Sharon Shannon is certainly an artist who’s achieved a fair bit over the course of her career, not least of all being the youngest ever recipient of the Meteor Lifetime Achievement Award, but also having her work featured in various Hollywood movies and a Bulmers cider ad.
She’s unquestionably an accomplished musical, and this album, recorded live in collaboration with Alan Connor, is a showcase for her exemplary accordion skills.
‘In Galway’ does a good job of capturing the duo’s live sound and energy. Their brand of folk has all the classic elements, but instead of going all-out for the boisterous knees-up, there’s exceptional restraint and an emphasis on soul and swing, and many of the tracks are gentle instrumentals. There are also moments of delicate grace, such as ‘Little Bird’; of course, there are no shortage of jaunty tunes and shanties, like ‘Neckbelly / Gaffo’s Ball’.
The wild guitar break that dominates ‘Cavan Potholes’ sounds a little incongruous in context of the set, but it’s clear they’re hitting their stride and getting the crowd revved up by this point in the set, and this release shows Shazzer and Alan to be better than your average pub folk duo – even in Ireland.
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The DVD, which shows various shots of O’Connor’s Famous Pub, with all its weirdy nick-nacks and antlers before transitioning into the live set, is wel shot, and shows the duo enjoying themselves every bit as much as the punters in the packed bar, tapping their toes at the converted sewing-machine tables.
In all, it looks and sounds like a fun night out, if you like this kind of thing.
Sharon Shannon Online
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