Live Report: Ryan McMullan lights up 3Olympia

You could tell that last night at the 3Olympia Theatre Ryan McMullan was not only feeling confident, but enjoying himself, as he effortlessly delivered one pop-rock banger after another, and prompted laughs out of the audience with his earnest, cursing-filled anecdotes.

It was heartwarming to see the Co. Down singer-songwriter so energised. The road has not always been as smooth – not too long ago, he had to cancel a world tour and postpone the release of his debut album due to his mental health.

“I hate to let people down, especially people who buy tickets to your show,” he told Hot Press in an interview for our latest issue. “There’s nothing worse than being on tour and you get sick and you have to cancel the show.

He released his long-awaited debut album Redesign in November of last year. Writing the record was therapeutic in a way: “There’s a difference bewteen not turning up and not being able to turn up. I was mixing the two into one, and by the end of writing that album, I got from the position of not seeing a way out to being able to see a glimmer of light. So that’s where the album sort of headed.”

Supporting acts Sadhbh Keane and JC Stewart got the night started. Keane delivered a dynamic blend of post-punk, alt-rock and heavy metal alongside her band, while Stewart performed some melodic, rhythmic songs on his acoustic guitar.

JC Stewart supporting Ryan McMullan at the 3Olympia Theatre/Copyright Patrik Meier

Last night the curtain went up and McMullan appeared onstage solo holding an acoustic guitar, surrounded by a number of unmanned musical instruments. “I was 18 years old, when I went down to Dublin” were the first words he sang, fittingly beginning his set with a cover of The Wolfe Tones’ ‘Streets of New York’. His soft guitar picking accompanied the song’s timeless Celtic melodies, which he delivered with passion as the audience chanted along.

After sitting down to the piano for another stripped-back song, this time ‘Hello Darlin’, some ambient synth pad chords began to make themselves heard, alongside some timid bass drum kicks. A second curtain went up, revealing a three-piece band comprising a keyboardist/guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer.

Ryan McMullan at the 3Olympia Theatre/Copyright Patrik Meier

The band set out to play a few songs from Redesign, like the catchy pop rock of ‘Static’, made atmospheric through an enveloping wash of synth chimes, the fierce ‘Real Love’, and ‘Us’, whose ‘50s jukebox love song melodies McMullan prefaced as dealing with “cunts being cunts”.

McMullan's show was polished and dynamic. He delivered each song with his contemporary Irish pub-troubadour charm, often breaking into powerful belts. He either interspersed the songs with anecdotes or made seamless transitions from one track to another.

One of the night’s highlights was ‘Jenny And Johnny’, released earlier this month as part of his latest project In This Room - EP. He has said that the song is a fan-favourite for live shows, and you could tell by the excitement with which everyone in the room sang along.

‘Make a Mark’, his song with Irish band Beoga, and its melodic, energetic chorus, added some variety with some Irish folk fiddles. ‘Letting Go for a Little While’, the pedal steel guitar motifs glossily decorating McMullan’s agile guitar.

Ryan McMullan at the 3Olympia Theatre/Copyright Patrik Meier

But the true peak of the night came when, over some ambient synth pad chords and while doing percussive strums on his guitar, McMullan began singing a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’. It was a slowed-down version, with the singer delivering each line in a spaced rubato, at times belting at the top of his lungs.

After the first chorus, the song switched abruptly, if unsurprisingly, to his own ‘Bowie on the Radio’, as the audience whooped and quickly started to sing along accompanied by a steady four-on-the-floor.

‘Bowie on the Radio’ stood out from the rest of the set because of its clever trick of dropping the tempo to half in the chorus. While it might seem like this could make the song lose momentum, the result was a dynamic, enveloping chorus that felt like a breeze after the pre-chorus steady four-on-the-floor.

He closed the set with a powerful rendition of 'Belfast City', which had the audience screaming and whistling. He left the stage, and then returned for an encore, playing ‘Never Mattered’, with its glam-rock cadences lingering in the air before a punchy backbeat entered, 'Ruthless Cupid', which did not only resemble Wanda Jackson’s ‘Stupid Cupid’ in its lyrics but also in the high-pitched delivery of some of the lines, and ‘Oh Sussanah’.

The night ended on a lighthearted note, as McMullan's delivered ‘Fuck Off’ solo on his acoustic guitar while the rest of the band members left the stage. He unplugged the guitar for the last chorus, and then stopped playing to let the audience sing in communion.