It has been an incredible year for Daniel Anderson. After building his own studio, he released his first solo album Patterns, teaching himself how to play every instrument he wanted on his record. Selling his record door-to-door seemed like the only solution for him as an independent artist. The whole adventure was captured on film for future generations, while his album quickly climbed up in the charts. A night in The Button Factory seems like the perfect place for him to end a great year.
‘The Twilight Is Folding’ opens the set, followed by ‘Hallowed Heart’, gently easing the band into gig-mode. "That was a slow start, I was having a nap back there," Anderson jokes, but ‘Vincent’ and ‘Things We Have In Common’ give them the boost they need. Their energy builds up, and the smiles on their lips become more frequent.
"It seems a bit silly to bring it down now, but let’s stick to the script." He strolls to his piano, and the beautiful ballad ‘The Melody’ fills the room, followed by ‘A Sad Lullaby’. The atmosphere breaks slightly when he nearly chokes, but with a laugh he continues with ease - and his choking moment duly becomes a running gag during the gig.
With The Kinks’ ‘Starstruck’, the former Rags man shows again that sixties music truly is his cup of tea, the band effortlessly following him. Current single, ‘Cecilia’s Sister’ – admittedly stolen from Paul Simon - proves that ‘they’re all robbing bastards’ as he cheekily goes from ‘Cecilia’ to his own song to ‘Get Back’ by The Beatles.
When the band leaves him for a moment he shows his most vulnerable side with his tribute to hometown Finglas, ‘Death Is Like The Rain’ and ‘About A Life’. The band rejoins him to close the set with ‘Patterns’, a song about being set in your ways and not seeing a way out.
He comes back one last time to play a Bob Dylan cover, ‘Just Like A Woman’, before he disappears, holding his guitar up in the air and grinning sheepishly, the crowd cheering with considerable enthusiasm.
Better get used to the attention, Daniel; we’re quite sure you’ll go far.