Concert Review - Wallis Bird

Venue - Crawdaddy
Date - 17th of April 2008

Setlist - See below

Sometime last year I was trawling through the music channels on telly and caught the last minute of a song and found myself completely transfixed. I had no idea who the singer was but I spent the next couple of days watching that same channel until the video was played again. I discovered it was Wallis Bird and the song was The Circle. Seconds later I was on the net, my fingers punching the keys as fast as they could but finding out very little other than that the release of her debut album was imminent and that she was Irish! For the next few weeks I spent a large amount of time in the "B" section of The Secret Book And Record Store, Rhythm Records and Comet Records in the hope of finding a promo copy of the album. Eventually I was rewarded with what turned out to be my favourite release of 2007, Wallis Bird's Spoons.

So I was absolutely counting the seconds to her appearance in Crawdaddy, the intimate Harcourt Street venue. Crawdaddy is without doubt the best venue in Dublin at the moment. I would guess it holds no more than 250 at a squeeze and the sound is consistently perfect. My expectations were probably unfairly high for this gig and yet as I floated out afterwards I knew they had not just been met but blown away. Like finding a light switch after a lifetime in the dark, Bird was instantly incredibly luminescent. From the moment she bounded onto the stage I knew there was nowhere else in the world I would have rather been. The cute 6 ft 8 was the opener and proved Wallis was in fine voice. Then she played one of her trump cards early with uplifting, foot stomping, smile inducing Counting To Sleep and we were on our way. For nearly two hours Crawdaddy was leaking sunshine and creaking as it struggled to contain the pure concentrated joy.

Wallis seemed to be an antenna picking up the soul of Etta James, the rawness of Janis Joplin and the spider web delicacy of Dusty Springfield while still retaining her own originality and essence. Apart from her stunning vocal prowess she is a whirling dervish on stage, conducting a storm of her own creation from the eye of it. Totally at ease and totally in love with each moment it seems as though she is only barely able to contain her passion. This passion is displayed in jumps, stomps and head shaking all topped off with the most contagious smile.

Wallis Bird is an artist who deserves to be loved, cherished and protected from the machinations of the music industry. This is someone whose sheer devotion to her trade will ensure she is here to stay. Grab the album as soon as you can and if you get a chance to see her live go along and you will be smiling for a week afterwards. This is the beginning of what should be a beautiful adventure.

Setlist
6 ft 8
Counting To Sleep
Slow Down
Country Bumpkin
Your Daddy Is A Liar
You Are Mine
Your Morning Dream
Moodsets
The Circle
Blossoms In The Street
Just Keep Going
All For You

Concert Review – Crowded House

Venue – The National Stadium, Dublin.
Date – 26th of November 2007.

In the midst of so many high profile band reunions this year the return of Crowded House has been overlooked to some extent. While many other bands seemed to come back purely for financial reasons Neil Finn and Nick Seymour came back with an album fit to stand alongside their classic “farewell” album Together Alone. Time On Earth is drenched in melancholy dealing in detail with the suicide of troubled drummer Paul Hester. After a strong appearance on a rainy summer’s day in Marley Park this was a chance to see up close whether the band had gelled again, were still enjoying it as much as ever and whether in fact they had simply still got it.

Known as a band that blossomed live the new incarnation of Crowded House had set their own bar pretty high and after seeing their appearance on Later With Jools Holland a couple of weeks back I was a little nervous for them as the lights dimmed and an expectant hush fell upon the crowd. Looking healthy and relaxed the band began what in my opinion rivals the Dave Matthews solo show and Feist as the gig of the year. This European leg follows a successful American tour and the tightness of the band could not be faulted. The setlist was varied, placing newer songs alongside older classics as if to prove their metal. The band still seem to enjoy playing the older songs as much as ever which may be partially down to new drummer Matt Sherrod who is discovering these songs for the first time having admitted at his audition to not being a Crowded House fan. Hearing him drag the slow burning opener, Private Universe, to crescendo set the tone for the whole night.

A lifetime’s worth of hook filled songs makes great ammunition for any live act and thankfully the banter between the band bodes well for this being a long term comeback. Highlights included a speeded up version of Don’t Stop Now, the first single from the new album, a frenetic Locked Up, a tender Better Be Home Soon and a stunning Four Seasons In One Day squeezed in just before curfew at 11pm. At one point Finn asked if there were any requests and the result was an improvised Lester sandwiched between Recurring Dream and Everybody’s Talking. The highlight of the two-hour set though was the yearning and tragic ballad You Are The One To Make Me Cry that had Finn’s voice cracking and the Stadium quiet as a vacuum. The fact that a new song was the highlight says everything.