17 April 2016 (gig)
25 April 2016
When you hear Glen Hansard and London’s 100 Club in the same sentence you know you are in for a treat.
Following his sold out European tour dates which included Shepherds Bush Empire and The London Palladium, Glen Hansard returned to London for this exclusive intimate performance.
Taking to the stage in his customary casual manner with his 'Save A Soul Mission' bass drum cover proudly displayed Glen got to work.
Accompanied by pianist Ruth O’Mahoney-Brady, double bass player Joseph Doyle, cellist Paula Hughes, and violinists Una O’Kane and Katie O’Connor, it was Glen’s familiar but wide ranging brand of folk on offer to the lucky seated few.
At 45 he has mustered quite a back catalogue with selections from all era’s in the set, but it’s his laid back repartee and casual manner that puts the audience firmly in the palm of his hand. Whether recounting stories of walking by the Thames and accumulating random objects or of his latest dream chat with Leonard Cohen, he is always engaging and leads the crowd gently through his life’s work.
From his latest vinyl EP ‘A Season on the Line’, released on Record Store Day, came ‘Didn’t He Ramble’ (not featured on the album of the same name) a well-worked emotional song about his late father. All recorded on a break in the tour schedule in Chicago ‘Way Back in the Way Back When’ followed as all the songs on the EP found themselves on the set list.
Always attentive the audience are led through a rich tapestry of sound, rousing crescendos and wit, which makes the long set fly by. Before long the vocal strains of ‘The Auld Triangle’ sound around this most historic of venues and the night draws to a close.
Glen Hansard seems comfortable with the niche he is furrowing, he may have an film career, Academy Award, and a top musical, but its on stage with an acoustic guitar where he is clearly feels happiest. Long may it last.
