I swear, if I had a quid for every time someone said that to me in the past two months, my bank balance would be in a more respectable standing. Paul has been turning heads locally, with substantial radio airplay as well as a superb session with Bandwidth Films. It’s a tricky thing to break out of the mould as a piano playing singer songwriter but Shevlin seems to bring his own spin on the genre, describing it as “piano power-pop with a kick up the arse”. You would be hard pressed to disagree in that regard. “Good Morning” is filled with ELO-esque sound effects, a delightful little piano part and the star of the piece- Paul’s voice. It’s passionate, soulful and proud, like a gospel singer that’s seen a little too much in this lifetime.

So how did the new single “Lift Up Your Head” (which comes out on the 1st of September and streamable from MySpace now) come about? “Writing it was a bit strange, I’d came up with the piano line and melody about a year ago but I didn’t know what to do with it. Then a while back I remembered I had written it and finally was able to finish it. I suppose it would fit in closest with a break-up song.” Ah, so we will get to see the melancholic side of Paul then? Not a chance. “It’s definitely a lot poppier than Good Morning. A lot more upbeat as well.” If Good Morning was radio-friendly, the latest single in comparison would be the aural equivalent of  Hugo Duncan- immensely likable and on first listen it sounds like a song you’ve been singing for yonks.

Shevlin is one of the new generation flooding into Northern Irish music, but an underage artist’s path to establishing themselves on the local circuit is far from simple. It can be a major problem in most areas. Laura Marling famously played a gig in the street outside a premises after she was refused permission to enter the venue due to being under 18. While Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre have helped younger musicians play and get started on the local music scene, he admits that it’s still not all coming up roses. “There was a few times I had to spin a line to some bouncers when I was under-age… it’s quite hard to get people to take you seriously when you’re a young musician, showing up to gigs with a battered stage piano in no case.” Once the hallowed 18th birthday comes, though, things do get slightly easier.

The support slots have become more and more illustrious as Shevlin recently supported Duke Special at an Oh Yeah Volume Control gig. “The first song I ever played on the piano and sang was a Duke Special track, so for me it was kinda special.” I caught a snippet of Paul’s set at Glasgowbury, which was the victim of being scheduled at the same time as ASIWYFA’s not so secret performance. The crowd was fairly substantial for the particular stage (the G Spot) and you get the feeling that perhaps a year or two down the line a different stage would reap dividends for him. There are more pressing matters on his mind though.

He explains that far from being a solo act he’s essentially part of a band now (as well as performing occasional keyboard duties for the 1930s), but there’s one slight problem. “We’re desperately trying to think up a name like.. Paul Shevlin and the something. Any help would be appreciated!”  Adding more voices into the creative mix can help a sound  evolve but as always it can have drawbacks. Paul excitedly talks about a track yet to be recorded called “Snow” – “with the amount of different sections and ideas, I can predict a lot of arguments in the studio!”

There’s talk of a possible single release at Christmas and a UK tour, depending on the financial situation. All in all, Shevlin is a remarkably talented musician and his enthusiasm shines through in his music and his persona. With a few more gigs under his belt and a successful promotional push of his new single, Paul can look towards the success of Rams’ Pocket Radio as a marker demonstrating the potential for success on the island.

One of the best kept local secrets may not have to be kept secret any longer.

Apparently not, according to Cheylene Murphy and Ryan McGroarty. “We just started writing songs before we knew what we were doing – we’ve never had a plan and we still don’t!” It certainly feels that this is a musical project with an emphasis on having fun, as few acts could react to musical gremlins striking on stage recently in such a positive light. “Everything that could have ever gone wrong did and within seconds of starting my glass of water smashed on the stage … lots of stuff died and got unplugged. Even though it was shockingly bad, at least we had a good time laughing at everything imploding in front of us.”

It seems like a fairly simple formula the Derry band have constructed: a heavy dependence on Casio keyboards, hook laden choruses and perhaps a passing nod to the girl power movement of the 1990s. Influences such as Vampire Weekend and local bands such as Two Door Cinema Club do leave their mark upon the Villains’ sound yet not in a in-your-face way. Make no mistake though, despite the references to Pokemon, Heroes, Space Jam and even Wimbledon the Wonder Villains are a force to be reckoned with locally. The band recently supported New York Pony Club and Oppenheimer in Belfast- the latter of which they are still reaping the rewards from. “We won a competition to support Oppenheimer back in December and Rocky (O’Reilly, ex-Oppenheimer and Malibu Shark Attack) was super nice… he’s helped us so much by getting us awesome shows in Belfast and letting us run amok in his studio!”. It seems that the band have set their sights on supporting a certain Los Angeles Band though.  ”We recently made a list of the top 10 bands we’d love to support, and after a good few hours researching and a very complicated voting system Weezer came out on top!”

