Photos: Remy Connolly (click first image to begin slideshow)
Info: On Thursday night Iowa singer-songwriter Elizabeth Moen took to the stage upstairs in Whelans on Wexford Street as she tours new album, A Million Miles Away. Her band on the night consisted of THUMPER's Alan Dooley (guitar), OisÃn Furlong (bass) and Wyvern Lingo's Caoimhe Barry (drums & additional vox). Support on the night came courtesy of relative newcomer Dubh Lee (aka Niamh Dooley) and Joey Gavin.
One of the best parts about hitting up a local gig is when you go in blind for at least one of the acts, it makes the evening far more interesting in my book, and so I made sure I arrived on time to catch Dubh Lee (presumably with 'dubh' pronounced the Ulster Irish way phonetically sounding like the 'doo' of her surname, rather than 'dove' for the rest of the island - sorry, Gaeilge nerdiness interlude! - update! Dove is correct > Gaeilge Connemara!) Her sound was very disarming, a soothing vocal and in her own voice which is always so welcome.
Next up was the ever affable gentleman Joey Gavin. Gavin lets his music do the talking, in the sense that the delivery is more important than his presence on the stage. Time-travelling is an inescapable consequence when seeing him perform, if you closed your eyes you could be back in the late 60's / early 70's listening to one of the great song-writers of the era. It's timeless stuff, with the tenderness of Cohen and the heart-felt delivery of James Taylor, without sounding like either, best captured perhaps on his debut EP Circles. Of course the incredible single 'Rolf Harris is a Paedophile' was kept until last, and it was a boisterous end to the set, the crowded room was now warmed up for the main act.
The week before the show I had a wee listen to Elizabeth Moen on the auld Spotify, 5 seconds into her last single 'Time Is a Shitty Friend' I was like, 'aw yeah'. Kind of like a grunged-out mix of First Aid Kit and Anna Calvi. Personal expectations and excitement were high, and met, it was a stunning set. Her vocal is immense and gripping, getting right down to the core of your insides, straight from hers. The country-tinged rock sound was prevalent and soulful, and when Barry joined in on harmonies it was all very heavenly if I'm to be honest, particularly noted when she performed 'Mars' from her 2nd album That's All I Wanted. Kudos has to be given also to Furlong and Dooley (what a guitarist) for playing so tightly through Moen's songs given they would have had to learn the set from scratch at the beginning of the Irish leg of her tour.
I really felt like the night flew in, a positive as it highlights enjoyment, but in some ways I felt so engrossed in the performance that I still haven't fully absorbed and reflected on it almost 48 hours later. This is why I find it hard to review live music, I get lost in what's unfolding in front of me and don't pause enough to make mental markers! Some things I did note though, and that's that goodwill from an audience can't be bought, it was to come from a genuine place, and there was a hell of a lot of love for Moen in that room. Through her facial expressions and demeanour she portrayed a believable authenticity, no airs or graces, just an evident happiness to be on a stage performing for us. Moen's the real deal, and I'm very happy that I got to see her, it was a buzz and then some, still sinking in.
Moen and Joey Gavin performing a duet cover of The Beatles
'A Million Miles Away' by Elizabeth Moen is now available for pre-order from her website https://elizabethmoen.com/, alternatively you can bring a copy home from one of her live shows like me!
She plays The Harbour Bar in Bray tomorrow night, event page is here https://www.facebook.com/events/225121405012755/
