There’s a palpable buzz in The Black Box, Belfast. An excitable crowd have gathered early on a Wednesday evening and over the babble of old friends catching up and the clink of pints going down you can barely hear the strains of the evening’s support act. It’s a real shame for such a talent to go unnoticed but this crowd only have eyes and ears for tonight’s headliner Brigid O’Neill.
Taking centre stage between John McGurgan on acoustic guitar and The Sabrejets’ upright bassist Bill Johnston, Brigid opens her set with ‘Arrivals and Departures’, the title track from the EP. The acoustic guitar rises and falls, sweeping in with celtic flourish like Van Morrison’s ‘Into The Mystic’, three part harmonies fill the room and name checks of Belfast localities further evoke the spirit of ‘Astral Weeks’ era Morrison. A refrain of “there’s no need to run” builds to a crescendo. There’s no need to run. Sit back, enjoy the ride.
We’ve arrived.
The band settles into a groove. ‘Misunderstanding’ leaves us guessing as to who the wrongdoer of the song is but in no doubt as to the talent on show. O’Neill dispenses wisdom and life lessons with a melody and delivery that nods ever so subtly to Dusty Springfield’s Memphis days before paying homage to another local artist with a cover of Belfast man Brian Houston’s ‘Sugar Queen’. Red light bathes the stage and for four minutes or so we could be in a balmy Parisienne café rather than a downtown bar midweek in Northern Ireland.
Unafraid to take chances musically, Brigid goes on to cover Lucinda Williams as the lineup onstage changes apace. Jim Rainey joins on guitar, John McCullough on keys and cello and violin enter the fray. The vocal harmonies layer up further and we’re taken back to where it all began with ‘Lighthouse’, one of the earliest tracks in the Brigid O’Neill repertoire – written in some secluded corner of Rathlin Island – sounding as misty and mysterious as the location itself.
‘Too Far To Fall’ and the charming ‘Little Birds’ would be worthy inclusions in the arsenal of many songwriters; the latter in particular delivered a capella. Four female voices, five years in the making and well worth every minute of that wait. Occasionally the non-EP tracks sound a little rough around the edges. Perhaps the ever changing lineup need a little more time to gel but even in the weaker moments there’s just enough hints at jazz, trad and blues to keep things interesting.
On ‘Wrong Time, Wrong Place’ we’re aurally transported back to that little jazz bar in Paris. McCullough laces some Hammond vibes through the mix and as we come full circle there’s time for a little hoe down. ‘Never Going To Get To Heaven’ is a highlight of the ‘Arrivals and Departures’ EP and looks set to be a live favourite as well. The lights fade to a hellish red and the band take it in turns with bass and guitar solos, rounding off with a fiddle riff that could take you down to Georgia and wipe out Satan and the whole damn Charlie Daniels Band in one fell swoop of the bow.
Back where we began with a reprise of that title track. Brigid O’Neill has well and truly arrived. Sadly we must depart.
Photos © 2014 Gerry McNally Photography.