It has been a fairly surprising rise to prominence for the band, one which seems to have been mostly captured on camera. Their YouTube channel documents the beginning stages of the Wonder Villains as a two piece, messing with keyboards and covering MGMT. We see clips from the all ages Practice Makes Perfect gigs at Derry’s Nerve Centre, the radio appearances, the addition of Eimear Coyle’s brother Kieran and just the general evolution of the band musically (plus some candid clips of the Wonder Villains together). To think that some bands complain about maintaining a MySpace page…

Surprisingly enough,their feet are firmly on the ground. While the academic commitments may be suffering slightly due to their success (“The Monday after One Big Weekend our drummer Kieran had a medical exam! He was on the ferry with ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ in hand…”) there are no plans to tour or even release an EP just yet, according to Ryan. ”We’re not sure how we’re gonna release anything yet. At the minute we keep writing and recording … we’re just generally experimenting with things.”  McGroarty himself is a fairly recent addition to the Wonder Villains set up, bringing his Future Chaser experience to proceedings- something which seems to help combat nerves on stage. ”Since becoming a 4 piece, there’s enough of us on stage making noise that you feel less exposed which helps us to be less nervous and more ridiculous! I probably still get more nervous at smaller gigs since you can see everyone’s faces…we get way too over excited for big gigs like Glasgowbury to even think about getting nervous!”.

It’s certainly fair to say that the excitement comes across to the typical punter. The band clearly revelled in their headline slot recently at Auntie Annies: there were a lot of twirls and jumps on stage while frontwoman Coyle simply has the knack for crowd interaction with a fast wit and a real charm that can melt any hipster’s cold heart. There’s always a risk in exposing bands to the limelight so early in their careers as they can often spend time doing peripheral things instead of mastering the basics before finally burning out. The Wonder Villains are raw, young and haven’t even released an EP. Yet there’s a certain charm to the band. They have their heads screwed on, a fine ability to write hooks and the material we’ve heard so far is excellent, with unreleased track “Mar Vista” standing out. Give them time, a little luck and who knows? “There will be something eventually… and it’s gonna rock your socks off!”

Southern kicked off the night and immediately caught my attention- there’s clear musical chemistry as Thom’s bittersweet and occasionally caustic vocals combine effortlessly with Lucy’s soft, ethereal voice. Harmonies are forced to the mainstage due to the sparseness of the instrumentation as with just one guitarist on stage, something needs to fill the void. Without a doubt it’s an enjoyable experience for all though. There’s a rare surprise package in drummer Jonny Lee as he seems to slot into the background for the most part but can show off when necessary. A number of bands at the minute seem to embrace the quiet loud dynamic and Southern is no exception, though as ever the venue PA system makes it difficult for any guitarist to embellish this.

The track of the set has to be “Two Doors Down”- a delightfully folksy number with a sound reminiscent of City and Colour, firmly lodging itself in your subconscious and refusing to leave even a day after hearing it for the first time. The only criticism that I can make would be that occasionally Thom sounded like he was a member of the Kooks instead of being his own man, but it’s perfectly understandable that influences can creep in. On the whole, however, Southern is an exceedingly promising act that, with a bit of luck and some hard work, could really become something special.

John D’Arcy’s latest project, the Great Bunch of Lads, were enjoyable but without doubt are still a work in progress. I really enjoyed the switch in sound and to be honest it seems like much more of a natural fit for John. The sound is radio friendly, Telekinesis powerpop with punk energy lurking beneath and in a live setting all the necessary elements seem to exist. With a welcome attention to song structure and stop start power chords as well as some truly excellent basslines thrown into the mix it seems that with one big song they could have the perfect formula for a great performance. Sadly, that big song didn’t materialise. Don’t get me wrong, the standard of songwriting was generally quite high (“Pop Tart” in particular is a cracking tune and much stronger live than on record) but the band just failed to kick it up that final notch. The Kesha cover certainly drew a few laughs. The talent is there, the potential is there, just one big singalong could make a good band into a great one.

This was the Varionis’ swansong, their final gig before they embark on different musical projects. It’s a bit of a muted affair- the musical gremlins were out in force and the body language on stage seemed to suggest a real frustration within the band. Aside from that it wasn’t a poor performance at all. Their sound certainly owes a lot to the ‘lad rock’ genre but there’s more than a passing nod to old school blues within the mazy guitar riffs and the basslines, and it’s clear to see the band are attempting to break out of the Kasabian mold. It’s easier said than done, however.

