Glen Hansard rewards the faithful and wins over newcomers
Words/Photos: Images by Ellis
★★★★★
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Until recently, this reviewer must confess that he was more familiar with the support act than the headliner. Glen Hansard has built a loyal following the old-fashioned way: through years of touring, word of mouth, and his work with The Frames and The Swell Season. Hansard himself observed tonight how Nick Drake’s reputation had built slowly over the years, passed from person to person, and it is plain having now seen him live that there are clear parallels with his own career.
Photo: Images by Ellis
Support came from Courtney Marie Andrews, who recently played the Beacon’s sister venue The Lantern. She set out her stall with the delicate ‘Please Break The Spell’, seizing the attention of early arrivals to the Beacon Hall and holding it throughout a captivating 30-minute set.
Alternating between piano and acoustic guitar, she was backed by Jerry Bernhardt, who played on and co-produced her latest album, Valentine. Andrews’ voice soared through ‘Pendulum Swing’, the album’s opener. ‘Cons And Clowns’, ‘Little Picture Of A Butterfly’ and ‘If I Told’ followed, each underlining the Phoenix songwriter’s gift for emotional directness.
Hansard’s two-hour set drew deeply from across his various musical lives and from the openers ‘Don’t Settle’ and ‘I’ll Be You, Be Me’, it was clear that this was going to be a memorable night.
His band were tight, comprising three members of The Frames, along with Gareth Redmond on fiddle, who was spellbinding on Fitzcarraldo, and Ruth O’Mahony-Brady on keys. Her deft playing on ‘My Little Ruin’ reminiscent of Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’.
After three weeks on tour, the band were clearly revelling in playing together. Hansard said he felt they were hitting their sweet spot, and they were plainly enjoying themselves – wryly observing that it was his error that forced a restart on ‘Didn’t He Ramble’.
There were plenty of stories and witty observations from the frontman that made the night feel unique, including praise for the military antique shop on Park Row he had visited earlier in the day. Hansard even invited mythographer and friend Martin Shaw to add an unexpected theatrical story in one interlude.
There was wide musical variety on show, from ‘The Swell Season’s Falling Slowly’ to the building ‘When Your Mind’s Made Up’, and even the full-on goth cacophony of ‘Down On Our Knees’, reminiscent of Sisters Of Mercy in their pomp.
Photo: Images by Ellis
The encore’s highlight was Hansard inviting Andrews back for her own ‘Let The Good One Go’, a generous gesture that underlined the mutual respect onstage and gave the evening one of its most tender moments.
‘Winning Streak’ and ‘Bird Of Sorrow’ followed, the latter containing a nod to Springsteen’s ‘Drive All Night’. A touching full-band acapella version of folk song Passing Through closed the night and its words felt poignant to this review: “Glad that I ran into you; tell the people that you saw me passing through.” I certainly will!