Paul Cleary

Following his triumphant Christmas show at the Olympia, the former Blades frontman makes a welcome return to the live stage, this time to the slightly more intimate Thomas Street venue.

With ex members of The Blades/Partisans making up his backing band, the early part of the set focused on Cleary’s recently released solo album Crooked Town. He certainly couldn’t be accused of mellowing over the years as solid, guitar driven numbers like ‘The Queen of Indecision’, ‘Liberty Hall’ and ‘The Ghost of Christmas Past’ are delivered with no little passion.

Cleary’s voice has if anything grown in power- – as a pretty stunning solo rendition of ‘Animation’, a 20-year old Blades B-side revealed. Meanwhile, Conor Brady’s twangy guitar added sheen to the country ballad. ‘Some People Smile’, another Cleary gem.

But it wasn’t all about three-minute pop singles, as melodically complex numbers like ‘The Last Man In Europe’ and ‘Crooked Town’, demonstrated. The Blue Brass added punch particularly on the nostalgic, blue-beat influenced Blades number, ‘Those Were The Days’, while a handful of covers included The Four Tops ‘Same Old Song’ and Smokey Robinson’s ‘My Girl’

It was all over too soon and for the latter part of the set he pulled out the crowd pleasers, or “our greatest misses,” as Cleary joked. Memories of the Magnet Bar and the Baggot Inn come flooding back as the crowds punched the air in unison to the chorus of ‘Revelations of Heartbreak’, ‘Ghost of A Chance’ and the glorious ‘Downmarket’.

You should have been there!