“Everybody’s Got A Story To Tell” and “Greenhouse Party” are two great tunes laden with hooks and driving energy, standing out as highlights of the set but there were moments within the performance that the audience just seemed to lose a little interest. Their cover of “Ever Fallen In Love” by Buzzcocks was a real treat as the band flew through a solid, vibrant performance of the classic- I’ve heard the track performed on numerous occasions by various bands and justice was certainly served this time round. With a little more time perhaps the band could refine their sound by making it their own or write some more songs along the lines of “Greenhouse Party”, but it seems time has sadly run out on these lads.

Until this performance I had never understood exactly why the Wonder Villains had gotten such an impressive reputation in the local media. It’s pretty clear to me now. The Derry band are, essentially, unbridled fun and frolics wrapped up in a tight little package. While their Glasgowbury performance was underwhelming they seemed right at home on the stage at Annies- the band were clearly having fun making music, there’s a clear musical dynamic running between Eimear and Cheylene and there’s a healthy amount of banter and crowd interaction.

“Oh Peter” and “Space Jam” are just two truly sensational pop tracks, with some of the most infectious synth parts I’ve ever heard. They have the foundations ready to be a great powerpop act but it’s up to the band as to where they take things from here. Wonder Villains are a mesmerizing act live that seem to have the basics sorted: while I’m not expecting them to start quoting Sartre and spouting great philosophical mysteries, a little more lyrical depth could make the band a force to be reckoned with on record as well.

Music from:

Heliopause: The Let Go

More Than Conquerors: Home Is A Red Dress

The Ambience Affair: Devil In The Detail

Escape Act: Salt In Your Eye

Uber Glitterati: Tilt

Aaron Shanley: Somebody To Take Care OF

A Plastic Rose: All You Know And Love Will Die

The Q: Magpie

Enjoy and spread the word. We’re having a few issues with the iTunes feed at the minute but it should be working within the next few days.

And here is my Podcast Alley feed! {pca-b5057d2418b020b2a8b1b5233fbb0da0}

Were it not for the special guests, LaFaro would have been my highlight of Glasgowbury. Heavy riffs, caustic vocals, political in-correctness, Buckfast and some damn fine tunes culminated in a showstopping set that cement LaFaro as the premium purveyors of Northern Irish rock. Despite taking what felt like an age to set up, the band flew through various tracks from their finally released eponymous debut album. “Jeff Hinton” sounds just as punchy live as it does on record- the bass chugged along, the Magee brothers headbanged in perfect sync and the ever reliable Alan Lynn whipped up a frenetic drumline in order to please the baying crowd.

In general, it’s surprisingly polished though still completely and utterly predictable. Despite the fact Jonny Black does sound like he has been smoking and drinking whisky non-stop since the age of thirteen his vocals are an integral part of LaFaro: there’s a certain quality, a harshness and a brittleness that are reminiscent of Tom Waits or countless other songwriters. “Tupenny Nudger” is still a cornerstone of a LaFaro live performance but it’s a testament to the strength of their album that there are so many powerful songs in their repertoire. “The Ballad of Burnt Dave” and “Girl Is A Drummer” are as infectious as the typical mass produced pop song but Katy Perry would find it difficult to unite metallers and wannabe scenesters (such as yours truly) in going absolutely buck mad. This is a band that thrive on crowd interaction. There’s a lot of clapping, the singalongs are too many to mention and you can be guaranteed to experience at least a bit of comedy on stage. A headliner-worthy performance.

High point: the first six or seven rows of the crowd singing along to the ending of “Jeff Hinton”. Just awesome.

Low point: it’s a tie between taking forever to actually start the set and leaving out Leningrad.

(photo from the BBC ATL Flickr photostream from the excellent Carrie Davenport)

Wow. I’m aching, shattered and my ears are still ringing. Glasgowbury 2010 easily met and exceeded my high expectations, both on a personal level and in terms of music: simply a great event for all involved. A massive thank you to the organisers and the bands involved, we all had a ball. I will be posting reviews of The Rupture Dogs, Fight Like Apes, LaFaro, The Q, Wonder Villains, Pocket Billiards, Axis Of, ASIWYFA, Panama Kings and More Than Conquerors over the next day or two- in the meantime, check out the BBC ATL brief Glasgowbury reviews if you need your review fix as soon as possible.

Last year I ran a little feature on the festival in general, and behold! It’s back for another year!

