I’ve seen Ryan Sheridan perform before, I know I have. Just 12 months ago, this purring pop rocker was paying for his cornflakes by busking in Temple Bar and flogging his CDs to the masses, so it stands to reason that, along with half the population of Dublin city, I’ve already heard his ostentatious warble at least once.
The story of how Sheridan made the move from the street corner to the stage is so candy-coated, I can scarcely believe Warner Bros. haven’t replicated it in a “compelling“ rags-to-riches drama (or at least, a tepid romantic comedy starring Anne Hathaway as the kooky but beautiful girl who chases people with menus...) The former street performer is now a regular at the O2 Arena, where he and longtime partner Artur Graczyk have opened for acts like Simply Red, Taylor Swift and The Script, in front of 16,000 people.
The success may have come just a little too fast. While his debut album The Day You Live is filled with genuinely catchy guitar-driven pop rock, the man tearing up the stage in Whelan’s tonight doesn’t feel like he’s ready for the O2.
Echoing the sound of Counting Crows and Train, Sheridan’s voice is powerful (he hits a superior stride on ‘High Roller‘), but all too often overwrought with emotion. His violent strumming, on the other hand, is consistently thrilling; the frenzied build-ups on ‘Take It All Back’ and ‘Dreamer‘ are as impressive as anything I’ve seen on the Whelan’s stage or Temple Bar stage. Covers of ‘Little Lion Man’ by Mumford & Sons, ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ by Johnny Cash and ‘Gravity’ by Embrace (2004 was truly a great year for flimsy post-Britpop...) keep the crowd in high spirits, but do little to promote Sheridan’s chops as a serious musician. By halfway through the set, I’m crying out for something a little more special, and Graczyk is easily stealing the limelight with his dynamite box-slapping and creative percussion.
During his time as a busker, Ryan Sheridan spent his days trying to catch the eye of passing punters. Now that he’s got the attention of a nation, what to do next is of crucial importance. The Monaghan singer could easily be Ireland’s answer to Dave Matthews, but first he has to tap into his (clearly colossal) fount of talent and leave the busker behind.