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Hamfatter may be out but one pitch looked very promising indeed at the
influential industry gig. Nell Bryden, fresh from singing to the troops in Iraq
and having to recruit a fearless new backing band in the process, stole the
show from a very condensed line-up.
The problem began with a mix-up in the booking which featured eight artists
instead of the planned four which led to the even more catastrophic gaffe of
placing the heavily-anticipated
Bryden fourth in. Add to this the disappearance of Hamfatter except lead singer,
Eoin O
’Mahoney, singing a bizarre keyboard-based solo-set (which he admitted he’d prepared for) and yet the venue continued to advertise Peter Jones’ golden boys as headliners. Very bad form indeed and one had to wonder whether
Jones
’ 30% chunk is deducted from solo appearances.
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Still, all was not lost as after several acts including Frank Hamilton and the
promising Max Tooey, Bryden took to the stage to rapturous applause. Looking
every inch the 50s sweetheart with flowing blonde hair, polka dot dress and
high heels, Bryden
’s voice shook the rafters of the intimate setting who had just been served up an
hour and a half of acoustic-driven music. Though she may follow in Marilyn
Monroe
’s footsteps, it was evident that Nell clearly has more of a talent for a song
than JFK
’s favourite with her incredibly powerful voice clouding the room.
Chirpy and confident, Nell promised us some rock ‘n’ roll and certainly didn’t disappoint with her own brand of stirring delivery and upbeat folk-style,
starting with
‘Where the Pavement Ends’. An
old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll style toe-tapper of a beat with an unpredictable reprise at the finish. It
was certainly worthy of the applause, the sort of voice that can inspire
goose-bumps and it
’s clear that Bryden sounds far better in the flesh than on record.
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Bryden proceeded to play a shortened 5-song set which contained several tracks
from new album,
‘Second Time Around’ including the ballad ‘From Midnight On’. Creating an authentic sound of yesteryear on a 1946 Gibson you could almost
feel
the wind in your hair from the open road as your cruise in the Cadillac
proceeded.
Though folk and traditional 50s rock ‘n’ roll may not have as much of a place on these shores as they may in her
resident USA. Still retro led by the likes of Mark Ronson is indeed enjoying
quite a renaissance and her overwhelming passion and charm just makes her too
talented to ignore.
Ending with title track ‘Second Time Around’, either incensed by a rejigged line-up or perhaps just
realizing there was no act to top that performance, the crowd mostly dispersed
and for anyone who witnessed it, leaving with a piece of Nell
’s voice firmly imprinted in their hearts.
9/10 (Bryden) CM
