Having spent the last five years touring the world’s most iconic stages from the Sydney Opera House to Radio City New York, Dublin based musician Brian McGrane takes to the zoom platform to perform this week’s Virtual, an online event organised by Fluttertone and DootDoot Records.
McGrane’s set was brimming with heartfelt emotive tunes and light hearted banter. His warm vocals incorporate ample nuance and expression into his performance. However it’s the quirky moments between the emotive tunes that make his show so charming for example he laughs about forgetting the lyrics to his newly written ‘Just Like You’. He gives thoughtful anecdotes and introductions to his tracks as well as reads out the comments from the audience, explaining “sure it’s the same as people heckling me onstage”.
From the soothing tenderness of ‘Miracle’ to the ethereal ‘Take Your Time’ McGrane demonstrates his ability to write sweet pop songs with catchy melodies which drift into the listeners ears with ease. He plays guitar and keys for this performance as the viewers sway and bop to his beautifully crafted tracks clapping and waving between them to show their support and flooding the comment section with compliments.
The audience last night was treated to songs which are freshly written. ‘Inside Out’ (co written with Roseanna Brown and Hannah Avison) is a beautiful example of the magic created within McGrane’s collaborative writing sessions. This romantic gem wonderfully builds into a cinematic delight as McGrane’s soulful vocals do a fine job of creating a welcoming, warm atmosphere. Not even his dad walking past and knocking at his window affects his performance of this track. The Coldplay -esque ‘Bubbles’ brings the show to a powerful end – a beautifully uplifting track which is just as intimate as it is anthemic. I for one enjoyed his set so much it felt as if time flew by.
A Q&A follows the performance with fans asking McGrane about his favourite piece of gear, advice for a songwriter going into a session for the first time and what one album he would bring if he was stranded on an island. McGrane answers every question honestly and in great detail.
McGrane put on a professional and entertaining show. His performance was clean, passionate and earnest and his tunes hold their own charm and grace. It’s difficult to see how anyone wouldn’t be blown away by his ambition and talent.
Brian McGrane is set to headline Whelan’s on Friday, November 6th he hopes he can do this in some shape or form so keep an eye out for more details. Until then stream his new single ‘Out Of Control’ below
Author : Danu