The Good:

• The weather. Nice and dry for the weekend, with two lovely warm evenings.
• The festival attendees (for the most part). With the exception of one guy declaring his love for the disability living allowance to the tune of “On The Ball” for nigh on 3 hours and the guys throwing bystanders into the “circle of death” at LaFaro everyone I met was surprisingly nice. Many festival goers admitted to me they only knew General Fiasco, but wandered from tent to tent and discovered bands such as John, Shelly & the Creatures or Cashier No 9. That’s the real beauty of Glasgowbury: the rubbish is mostly filtered out, so you can be guaranteed to find someone you will love.
• Cheap drinks. Well, festival cheap. Buckfast cocktails probably contributed to the good atmosphere.
• The side attractions. The ability to customise your wellies, the massive graffiti wall and the ability to make signs really adds to Glasgowbury- it makes it a family friendly festival (not to the same extent as Willowstone but they make a strong effort) and some adult attendees created certain hilarious signs.
• The staff (for the most part). Helpful and knowledgeable for the most part. The security staff took a hands off approach in terms of crowdsurfing, and generally intervened if things were getting out of hand in the moshpit.
• Silhouette: Shauna Tohill’s project seems to be reaping real rewards. I caught the last few tracks of her set and the entire tent was singing along or clapping, while “Volume Destroyed” is one of my singles of the year. A bigger stage and a later slot please, Mr Glasgow.
• Pocket Billiards: a perfect festival band. They may have been a little out of tune but the atmosphere in the tent was superb. People know the album word for word and even if you don’t, there’s a huge amount of crowd interaction- you always feel involved.
• LaFaro & ASIWYFA have both improved so much over the past year and both were highlights of the festival. And So I Watch You From Afar more than made up for their underwhelming headline performance with a raucous set in the G Sessions tent and stole the spotlight from Fighting With Wire, while LaFaro delivered an explosive performance that was surprisingly tight for a band that pride themselves upon their raw, explosive style.

The Bad:

• Certain individual staff problems. Certain staff members in the car park were unwavering in abiding to the letter of the law to some and willing to be pragmatic to others. We arrived at the car park at 10:03pm after travelling from Belfast- due to a car crash on the way we were delayed and hoped that the staff would make an exception. No such luck. Despite the fact at least 5 or 6 cars were in the same scenario, we were refused entry to the car park and no other options were provided. Ten to fifteen minutes later, the staff had changed their mind and let certain cars in. It was a sour note to kick off the Glasgowbury experience.
• Panama Kings. Don’t light the torches and ready the pitchforks. I’ve watched Panama Kings three or four times in the past two years and every time I come away feeling confused and disappointed. The elements are there and if they spark together they can create some excellent tracks, but it is a question of “if” and not “when”. In terms of the setlist alone, leaving out two of your biggest hits (in “Young Blood” and “Golden Recruit”) without really plugging the void at a festival is a risky business and the overall performance suffered.
• The fact there’s simply not enough time. The festival has expanded and the sheer quantity of quality acts means that most of us leave the festival regretting missing at least two or three bands. Would it really be a big ask for some acts to play on the Friday night in order to space things out on the Saturday?

The Fugly:

• Some of the attire on show. The mankinis scarred us all just a little.

10.00 – 12.00 – Deep Fried Funk DJs
9.00 – 9.45 – Here Come The Landed Gentry
7.50 – 8.30 – Pocket Billiards
6.40 – 7.20 – Adebisi Shank
5.50 – 6.20 – Triggerman
5.00 – 5.30 – Swanee River
4.10 – 4.40 – Team Fresh
3.20 – 3.50 – The Riptide Movement
2.30 – 3.00 – The Last Tycoons
1.40 – 2.10 – Standup Guy
12.50 – 1.20 – Fingersmith
12.00 – 12.30 – The Rupture Dogs

Here Comes The Landed Gentry: possibly my favourite act at last year’s Glasgowbury, the five piece are once again high up the billing at this year’s festival. Their blend of rockabilly and classic rock provides for an exciting live experience, and boy do they know how to play a crowd. They’re a bunch of hard drinking, no nonsense and talented musicians that can crank out a great tune in the blink of a eye- expect fan favourite “Leadbelly” to get the entire tent dancing and singing along, with Marty Doherty giving a masterclass in how to be a true frontman. Miss this act at your peril.

(photo courtesy of Matthew Alexander Patton)

Pocket Billiards: This band have gone from strength to strength in the past year. After their storming performance at ASIWYFA’s album launch in Mandela Hall they’ve garnered many new admirers: with a glorious combination of ska and punk Pocket Billiards are guaranteed to be a hit at Glasgowbury. Even if ska isn’t your usual cup of tea there’s a lot to enjoy here with a dynamic relationship between the two frontmen (who are guaranteed to come out with some hilarious and even insightful lyrics), a lot of emphasis on brass and some damn fine tunes. Check out “Big Mistake” and “Belfast Town” for a taster, and keep in mind that this kind of music flourishes at festivals. They’ve got a tough time slot to fill but you can be assured they will give it their all.

