It takes a brave, or perhaps a foolhardy artist to use his entire first set to only play material from his new album. However, when that artist is Declan O’Rourke, and the album in question is ‘Arrivals’, his universally acclaimed collection of songs of new beginnings and lives lived, the risk is non-existent.
Certain artists can create an intimate atmosphere in almost any venue, and tonight Declan almost transformed the large Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Marquee into an intimate living room gig. The chat between songs was personal and engaging, the story behind the words was enlightening and added depth to the tales, and the audience responded accordingly in respect and enjoining in the experience
The Festival Marquee roof festooned as it was with little lights, provided a perfect visual background, almost a movie set, for the beautiful ‘The Stars Over Kinvara’. Introduced with Declan’s innate charm and wit, as an ode to his youngest sons, it is a hairs on the back of the neck moment.
The first night I drove you and mammy home, I pulled over in Ballindereen
I just had to pull in, I had never seen, such a sky of gems that gleamed
Orion was out, and the starry plough, all the night was on display
Declan is a musical storyteller, and songs such as ‘Zeus and Apollo’, ‘Harbour’, ‘Arrivals’, and the aforementioned ‘Stars Over Kinvara’ are beautiful lyrical short stories set to wonderful melodies. Add the wonderfully surreptitious use of the string quartet, who are a joy all night, and this is a gig that entertains and beguiles in equal measures.
‘The Harbour’ is a case in point. The heady luxuriant mix of Declan’s chiming 12-string guitar and the floating strings is quite enchanting.
‘Have You not Heard the War is Over’ is introduced as a song for “Putin and those like him”, to strong support from the crowd.
So many songs from this album will become stalwarts of his greatest hits in gigs to come. ‘Andy Sells Coke’ delivers its anti-drug message in a snapshot scene rather than in a polemic diatribe.
All this in the first set! The second half of the gig is a superb run through some of Declan’s gems from his back catalogue. ‘Time Machine’ is as fresh sounding as ever, ‘Sarah’ as deeply romantic as it gets, and the magnificent ‘Slieve Bloom’ reaches a new level live with the beautiful strings. Such is the impact of the string delivery, they melt into the sound, forming a quiet wave that seeps over the audience and gently pushes the canvas roof, with an angelic grace.
‘Poor Man’s Shoes’ is based on a factual account of a family struggle set in Famine times. It is an emotional tour de force, in its delivery and impact. The charity, Concern Worldwide have been accompanying Declan on his Irish tour, and he uses this song in its depiction of the impacts of hunger to encourage the audience to sign a petition calling on global leaders to end conflict-driven hunger and famine.
He is also kind enough to give Belfast charity The People’s Kitchen a shout-out from the stage for their work with the homeless and their collection at the Festival.
Not content with being one of the best singer-songwriters around has used his research on the famine to create an epic lyrical novel ‘The Pawnbroker’s Reward’ that is at once harrowing and hugely moving, and well worth investing in.
The encore consists of his signature tune, ‘Galileo’, a song That Paul Weller has stated he wished he had written. The song is a classic, not just in Declan’s growing canon, but in contemporary music. It is a majestic end to a hugely entertaining night.