LIVE REVIEW: The Ruby Sessions @ Doyle’s Pub

A permanent fixture in Doyle’s Pub every Tuesday night, The Ruby Sessions has played host to the likes of Ed Sheeran, Paolo Nutini, Glen Hansard, Kodaline and countless others over the course of its 15 year lifespan. With the €6 admission price going towards the Simon Community, this Tuesday night once again saw the stage give way to four uniquely talented young artists.

First onstage shortly after ten o’clock was Danielle Smith, a Newfoundland native playing her final Irish gig for the near future following her recent shows in the Mercantile and Whelan’s. Starting things off with the gorgeous ‘Once I Was’ from her debut album Little Seeds, a gentle and moving ballad mourning the passage of time and reflecting on youth; her influences range from Lucinda Williams to Ryan Adams, and the warm, intimate setting of upstairs at Doyle’s proved to be an ideal venue for Danielle’s performance.The crowd observed silently, transfixed, allowing her to wrench every last drop of emotion from her heartbreakingly honest lyrics. In between songs, Danielle established an easy rapport with the audience, at one point jokingly announcing her next song is to be a Garth Brooks cover, which thankfully never happened. She seemed to do just fine without Garth's help.

Dublin-based Bairbre Anne was next up, kicking off her set straight away with an air of confidence and gusto. Showcasing material from her E.P.’s Arrows and the as-yet-unreleased Sparks, she really came into her own by the third song, ‘Dark Heart’, a piano-led number which preceded a stirring cover of ‘You’ve Got The Love’, providing a fitting outlet for her strong and assured vocals. Stepping away from the piano and strapping her guitar on once more, Bairbre’s set finished strongly with ‘Wake Up’, the single from her Arrows E.P., pleading just to “Let it be, let it be, let it be”, before leaving the stage and leaving the audience wanting more.

Described as a "sentimentalist who can rip a guitar to shreds”, Ron Pope is best known for his song ‘A Drop In The Ocean’, and has been prolific as a solo artist, with his most recent album Calling Off The Dogs being released back in January. Wasting no time, he quickly made his way through an extremely well-received and personal set, featuring material both old and new. Performing in front of a highly appreciative audience, The Ruby Sessions is just one stop off on Ron Pope’s current tour which will include a performance at the Splendour festival in Nottingham, alongside the likes of Tom Odell and the Happy Mondays, on July 19.

Closing out the evening was Australian-born, Dublin-based singer Liza Flume, who offered something altogether different from what had come before - forgoing her usual guitar for synths and drum machines, Liza daringly chose to take this opportunity to air new material from her upcoming E.P., eschewing her previous material (as well as her best-known song ‘What We Called Love’). Over the course of her impressive five song set, the influence of The XX was evident and her ability to experiment and play with her music while still retaining her signature sound is to be lauded. “This song is four minutes long” she deadpanned, before wrapping up the evening with standout track ‘Burn’.
Having toured Ireland extensively for the last two years, one can only hope that Liza Flume hasn’t quite finished up her time in the country.