(photo courtesy of Niall Byrne)

Adebisi Shank: this is a preview of a band called Adebisi Shank. Seriously though, a lot of people are looking forward to this performance from the Wexford threepiece as their unique glitchy cyberpunk sound starts spreading around the globe.  It’s not for everyone, but this instrumental act has a lot of appeal: fans of Battles will enjoy the unusual rhythms and the seemingly limitless energy contained within Adebisi, while most of us will be dropping our jaws at the insane guitar riffs and solos. The Cast of Cheers have burst onto the Irish music scene as the young pretenders, but Adebisi are the masters. Check out “Snakehips” as a nice introduction to the band.

(photo courtesy of Graham Smith)

Triggerman: this band is not for the faint hearted. They’re heavy. Real heavy. With licks dirtier than your favourite fast food establishment on the Dublin Road and sprawling guitar solos as well as some thundering drums, you may think that they’re your standard heavy rock act. In fact, they’re more than that. There’s some real inventiveness in terms of time signature and rhythm changes (especially in Road to Damascus) and the lead singer isn’t constantly throwing out rock clichés. Very enjoyable.

Swanee River: Swanee owe a huge debt to classic rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and Cream (especially Clapton). However in this genre, that debt is inevitable, and Swanee do one hell of a  job in trying to pay it back. The lyrics can be a little bland at times, but Stevie Horner has an incredible voice, effortlessly hitting the higher notes and driving home the various choruses. Track “Baby Better Lady” is a good representation of the band with some mindblowing guitar work from Graham Baldrick and even a decent sing-along chorus.  They’re polished, professional and will undoubtedly follow on from their popular appearances at the festival in the past few years.

(photo courtesy of Matthew Alexander Patton)

Team Fresh: “North Coast hip-hop” will be one of the more unusual phrases uttered in 2010. This local supergroup are one of the most original bands to ever come out of Northern Ireland, bringing the funk and the noise to every gig. With ASIWYFA’s Rory Friers on guitar delivering some trademark punk neo-metal riffs and some fascinating lyrics (ranging from a dedication to Buckfast to a holiday in Croatia) delivered by the various MCs, they provide one of the best live performances you will ever experience from a Northern Irish band.  Portrush’s answer to the Beastie Boys? The only point to note is that they’re playing at the same time as the special guests: choose wisely.

The Riptide Movement: this Dublin bluesy-rock four piece have had a decent amount of success in the South, making the album Top 20 (the first independent label release to ever reach it). They’re inoffensive classic rock, with the usual influences of Rory Gallagher and AC/DC.

(photo courtesy of Dave Barry)

The Last Tycoons: this band have reminded me that extended slide guitar solos can exist in modern music. The Last Tycoons identify themselves as purveyors of American Depression folk, delivering ballads such as “The Dry Law” full of haunting organs and soulful harmonies to back up the Beck-like vocals of Stephen Fanning. That is not the limit of their talents, however: track “Speed” is an absolute gem of a folk pop song, wandering through the lands of the American spiritual or gospel genre.

Fingersmith: this trio from Suffolk are certainly a leftfield addition to this stage lineup at Glasgowbury. Their piano pop rock/jazz style would perhaps be better suited to the G Spot, but scheduling issues aside: Fingersmith really are a great band. They channel early Ben Folds Five material and even Easyworld into some tight upbeat catchy melodies. Synth laden track “Debut” is a radio-friendly poppy number, but the lyrics are often reminiscent of Scouting for Girls (and that’s certainly not a good thing). “Crazy Jay” suffers from the same problem: great melody, some lovely instrumentation (especially in regards to the percussion) but the lyrics let the track down.

(photo courtesy of Matthew Alexander Patton)

The Rupture Dogs: This is the band you want to kick off proceedings at the Spurs of Rock stage. With a sound reminiscent of early Queens of the Stone Age material and an almost unrivalled energy live this trio are gaining many admirers. Following on from bands such as In Case of Fire and LaFaro is a tough task, but it’s an even tougher task to stand out while using William Johnson’s formula of “riff + rhythm + dirty, sexy vocals you can barely understand = good times”. Track “Rupture” graciously builds and builds before an explosive chorus, while “Shoots to Thrill” is the closest the band have to an infectious track. Growly vocals and some great rhythms combine into a package that demands your attention.

10.30 – 11.30 – Duke Special
9.15 – 10.00 – Joe Echo
8.00 – 8.45 – Lowly Knights
6.55 – 7.40 – Keith Harkin
6.05 – 6.35 – John, Shelly & The Creatures
5.15 – 5.45 – The Vals
4.25 – 4.55 – John Edgar Voe
3.35 – 4.05 – Paddy Nash & The Happy Enchiladas
2.45 – 3.15 – Silhouette
1.55 – 2.25 – Henrietta Game
1.05 – 1.35 – Jackson Cage
12.15 – 12.45 – Captain Kennedy

Duke Special: Peter Wilson revels in mystery and vaudevillian antics. While he may have been in the headlines during the past year for his ‘pledge music’ drive, Wilson appears to be flourishing in his new found musical independence. His latest release “The Stage, A Book & The Silver Screen” has garnered glowing reviews from critics and his live performances are guaranteed to entertain. An ability to create sugary pop songs with dark undertones or create drama with a simple piano chord is a rare occurrence in popular music these days, and Duke is a master of that art. With classic tracks such as “Freewheel” and “Our Love Goes Deeper Than This” in Peter’s repertoire, there will not be a dull moment. Perhaps there won’t even be a dry eye in the house.

