For my first gig of the year (yes), I arrive way too early.
The free ticket, courtesy of Hot Press, says 6:30 pm sharp, but I forgot about the time gig starts in Ireland.
It's been way too long since my last gig!
Music doesn't start before 7:30 pm.
I was way too early and for what matters I decided not to even have a drink because I am still on a diet.
The Support Act: Niamh Regan
The support act, the lovely and funny Niamh Regan from Galway, plays a handful of songs, roughly 30 minutes of acoustic guitar and fingerpicking.
Her voice reminded me of Sharon Van Etten.
She won the RTE Folk Music Award and her album Come As You Are was released only two weeks ago.
The Main Act: James Vincent McMorrow
James Vincent McMorrow doesn't start before 8:30 pm.
He's wearing a checked shirt, some loose, wrinkled jeans and a beanie hat (I must get me one of these before the next gig).
His beard is as I remembered: wavy, forcefully-combed, showing the attempt of an effort.
James is by himself. It's a free gig after all!
There is only one acoustic guitar on stage, which is great because this is the type of performance I like.
He is in a very good mood and starts playing right away.
He would then do some sharing in between songs about his recent struggle with being an artist, writing shitty music, being honest, initially rejecting the offer for one of his songs to be in the Game of Thrones OST because he was at the cinema with a friend, etc.
To my surprise, he plays a lot of songs from his first album, Early in the Morning, which is the one I know best.
I also bought an actual CD of the album back then.
I didn't keep track (no pun intended) of the setlist but this is what I recall him playing (the order might not be 100% accurate):
- White Out
- Red Dust
- Hear the Noise that Moves So Soft and Slow
- We Don't Eat
- And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop
- Get Low (from "We Move")
- Cavalier (from "Post Tropical")
- Wicked Game
In fairness, I didn't know very well the handful of songs that he played from his new album, "Wide Open, Horses".
His voice is exactly how I remembered it from the first time I saw him at the Academy in 2010, playing support for Rain Machine: raucous, sometimes rough and then, when you least expect it, it jumps to unbelievably-high pitch notes.
The highlight of the night was certainly when he unplugged his guitar and stepped away from the microphone to sing a stripped-down version of And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop.
){kind=link}
0 Comments