SCENE & HEARD With his song “Say Hello” shortlisted for the Meteor Choice Music Song Of The Year Award, things appear to be moving in the right direction for the Dubliner. Playing the first of two sold out gigs at Whelan’s, tonight GAVIN JAMES walked out on the stage and just got on with it immediately. While the title of his opening number might be “Nervous”, from the confident manner that he launched into his set here it would be appear that he is anything but. There was no waiting about from him and the way that it all sounds hangs very nicely. It retains something to it that hones in the fragile aspects and showing that vulnerability really enhances the performance here. The whole of the rhythm to it picks up very neatly and it has something additional depicted in the vocals also. With “Hole In My Heart” there is something that immediately comes off it that grabs your attention. It is brought to the reckoning by a steady hook that is applied expertly. It is catchy and it shows a true diligence that is well matched as the song grows in stature while played live. Then on “Carolina” all the right things bristle. This is laced with such warm affection that the intentional heartfelt aspects to it come across faithfully. The playing on the guitar to it is an immense feature to it also, but what is the real deal about it is the way that his voice feeds into it. As it does it seems to find a place that it can easily call home because there is a real sense to it that lights up the whole song here.
GAVIN JAMES
Whelan’s, Friday 8th, February 2013
Then things really become captivating with “Slow”. While it is a captivating number, another stand out feature to it is the way that it is blessed with a level of honesty and integrity in the words. That humble quality to it is something that is blended ever so well with the music. As a result of this it is able to retain a charming element that easily stays the course here. Then he was joined for the duration of his set by Michelle Mason on cello and Michael Maclennan on piano. On “Coming Home” the piano gives it real feeling that allows the vocals to sift through. That is one of the finer details that come to the fore. The way it all builds up shows a true resolution that connects in a way that lets the listener connect with the music. That synergy resulting from the soft application in the sound worked the crowd up very well here. A nice little touch of class for one very lucky fan as the next song was dedicated to her following a request from her boyfriend who is away at the moment. With her birthday approaching he mailed Gavin and asked him to wish her a Happy Birthday, but being the gentleman that he is he went one better and devoted the next song “For You” to her. That was a really nice touch. The song itself has something about it that comes across as a perfectly captured moment. That is helped by the graceful way the cello is able to keep it intimate and bring you closer to things.
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