There is a definite air of expectation in Belfast tonight. It might be early, but we’ve already got punters arriving down in droves to catch what promises to be a pretty special night. But before we get to the inimitable Mr Savage, Dundalk’s Mark Corcoran is up first and seems keen to cater to the crowd. Peddling a clutch of love-sick sea shanties, Corcoran has a bewitching voice. Tunes like ‘I Went Out Walking’ and ‘The Mermaid Sings’ are definite highlights and we’d like to hear more from the soft-spoken guitar-slinger in the future.
Shortly after Corcoran croons his last tune, tweed-clad ivory-tinkler Conway Savage skips (yes, skips) his way onstage in double-quick time. From the start of his set it’s as clear as the inside of an empty whiskey bottle that the erstwhile Bad Seed has some great songs up his sleeve. Culled largely from his latest record Quickie For Ducky, Conway is an engaging, if slightly erratic performer. As he bashes on his old Yamaha keyboard he stamps his foot to keep time while scanning the crowd to make sure we all pay attention as he sings songs of love and madness (‘Too Blind To See’, ‘Saint Of Shitty Little Rooms’). At one point an unsuspecting magazine reader gets it in the neck from the Australian (“Good book, love?” he asks), but for the most part he seems genuinely happy to receive his applause and often spins around after each song like a puppy doing tricks.
Though there are times when he loses his audience (which becomes particularly apparent during the dirge-like ‘The Cross’), those moments are few and far between in a set packed with hidden treasures. After a few minutes offstage Conway comes back for an encore and closes his gig with ‘Don’t Plan On Leaving Town.’ It seems to sum up his performance in three minutes; beautiful, witty, loveable, but utterly, utterly stark raving mad. In truth, we wouldn’t want him any other way.