The harp is typically associated with chubby naked babies with nauseatingly flawless curls, a skinny bloke wearing tights circa 1300 A.D. or, for the completely cultureless, a mediocre Irish lager.
We don't mean to harp on the harp, but let's face it: outside of a very niche audience, its saccharine sounds are at best a particularly dull choice of elevator music. At worst, it is the Madonna of the instrument world: a star of times past with a place in cultural history, but nonetheless falling further and further into obsolescence.
But Gerard Carroll of Newmills, Northern Ireland might just be the man to revamp the harp's dated image. His rendition of Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance" is lyrical, modern, and oddly hypnotic.
Although Carroll has only been playing the harp for around a year, his performance went viral after he shared the video to his Facebook page.
Who knew the harp could be so... cool?
Topics Music
