The Four Of Us

With Heaven & Earth Newry’s The Four Of Us (or should that be the The Four Of Us) have produced their mellowest and most musically mature album to date – a subtle and seductively clever record that oozes life experience from low to mid tempo. Which makes singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson the ideal support act. Think a Plymouth version of David Gray, without the weird head-shaking thing.

Lawson’s brief but impressive solo acoustic set occasionally hits a plaintive high note – most especially on ‘I Think About You Almost All The Time’ – but, for the most part, perfectly sets the tone for what’s coming. By the time he bows to well-earned cheers, the crowd are fully in listen-and-appreciate-mode, rather than ready to rock out of the lighting rig. And judging from the enthusiastic calls for an encore, The One Of Him will be very welcome back to Galway any time.

Bathed in ultra-soft lighting, Declan Murphy strums a gentle but sonically sophisticated intro as older sibling Brendan steps out, still looking every inch the studied pop star, albeit an older and wiser one. They open with the gorgeous and uplifting ‘March 11’ (a song strangely reminiscent of the Smashing Pumpkins at their most harmonious) and continue treading lightly into our collective consciousness with an effortless segue into ‘Gospel Choir’. Nobody talks. Even the barman stops serving.

It’s not until Brendan straps on his left-handed guitar and tells the house that they might remember this one, that you think they’re about to break out and go for it. But no, even the classic ‘Drag My Bad Name Down’ gets the stripped-back treatment – and sounds wonderful for it. The first time I saw The Four Of Us play ‘Drag’ was in Galway’s Leisureland (a venue significantly larger than tonight’s) towards the end of the ’80s, when everybody thought they were on the verge of going global. For myriad reasons that never transpired but, on tonight’s evidence, it still could. Only three songs in and already nobody’s in any doubt that they’ve still got what it takes to moisten the panties of American college radio. Not to mention American college students.

The final stretch is old familiars. Charmingly, ‘Mary’ is sung note-perfectly by the crowd, and ‘She Hits Me’ the liveliest they’ve been all night. A great cover of McCartney & Lennon’s ‘Blackbird’ follows, and – another scary ’80s flashback to a great song forgotten – ‘Washington Down’ closes proceedings.

Lots of foot stomping and clapping earns a short encore, but even without one, the crowd have already been re-converted to the band. Of all (the) The Four Of Us’s recent re-inventions, this one is by far the most convincing, and likely to break them out of their rock and roll rut. Still strong contenders for hugeness, there’s lots of life in this band of brothers yet. Drag their good name up.