Joe Echo: Ciaran Gribbin is one of the worst kept secrets in Northern Irish music. He’s worked with Deadmau5, Paul Oakenfold and Madonna to name but a few artists but the ex-Leya frontman’s solo material is something special indeed: with an iconic voice and an ability to fire out beautifully layered radio-friendly tracks on record he’s a solid bet. I’ve never had a chance to see Ciaran live, but from various reviews the words “loop pedal” stick out like a sore thumb. These can be hit and miss in a live setting and due to the intricate nature of many of Ciaran’s tracks there may be a lot of waiting around. Hopefully these fears are unfounded though. Check out “The Heart That Knows Desire” for a lovely slice of electro pop, fan favourite “Tilly’s Cowboy” and if you can find it Ciaran’s wonderful cover of “If I Were A Boy”.

(photo courtesy of Laura Robinson)

The Lowly Knights: The Lowly Knights are a band reborn. The choir may have left, but the outfit have emerged stronger and tighter than ever before. The handclaps are still there and the infectious choruses remain but the most recent EP from the Knights proves that the songwriting has come on in leaps and bounds. The alt-folk collective seem to channel the spirit of the Decemberists in their most recent material, with some lush tracks featuring impressive percussion parts. Check out the happy-clappy “Devotion”, the sombre “Hollow” and new track “Burning Powder” for a rundown of this cracking band. A sure fire hit at Glasgowbury.

Keith Harkin: I can only describe Keith Harkin as a man who mixes together Irish folk, Motown funk and Americana. He’s supported David Kitt and has toured all over North America as part of “Celtic Thunder”, Phil Coulter’s evil masterplan for the Irish to take over the world. He’s not my cup of tea, to be perfectly honest, but if you’re looking for an inoffensive musical act and enjoy Jack Johnson this may be right up your street.

(photo courtesy of Luis Aviles-Ortiz)

John Shelly & The Creatures: without a doubt, one of the best bands in Ireland. Named after two Irish homeless twins some of the band met in Germany, their debut album “Dinosaur” has been critically acclaimed by the Irish press and rightly so: it’s a beautifully written album that fans of Neil Young and REM will greatly enjoy. Chances are you will know at least one track by this band, as folksy number “Long May You Reign” was used by the Northern Irish Tourist Board in their most recent TV ads. They’re a band that can build up a beautiful melody and then explode with some jarring guitars to monumental effect. A certainty for a Choice Music Prize nomination, and one act you really have to witness live at Glasgowbury. Check out “Blinded and Cross” and “Killer” for just a brief taste of what the band are about.

(photo courtesy of Stefan Duerr)

The Vals: To say the Vals were heavily influenced by the Beatles certainly wouldn’t be an understatement. However, they’re far from a tribute band, and they’ve certainly got their own take on things. There’s a little bit of the Who in there, there’s a little bit of Donovan, but they do their own thing reasonably well and are certainly enjoyable live. I’ve always been a fan of trumpets and the Vals seem to share that passion as track “Light Shine Down” features the brass instrument prominently, as well as a hook laden guitar riff. “Smile” is an upbeat little number that certainly wouldn’t be out of place on a Ocean Colour Scene record. Good clean fun.

John Edgar Voe: to be perfectly honest with you, I’m not going to make my mind up on an act that I haven’t had the pleasure of watching live and has a solitary track available on the internet. However, due to the MySpace mentioning possibly the greatest genre ever created (that of Fermanicana) I’ll just post the advertising blurb that’s available. John Edgar Voe is the latest musical venture from Martin J Corrigan (Alloy Mental, Corrigan). In a shift towards the country end of the spectrum, in?uences include Woody Guthrie, Thomas Jefferson and John Prine. He has joined forces with Charlie Mooney (Desert Hearts), Robyn G Shiels, James Heaney (St Dudes) and Ben McAuley (Three Tales) to sing songs about women, ?ghting, jail, death, drinking, God, freedom, larceny and love. Martin is currently working with producer David Holmes on a debut album.

