Dentistry in general, and orthodontics and the various specialties in particular, can be an isolating sort of profession. You spend most of your time and energy working and thinking in a zone within the reach of your relaxed arms, in a location about the size of a small spare bedroom. If you’re the dentist then the people immediately beside you, and the patient themselves, can’t see exactly what you’re doing, have no idea what you’re thinking, and can only guess what you’re going to do next.
This process can be duplicated in many dental surgeries and operating rooms, even within the same practice, so it’s important for dentists to meet up and talk to each other about their experiences and thought because they’re the group that can relate to what they do.
Depending on which days we’re in and how well the day runs on the days that we are in, I might not talk to the other orthodontists in Swords Orthodontics as much as I’d like so I decided I’d actually put a day in the calendar to do something with one of my colleagues – and knowing that he’s a massive fan of Queen, the obvious thing to do together was go to see Qween (they’re a kinda Queen) which is Ireland’s most magnificent Queen tribute band. To be fair, I’ve never seen Flash Harry (Northern Ireland’s top Queen tribute act), but I am old enough to have seen the actual Queen – 40 years ago this summer – and Qween compare favourably.
Bogdan, my Mercury-devoted associate, was barely born at that stage and is fascinated about how concerts worked before the internet - “How did you but tickets for this thing?” which did make me wonder about how much has changed since then. Not least health and safety.
Qween have been on the go for a few years now and basically built up their momentum and profile from night after night of gigging, driving from one end of the country to the other and back and playing to bigger and bigger crowds. I think they had a 10,000+ festival show over the summer. I had always wanted to see their Dublin Gospel Choir collaboration but the last time it was happening near me I couldn’t get a ticket, because I was too late making a decision. So it was time to act fast as soon as they announced their return to 3Olympia – I didn’t delay getting a ticket, which turned out to be the right call as they sold out the venue.
For readers not familiar, the Olympia Theatre is Dublin’s legendary rock venue. There’s usually a show on almost every night and it has that grand old Victorian aesthetic with the ornate plaster work and boxes beside the balconies that overlook the stage sideways, which can be occupied by acts as diverse as heavy metal or electronic bands or comedians or magicians. Bands on the up, bands that used to play arenas and held on to a core of loyal fans years later, and even “secret” surprise concerts by mega acts like Foo FIghters. It used to have “Midnight at the Olympia” rock shows in the 80s, but the start and finish times are more conventional now. Bogdan hadn’t been to the Olympia before and he was astonished by the size of the place compared to the relatively small front doors that open on to Dame St.
Qween were fabulous. Their music is spot on accurate, and intricate, not simply like a band in a bar banging through We Will Rock You and they were relentless through the whole show from the opening power chords of One Vision to…well, I’m not going to spoil it for you.
There are costumes, wigs, pyrotechnics, extreme riffage, and a thousand people clapping the right way to Radio GaGa. The guys are clearly having fun but are respectful throughout, never actually taking the mickey out of the legacy of Queen. Plus, to my relief, the emphasis was on the classic Queen repertoire up to Kind Of Magic without too much intrusion from Miracle or Innuendo. In other words, plenty of Marx Brothers and no train songs. Definitely a set list where every song earned its position.
I did a short clinic the next day, mainly new patients so there was a lot of talking, introducing myself, going through medical histories, finding out about the patients and calling out the examination findings and then explaining what was wrong with various teeth. When I was done, I needed a cup of tea, my voice was worn out. But it made me think of what Brian Keville must be putting himself through night after night as he emulates Freddie Mercury. I can play guitar a bit, but the only Queen song I could attempt would be Crazy Little Thing Called Love, so I can only marvel at Thomas Brunkard on lead guitar playing Brian May’s parts - not just note for note but crucially tone for tone - for two hours solid.
So if you need a night’s distraction from dentistry, or anything else that far removed from rock and roll, I can’t recommend Qween highly enough
