Class acts line up for intimate Galway gigs

With a capacity of 150 people, Backstage at Monroe’s Live is one of Galway’s best spaces for an intimate gig – and there’s a host of them coming up over the next few weeks.  In the coming weeks, two of Ireland’s finest folk singer-songwriters will be gracing the venue. First, this Saturday, September 20, Mullingar native Peter Doran brings his show to Monroe’s, before Galway man Dave Clancy arrives for an album launch on Sunday, October 5.

Both men have released new records in recent months. Doran’s All the World is Running on a Mystic Code arrived in May, and he says the feedback since then has been positive. Still, it is hard to get a real grasp of the reception without seeing people react to the songs live.

“In the age of the internet, you are [often] getting positive feedback,” Doran says.

“But when it’s in a room with actual people, it’s a bit more of a real connection… You can feel it in the room what songs people are reacting to. It’s more instant feedback than what happens in the online game, when you’re sharing clips here, there and everywhere.

“It’s been good. I did a show in Ballymahon and I opened for Paul Noonan of Bell X1 in Mullingar about a month ago as well. That seemed to go down really well.

“It feels like the new songs are landing well with people and last night in Whelan’s they seemed to get a great reaction as well. It’s a big part of the live performance.”

The rest of Doran’s band will be absent on Saturday due to, among other commitments, a marathon in Oslo and an Ultan Conlon show in London. For the most part, he is relishing a different set up.

“Last night was a full band show but the way things have worked out for this particular date, it’s going to be more or less a solo show,” he says.

“I’m looking forward to that as well. There’s pros to everything. This gig is going to be a lot more intimate I suppose, which is how the songs were written for the most part.

“To be honest, I’ve played more shows in that stripped down capacity than the big shows. There’s sometimes a little bit more freedom to experiment. With a band, you’re kind of locked into the arrangements and we’re all on the same page. If you’re solo, there’s a little bit more freedom to wander and try different things on the night.”

Pictured: Dave Clancy...home town gig.