Paddy Nash and the Happy Enchiladas: It’s tough to make political commentary into catchy songs, as antidisestablishmentarianism is tricky to throw into a rhyming couplet. Paddy Nash and the Happy Enchiladas seem to have a real knack for that particular job though. Not content with simply writing the election campaign song for Eamonn McCann, they even managed to create a funky little Bruce Springsteenesque number in “Billy Bragg Jeans”.  It’s a cracking song that could provoke a real singalong at Eagle’s Rock, with well thought-out lyrics and that lovely saxophone solo included in proceedings. Could be a nice surprise.

(photo courtesy of Dave McClean)

Silhouette: after releasing one of the best singles released so far this year in “Volume Destroyed”, Shauna Tohill is one of the most hotly-tipped local musicians around. Similar to Rams’ Pocket Radio, Silhouette creates dramatic attention seeking orchestral pop that grabs you by the neck and instructs you to listen. It’s hardly a surprise that there’s a crossover in membership of the two acts. With influences ranging from Tori Amos to ELO, Shauna creates a sound that’s bursting with passion, as she combines a clear love for classical music and punk in order to create some of the finest pop songs I’ve heard in a long time.

Henrietta Game: this fourpiece from Dublin take the good bits from bands such as Final Fantasy then combine them with The Frames. When it works, it works well, but it can be hit and miss. Track “The Last Thing” is a success story, with a sweet duet cast against a background of glockenspiels, pizzicato violin and carefully crafted musical layers.  ”Running Out Of Time” doesn’t quite pull this off (it sounds overwhelmingly cheesy and sentimental) but on the whole it’s a pleasurable experience.

Jackson Cage: if country music is your bread and butter, Jackson Cage will be right up your street. With whisky-sodden vocals, honky-tonk piano and harmonicas that make you yearn for the good ol’ days back in the Midwest the seven piece have roots (no pun intended) in Dylan and Van Morrison without question. Check out “A Hard Night in the Kitchen”, a free download on NIChart.

Captain Kennedy: rounding up the Eagle’s Rock selection is Captain Kennedy. Like a more laid back Mumford and Sons, they sport in Ciaran Lavery a strong singer who embraces his own accent (a welcome surprise in this genre). Most of the tracks are a little too quick to be ballads and a little too slow to be footstompers, but Captain Kennedy seem to bring something refreshing to the Americana genre instead of just motoring on autopilot. Check out “Stretch That Penny” on their MySpace as a small taster of what they’re capable of.

Tom McShane seems to be the king of simplicity. There’s a gorgeous quality to his music, reminiscent of Elliott Smith, with opener ‘Flowers’ setting the tone almost immediately. There’s no showboating, but the occasional falsetto is thrown in to devastating effect at times. With the addition of a drummer, McShane grows in stature as Pixies-inspired ‘Fighter’ steals the show. Due to the format of the gig the songwriter’s set is cut short, but he certainly leaves us wanting more and counting down the days until the release of his recently recorded album.

You Kiss By The Book appear to have a penchant for glockenspiel solos, which this reviewer heartily endorses. The Dublin band seem to be heavily inspired by Teenage Fanclub, and highlight of the set ‘Hands on Water’, certainly would not be out of place on Bandwagonesque. This isn’t paint by numbers alt-folk, however – various time changes occur within tracks and as soon as they set a mood, they try and surprise you once again with unerring success. Occasionally, the rhymes are too awkward to listen to and the lyrics are a little unoriginal, but on the whole it’s a decent performance for the first night of their tour.

Escape Act have evolved in a major way over the last two years, both as a band and individually. Chris Heaney’s vocals have improved tenfold as he seems to revel in his role as frontman of the band, and there’s a real attention to detail on their latest release as the group have brought more and more instrumentation into the fold, seemingly merging influences such as Spoon with their new wave stylings.

Recreating it in a live setting is a different challenge entirely, and for the most part the tracks did not overly suffer for it. ‘Single Thought’ is infused with a newfound energy with some dynamic drumming, while the addition of a trumpet to proceedings adds a wonderful richness to their sound (especially on quieter tracks such as ‘Flat Ocean’). Heaney appears to be constantly challenging himself to fit as many words as possible within a single breath, culminating in the epic lyrical maze that is ‘Burning Sand’. In fact, the biggest victims of the transfer to a live setting are the backing vocals, which for the most part become lost in the mix or simply drowned out. Highlight of the set ‘Salt In Your Eye’ is an absolute gem of an indie pop track: bursting with energy and ridiculously catchy, it’s impossible not to sit up and take notice. Suffice to say, Escape Act have well and truly gained our attention.

