A completely silent crowd at a gig can often be a sign of an audience not enjoying their night, but when Gavin James walks on at Òran Mór, the only silence is that of stunned appreciation for his beautiful voice.
Having released his first studio album in the UK, Bitter Pill, in March, he has become a sensation in Ireland and is now setting off on a European and American tour as he continues to rise.
He first appears slightly awkward on stage, but this serves only to endear him to the audience as he takes everything in his stride and after a power problem before his second song is down in the middle of the crowd performing ‘Ray Charles’.
‘22’ tells the story of a harder time in James’ life when he was searching for better friends and it strikes a very emotional chord.
He really connects with the crowd and makes light of forgetting some words and getting the giggles during ‘Coming Home’.
His banter is top class throughout and he regularly intersperses his songs with playful imitations of other artists such as an impressively deep-throated Louis Armstrong impression as well as a bit of R Kelly.
James’ incredible vocal range is exhibited throughout, especially in ‘Nervous’, a song that like most of his, is about love – something he describes as one of his biggest influences on his music.
Tonight is a very open and genuine performance as James mocks the classic ‘walk off stage before quickly coming back on for what was an already ensured encore’.
While clichéd, he finishes by getting his support up on stage for a beautiful rendition of ‘Caledonia’.
James continues to go from strength to strength; we look forward to hearing more.
Words: Chris Cox
