My first attempt at a review, feedback

[philb2.0]

welcome..


7th sept. 2004, The Tikki Lounge, Cork


The poster outside advertised the show as Jon Leahy and Friends. The show started at roughly eight o’clock, and by the time it finished, one was left with the feeling that something had gone horribly wrong.
Shortly after arriving home, I realised what it was.
Last Tuesday night was one of those rare occasions where the support act had out shone the main act.

Jon Leahy, whose reputation preceded him on the night, was left sounding the worse off at the end of the night. Although he has many years of touring and performing behind him, most notably shows in the Roisin Dubh, in Galway, one of the most famous music minded bars in Ireland, and shows in Germany, Austria, Spain and the USA, most notably a sold out show in Las Vegas, he could do nothing about what went wrong tonight.

One of the main problems on the night for Leahy was an overtly long setlist, which for many bands may be a good thing, on this occasion it backfired, especially as the support act, Claire Coleman played a mere six songs.

Though neither possessed the encapsulating stage presence needed to keep the people themselves in the memory, both were equally adept in their mastery of the guitar. On the night however, Coleman’s voice out performed Leahy’s.

With a voice at times reminiscent of the purity of Cara Dillon, while also summoning up the passion and emotion of Sinead O’Connor and Dolores O’Riordan, Coleman’s performance seemed very open and honest, with words that seemed to come straight from the heart, while her voice never seemed forced.

Despite the fact that almost all her songs had a melancholic theme running throughout, the melodies and pureness of voice enthralled the crowds, with almost every witness to the act having a smile on their face, yet a sadness in the eyes. It is this rare ability to create such a mixture of emotions all at once that really made the performance special, and after experiencing this, many were confused as to how she is still playing the support act slots, and not moved onto her own headline shows.
This may be down to inexperience and a tendency to break the connection made by the song at the very moment it finishes, before beginning again with the next song, but this comes with more performances, and an open mind to constructive criticism.

As for Jon Leahy, while his songs were melodically different, and the pace often changed, after his 13 song + set, many of the songs sounded the same, and after the show, they all blurred into one. This is mainly due to the small range of voice used in comparison to Coleman, and whether the range is kept small by choice remains to be seen. On the night however, Leahy’s sole method of variation in his voice was changes in dynamics. While failing equipment did not help him, his interaction with the crowd was not sufficient to keep the connection there, and after a five-minute silence, the crowd had turned to conversation to keep each other entertained.

Ironically, his one song that stood out was the song he dedicated to his support act, Coleman. Two days later, and the abiding memory is still Coleman’s voice.

Perhaps the performances were best described by the reaction of the crowd. During Coleman’s set, there was a silence in the pub that led one witness to compare it to a church, with the congregation waiting in anticipation for their time to partake in the celebration. And though the sound equipment failed on one occasion for Coleman, it was not needed as the crowd were waiting in silence, still hanging onto every note.

During Leahy’s set, many people got out of their seats, and wandered around the room chatting, and Leahy needed his microphone just so he could be heard. This may have been an off night for Leahy though, and to be fair, he does have sufficient talent to be worth going to see. Especially on the off chance that Coleman is playing support.

[Donsie B!]

good stuff!