Here comes the summer!

>>> It’s been a beautiful week in London with lazy days lying on the common and balmy evenings sat outside with cool drinks. It amazes me that anyone would want to leave the country right now yet the next few weeks encompass the busiest time of year at UK ferry and airports with Brits heading off abroad in search of summer holiday bliss.

It’s been a couple of years since I had a proper summer holiday but I can warmly recall packing a tent into the boot of my dinky, racing-green coloured car (affectionately known as Pacey) as I set off with my other-half for a ten night adventure to the Emerald Isle. Traversing the south coast from west to east, and back again, the weather was unusually kind and we managed to see many an inspired view of a country I hold close to my heart. It was on the Wednesday evening when we found ourselves in a traditional Irish pub in the small fishing town of Clonakilty. An hour passed by drinking stout, playing cards and chatting with some Australian tourists. Nothing seemed particularly special about the bar where we sat apart from some unusual music memorabilia hanging on the walls. Another half hour passed before the young Australian, returning to his family from the bathroom, announced that there was live music in a room at the back of the bar.

A smoky, darkly lit backroom scattered with intimate wooden tables and a tiny stage, we came to realise, was ‘Ireland’s number one’ folk club, De Barra, musical home to Jimi Henderix’s band mate Noel Redding amongst others. The regular Wednesday night slot is filled by a variety performance of exciting acoustic acts known as ‘The Sitting Room Sessions’ and hosted by local musician Gavin Moore. We had inadvertently stumbled upon what was to be the most memorable evening of our holiday. Five hugely talented acts played that evening but the stand-out performance came from Galway duo UltanJohn. Ultan Conlon and John Conneely’s beautiful live harmonies and intricate melodies made me sit-up and pay attention in a way that is exceptionally rare for a first listen to a newly discovered band. A few months later however and I was gutted to discover that the two had parted ways in order to pursue their solo ambitions. Ultan’s solo act is more of a mainstream sounding mix of rock and indie with acoustic guitar and the occasional banjo. John’s music remains guitar driven and led by his hugely distinctive vocal performance that can only be described as somewhere between a gruff Anthony and the Johnsons and an Irish Ray LaMontagne. And whilst the two have produced some tremendous songs independently, for me, you can’t beat the collaboration of the two distinct sounds fused together to produce a highly original musical delight. I’m sure that one day my travels will take me back to Clonakilty and I’ll be sure to stop by De Barras in search of my next new favourite band.

>>> Not so much a music festival but more a chance to eat your own body weight in ice cream, I ventured to Ben & Jerry’s Sundae on Clapham Common at the weekend. A middle-of-the-road selection of artists included The Troubadours, Charlotte Hatherley and The Charlatans. I couldn’t help but find myself dancing to Delays however, even with feeling sick from ice cream indulgence and heat exhaustion, the band’s infectious guitar pop got me on my feet. It surprises me that Delays has yet to break into the big-time musical realms occupied by the likes of Razorlight and the Kooks, in-spite of producing three albums worth of radio friendly tunes which are far more original than anything produced by their peers. Surely its only a matter of time...

See you soon x