Here is the lineup for the stage, kindly provided by the good good people at Glasgowbury Music Group:

9.30 – 10.10 – Chipzel
8.30 – 9.10 – Paul Casey
7.30 – 8.10 – Bronagh Gallagher
6.30 – 7.10 – Building Pictures
5.30 – 6.10 – Aaron Shanley
4.30 – 5.10 – Junior Johnson
3.40 – 4.10 – Paul Shevlin
2.50 – 3.20 – Little Hooks

(all links go to the respective MySpace sites)

Chipzel: an album under her belt, two festival appearances at Ctrl Alt Dance and several radio plays- not bad for any artist, let alone one that hasn’t even turned twenty yet. Chiptune seems to be regarded as a love/hate genre in music but with a late billing at this particular stage this could be one appearance you won’t want to miss. With tracks full of glitchy beats and infectious electro dancepop, Chipzel has a growing reputation after several successful gigs at the Nerve Centre. “Ultimately, We Just Want To Be Happy” shows Niamh at the height of her powers, slowly and delicately building up a rather lovely chillout track. Check out “Something Beautiful” for something a little bit more upbeat and dare I say, catchy. I feel like I’m playing my Amiga all over again.

Paul Casey: Paul isn’t the most revolutionary singer-songwriter ever, but he can certainly write a decent song or two. You could imagine him soundtracking an American drama like One Tree Hill or Scrubs: surprisingly enough, he’s been featured on ABC series Wildfire and even on MTV. With a sound that owes a lot to bands such as Counting Crows and Nick Drake, Paul is certainly one act to check out if you’re not looking for the hottest electro punk grime outfit at this festival. What you see is what you get: “Stay” is an anthemic ballad with some gorgeous string parts and a decent chorus to boot. “Slow Water” has bluesy country slide guitar riffs and a potential singalong encased within a simple wee track.

(photo courtesy of Perry Ogden)

Bronagh Gallagher (official site): to be honest, few of us know exactly what this set will entail. Bronagh’s official site states she’s performing an acoustic set with Paul Casey and Liam Bradley as opposed to a performance with her band Precious Soul. We can probably expect a mixture of blues and soul, and as this video shows, she can certainly rattle out the classics admirably. Could be a surprise.

(photo courtesy of Rachel Coulter)

Building Pictures: it’s always tough having a successful older brother. John Gribbin certainly hasn’t let that get to him though, and it’s clear to see good songwriting runs in the family. With a knack for writing a well crafted tune and a charm that shines through his music it’s impossible not to enjoy Building Pictures. Embracing the occasional drum machine and loading his songs full of hooks tracks like “Hidden Agenda Types” and “Take My Advice” John’s sound ranges in influence between All Time Quarterback and Bombay Bicycle Club. He’s not quite the finished product yet, but he has the potential to follow in Iain Archer’s footsteps as the next truly great Northern Irish singer songwriter. If you have time on Saturday, check him out. Speaking of which…

(photo courtesy of Ronan McGrade)

Aaron Shanley: Aaron is yet another promising singer-songwriter that could do great things. (Jaysus, we’re coming down with them at the minute.) Coming firmly from the schools of Ryan Adams and Conor Oberst Aaron brings his own twist to the genre, making it firmly accessible and radio friendly. I saw Aaron at the BBC Headroom gig at Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast and he was excellent: part of me wishes it was Aaron being fangirled over by millions of teenage girls worldwide instead of Justin bloody Bieber. Tracks such as “Tell Me” and “Somebody To Take Care Of” are irritatingly catchy tracks that are bound to stick around in your head. He’s young and there’s a long way to go, but he could be massive.

(photo courtesy of Matthew Alexander Patton)

Junior Johnson: this man from Randalstown sounds like he has been plucked straight from America. Junior has an ability to write simple storytelling lyrics that Springsteen would be envious of, putting himself out there for all to see with only a softly fingerpicked guitar backing him up. Stephen McCauley from BBC Radio Foyle’s Electric Mainline stated “I couldn’t do a best of 2009 without including the stunning Ballad of Glasgowbury, what an absolutely staggering song it is.”, and he’s spot on: it’s a heartbreakingly beautiful tale that by itself deserves to get the man a decent slot at this festival. Stage times permitting, I will be front and centre for this man.

Paul Shevlin: Paul Shevlin is good. Jaw-droppingly good. With a strong soulful voice that belies his years and a real talent for creating original piano riffs, the comparisons to Ben Folds are perfectly merited. Slipping from the tender to the tumultuous Paul is an immensely talented pianist who finely crafts his tracks: “Good Morning” is an optimistic, soaring tune full of hooks and a cracking bassline, with powerful lows and delicate high notes while “Once I Was” has the potential to be a showstopper. Simply unmissable.

Little Hooks: Rarely has a band name described an act so perfectly. The duo can crank out a folk-pop track full of highs and hooks (such as in “Little Birds”) with vocals reminiscent of  Simon and Garfunkel: fans of John, Shelly & the Creatures will find favour here. They can slow things down and travel down a more bluegrass or country route as featured in “Scars For You”, proving they’re not just one trick ponies.