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Advantage of having a theatre on your doorstep #236: When it comes to 8 o’clock on a Sunday evening and you’ve been lounging about on the couch watching movies all day, a snap decision to pop out can lead to a great night of music. Last night we got to see Cathy Davey, supported by two great acts – Molly Jenson and The Raglans.

We arrived in the middle of Jenson‘s set and she was doing a great job of warming up the crowd. Engaging in conversation and having a joke with the audience, then delivering some beautiful songs, she really made her mark. Having toured extensively in the US and with an impressive MySpace following, Jenson will surely be huge when her album, Maybe Tomorrow, goes on full release in March 2009.

The Raglans are a three piece band who, as Cathy Davey says, are far too young to be this good. Although they are local lads, Stephen Kelly, Luke Carrig and David Hayes have spend a lot of time touring Ireland and spreading the good music. I look forward to hearing a headline set from these three guys in the near future.  It was nice to see so many people showing up just to hear them. For these people Cathy Davey was merely a bonus. I missed out on getting one of their EP’s (they sold out) but there are a few tracks on their website.

Davey describes her Bare Bones Tour as..

…a chance to play intimate venues without being too noisy for sensitive ears. Rearranged songs to better suit candlelight. Three of us playing as many instruments as we can fit in our suitcases and the chance for me to babble nonsense if I so choose as the bigger venues tend to echo unpleasantly, and I do so hate the sound of my own voice.. don’t we all. That’s the Bare Bones Tour. It’s nice. And slightly special.

It is nice and it is very special. Her beautiful voice suits the more stripped down versions of her own tracks. This is how they were meant to be heard. A relaxed crowd at first finally broke out of their shells when she played her hit Reuben. From then on, it was a magical night.

A song I hadn’t heard before, Rowing Your Own Heart Away (I stand to be corrected on the song’s title), really stopped me in my tracks. Beginning with a gorgeous, soothing melody, the latter half of the song broke into haunting and near disturbing harmonies. It was fantastic. Just three voices on stage and it sounded like an evil choir. Brilliant.

Proving her ridiculous amount of talent, she put aside her mandolin and guitar for a while to take to the drums, singing Can’t Lose It from the drum kit. She then nervously introduced The Nameless, but I’m not sure why she was so tentative about it – it was one of her best tracks.

Showing her relaxed professionalism, she had to stop the performance midway through Wild Rum, a song about alcoholics, because she forgot to plug in her mandolin. With ease, she laughed it off and picked right up where she left off. Just one of many lighthearted moments in a fun evening that ran until midnight in the intimate venue.

She closed her set with the 1920’s George Gershwin song, Do It Again. It was beautiful and relevent and closed her set perfectly. She returned to the stage for a crowd pleasing sing-along, Cole Porter‘s You Do Something to Me, where she dragged the very perplexed Raglans back on stage to do backing. With the whole crowd singing along, it was a very satisfying finish to an exciting night.

Notes:

• Check out more from Cathy Davey on her website or MySpace page.
• The Raglans have their own site too and there’s some tracks on their MySpace page.
• Molly Jenson is here and here.

Keep an eye on Greystones Theatre’s website to see what acts are coming up next. This week sees Director (plus very special guests) take over on Wednesday night and Brian Kennedy on Thursday, playing tracks from his new album of covers, Interpretations.

The Apprentice has gained quite the blogger following in recent weeks. Simon on LiveBlog.ie is hosting a live blog tonight, as well as our usual one. I hope ye all stick around and enjoy(?) tonight’s show with me as Bill Cullen finally chops the numbers down to the final three. Stuart, Orla, Nicky and Brenda are left standing. Who will survive to the final and the chance to be The Apprentice?

Maybury et al are having a blogging fund drive for Children’s Books Ireland.

CBI’s three primary goals are engaging young people with books, resourcing the children’s books community and reminding everyone of the importance of books for young people. One of the greatest gifts I got as a child was being encouraged to read. It has stood to me throughout life and that passion for books is still alive in me now. CBI tries to light that passion in the youth of today and any help you can give to their cause is greatly appreciated. Talk to Dave or go directly to ChildrensBooksIreland.ie and help in whatever way you can.

I closed my laptop and put it in my bag.

I put my scarf on and zipped up my jacket.

I took my wallet out of my pocket to get my train ticket.

I got up off my chair and walked to the door of the DART. It was just pulling in to Pearse Station.

I put my hand down to my pocket and couldn’t feel my wallet. I took a deep breath and went back to my seat. It wasn’t there.

I was beginning to worry slightly. The train came to a halt. I frantically looked under the seat and around the carriage. I knew I didn’t leave it at home, as I used it to pay for my newspaper in the shop in Greystones.

I hopped off the carriage just as the doors were closing. Panicked, I thought I must have left it in the shop.

Then I realised I was holding my wallet in my right hand.

I don’t have any prizes to give out but there’ll be fame and recognition for the best caption…

Eight years ago, Lottie and I kissed at the back of UGC cinema’s screening of Charlie’s Angels. Despite this inauspicious beginning, we have stayed together for eight years. From the early stage where no one (including ourselves) believed we would last right through to today where our friends seem to view us as that annoyingly lovey-dovey couple in the corner, I am proud to say the passion has never died.

Lottie has supported me through some of the darkest times of my life and she has been there at my side through all of it, when anyone else would have turned their backs. Equally, she has held my hand and laughed along during some of the greatest moments, many of which have been as recent as this year. I don’t care how mushy and loved up this post sounds, I want to tell her how much I love her and how important she is to me.

On Saturday night we were surrounded by some of our best friends and there is no better way we could have celebrated our anniversary. It was the second Burlesque Night we’ve been to and we’ll definitely be returning…

Look, I know I took too many pictures, but I just got a new camera and I was having fun with it. 🙂