Live Report: Paul Brady wows The Spiegeltent

When the Spiegeltent Festival first opened its doors over a decade ago it was seen as a quirky upstart alongside the long-established Wexford Opera Festival. But, thanks to the sterling work over the years by Lantern Productions, it’s become a two- weeks-long extravaganza in its own right, with this year’s programme including such top-notch acts as Florence Road, The Scratch, Cry Before Dawn and Paul Brady, among many others.

Brady’s concert was basically just him and his music and, as it turned out on the night, that was more than enough for the full house as this much-love elder statesman of the Irish music scene delivered an action-packed set of wonderful songs from his own back catalogue, including ‘The Island’, ‘Nobody Knows’, ‘Arthur McBride’ and many more.

From the off, Brady’s intense and immediate vocals, dextrous guitar work and keyboards were leavened with brief but humorous tales. He mischievously paused to ponder why his own song ‘Follow On’ was deemed suitable for use in a tv commercial for butter, before giving us a classic rendition of it. He reached back nearly forty years as far as his own first album Welcome Here Kind Stranger for ‘The Lakes of Pontchartrain ’ and accompanied it with the story of how, during a US visit, Bonnie Raitt, who had recorded some of his songs, took to him see those very lakes, a scene he found deeply underwhelming!  His early days duet album with Andy Irvine was revisited via ‘Mary And The Soldier’ and his song ‘The Long Goodbye’, taken to the top of the US charts by Brooks & Dunn, was another treat.

Songs like ‘Crazy Dreams’ reminded us of the depth and longevity of Brady’s artistry, with his sturdy guitar work making a rough and rowdy foil to his ability to marry the delicacy of his song lyrics to unforgettable melodies. ‘The World is What You Make It’ drew enthusiastic participation from the audience who went with it all the
way.

But most of all it was Brady’s powerful honest voice that appealed most. No wonder Bob Dylan has named him as one of his “secret heroes” alongside Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, John Prine and Tom Waits. Proof enough, I reckon, of the Strabaneman’s towering international stature that was reinforced by this magical gig.