Against the odds, and with a quick venue change to The Workman’s Club Dublin Pauric O’ Meara rose to the occasion to ensure his headline show last night would go ahead. The venue erupted with energy as the artists performing and the audience were determined their party spirit wouldn’t be dampened as the crowd danced at their seats, sang loudly and cheered for O’ Meara and his band.

Sophie Doyle Ryder warmed up the crowd with her infectious brand of R&B/Pop. With just gentle acoustic guitar accompaniment by Stephen Carolan her powerful soul-filled vocals reverbed throughout the venue, and charmed the crowd instantly – songs about “clingy boys” (The Boys) and a mesmerising cover of Lianne La Havas’ ‘What You Don’t Do’, had the crowd cheering and bopping in no time.

Within the live setting, the artist’s music and contemporary songwriting comes to life and is more dynamic. A fine example on the night was ‘Mood’; which had the crowd in awe of the musician’s deft lyrical depth and vocal delivery. Sophie Doyle Ryder’s irresistible earworms and impressive vocal display make her a compelling singer-songwriter and a must-see live act.

Pauric O’ Meara and his band (Ronan Quinn on Bass, Eoghan Barrett on drums and Liam Smith on guitar) swarmed the stage to a mass of cheers. O’ Meara began with a strikingly beautiful vocal delivery with just soft guitar to accompany him before blasting into an invigorating tune. O’ Meara’s songs are vibrant and more edgy live and his performance instantly had the crowd on their feet as the band’s rich rhythms, earworm melodies and intricate lush layers of guitar caused the crowd to become feverous with dance tendencies. It was a hearty set filled with sing-alongs, clap-alongs and fun banter.

O’ Meara played new unheard songs that went down spectacularly well with the crowd. The audience was in top form on the night and performed every clap, wave and sing-along that was asked of them. O’Meara even managed to get the crowd to spell out the “Illusion” part from the track ‘Love Illusion’, as a sing-along which is impressive considering illusion is a slippery spelling test when alcohol is involved. Live the singer-songwriter’s music is more expressive; ’Waisting Time’, ‘All Alright’, and ‘Techno or RnB’ all exuded a mesmerising and vigorous indie edge that elevated the tracks to glorious new heights.
O’ Meara’s vocals are very impressive live. On the night this was aptly shown when his full band sound was stripped back for the soul-infused performance of ‘Adore’. O’ Meara oozed emotion and warm tones as his vocals glided over the smooth melody with ease – it was a time-stopping and passionate moment within the set that had the crowd enamoured from start to finish.

The atmosphere was electric in the Workman’s last night. Pauric O’ Meara put on a fantastic, fun-filled show that was a joy to experience. His charming persona is utterly infectious and his passionate performance left much to be admired. Check him out live, you won’t be disappointed.

Author: Danu