Sunday 11 November 2012 An TaibhdhearcLittle John Nee Miriam Donohue Mike Chang Tom PortmanThe Spirit of Voice Festival came to a close tonight with some fantastic music that reached right across the board of genre and art. The Taibhdhearc Theatre had a more resounding calming presence, and being a Sunday evening, there was more of an artistic relaxing mellow feel compared to the avante garde, high octane, party feel of top quality acts who performed the night before. First on stage was Tom Portman, A softly spoken singer songwriter who can sing the blues with the best. His range of topics were diverse, switching from positive stories about his life to more moody numbers that conveyed loneliness with such a stark yet poignant pang that it caused the audience to drift away to his unique style of guitar playing and voice. There was a Rory Gallagher-esque quality to his music, a spirit of true Irish blues throughout his work. His Guitar playing was unlike any to be seen, or heard, in Ireland today, he managed to play high quality riffs while mixing in flurry of tuneful notes, his keys dancing up and down the fret board in a flawless manner, and his guitar was an extension of himself. While he sang softly the notes that vibrated from his guitar filled the room with an inviting calm atmosphere, his music portrayed stories within his songs. The audience were so captivated that they refused to allow themselves to make any sort of sound until the last note drifted away on his guitar for each song, a rapturous applause would then break out with appreciation of this mans genuine natural talent. His style of blues reached across all spectrums of the genre with sheer brilliance, and his style of playing can only be matched by the likes of the late great Rory Gallagher himself. Next on stage was Miriam Donohue, an acoustic folk singer songwriter. Her bubbly personality was ever present throughout her set and her singing and guitar playing had a simple and resounding quality. Her voice was lush and pleasant to the air, full of charm and beauty, and her guitar picking style was a complimentary backdrop of music to her songs, it was a cheerful and engaging style of playing. Her musical partner, Michael Chang, filled with the set a fantastic supporting role, his talented work on the violin, viola and mandolin provided an extra element to the songs, his harmonies reached out to the more traditional folk vibes of the set, complimenting certain lines of lyrics with certain styles of playing, whether it was by merely finger picking on the violin for one of Miriam’s more quirky numbers or stretching out long melancholic notes with his bow to portray the mood to what Miriam was singing. He did all this without overstepping the mark and taking away from the quality of the songs, yet stamping his own unique musical ability onto the set. What was most enjoyable about her work was her genuine storytelling. She was able to interweave stories into her songs without using heavy metaphors, yet creatively telling them in such a way that it caused your imagination to run riot. This was especially the case with her songs about Inisheer Island, most notably her song about a boat that was washed up onto the shore on the island fifty years ago during a storm, with the islanders saving all the crew onboard, before stealing all the whiskey and plumbing on the boat. She sang this through her own unique way; with Michael Chang support her with a style of harmony that brought you in your minds eye to that fateful night. Miriam Donohue is blessed with a natural, creative song writing talent. The closing act for the spirit of voice festival 2012 has to be one of the greatest journeymen of entertainment in Ireland today. Little John Nee casually walked onto the stage, surrounded by an array of instruments and props. His act had everything, it was a mixture of theatre, poetry, storytelling, spoken word and singing, and it was all done by a master of his craft. He performed his show ‘Sparkplug Emporium of Natural Delight’ to an audience who loved every second he was on the stage. This man has managed to create a universe within his music and art, a multitude of his own created characters that he not only sings about, he even acts out some of his characters with mini monologues in certain parts of his show. And does it in such a way that it is for all ages and backgrounds, from young children to the most prudish of audience members. When he was not singing and performing he was creating a soundtrack for his small theatrical pieces right before your very eyes, he would play an atmospheric dark riff, and then loop it so it continued on in the background before engaging in his props and bringing his characters and stories to life. He even had the audience participate throughout his show, and what is so absolutely mind-blowing about this mans creativity is that his work has taken on such a life of it’s own that even the audience helped him write out what he called ‘futuristic’ songs about his characters, asking them to come up with themes and emotions, before literally improvising the songs on stage, with the help of the amazing musical abilities of Dublin alien pop duo Nanu Nanu band members Laura Sheeran and Marc Aubele , using ghostly haunting backing vocals and even a bow and saw to accompany Little John Nee. At one point he created such a diverse array of sounds that it had a Pink Floyd style of quality, he performed a spoken word number after spending five minutes looping a different variety of stamping, clapping, clattering, banging and shouting noises to create the feel of anarchy in a mechanics garage. The mans talent is infinite, and he has created such a magnum opus with ‘Sparkplug Emporium of Natural Delight’ that it can only continue to grow in popularity until every person has heard something from it, whether it be covered by other artists or being seen performed live in theatre. Every country in the world needs a performer like Little John Nee, however they would be better off having him perform for them instead, he is a creative genius. The Spirit of Voice Festival 2012 was an outstanding showcase of performers and music, and as it draws to a close, it can only benefit and grow from its popularity after witnessing the amazing acts that were live on stage. It is the kind of festival that fills you full of hope for what is the underground scene in Irish music, with acts that should really be headliners and A- listers in the music industry. However being the nature of the stranglehold that commercial radio and manufactured revenue driven pop music has over the country today, it is difficult to find a major platform for these acts. Festivals like Spirit of Voice, amongst others, really do work tirelessly to promote Irish artists, some of whom are on the threshold of breaking into the major markets, and it’s because of this, that I am certain that Spirit of Voice will continue to build on its popularity and grow and prosper in years to come. People must support the arts, support live music, and it was clear on the crowds that attended, that this message is coming through loud and clear and long may it continue. Here’s to Spirit of Voice 2013. Adrian Lavelle http://www.spiritofvoice.com/pagex.asp?bioid=36781 |
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Spirit of Voice festival review by Adrian Lavelle…