences worldwide. On their recent American tour, they worked with Twentieth Century Fox promoting the US release of the new re-mastered Collectors' Edition DVD of The Commitments movie, which was released in the UK in 2005 - on St Patrick's Day.

Their live concerts feature all the great soul classics from the film and multi-million selling soundtrack and live albums: Mustang Sally, Try A Little Tenderness, Mr Pitiful, Destination Anywhere, Chain Of Fools, Take Me To The River and In The Midnight Hour.

The Commitments is rated 33rd of the top 100 films of all time by the British Film Industry. The Commitments' first MCA Records soundtrack album has sold in excess of seven million copies, closely followed by the second, which has sold over five million.

Music and trade will be fused for Notte Magica on Epiphany in Valletta between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.