There was a school reunion feel in Whelan’s. Old friends caught up at the bar, and entire families mingled upstairs. Until the music started, that is. Then, everything fell deadly silent.
This was less a gig and more a recording session; the show will soon be released as a live EP. Any acoustic performers in the crowd will doubtless have noted the effect it had; you could hardly blame Gavin James for telling people he’s recording an album at every show he plays.
One man and his guitar can sometimes be a lonely place to be, but the reverential silence in the Wexford St. venue allows James all the space he needs to do his thing. The audience is in the palm of his hand early, and while bathed in sweat by the second track, he continues to charm them throughout the gig.
His brand of gentle acoustic balladry is received adoringly by the capacity crowd. ‘Til the Sun Comes Up’ is delicate and floating, while ‘Coming Home’ prompts an enormous singalong (though the crowd have previously been warned over the PA to sing along “when prompted”).
It isn’t all a sterile, recording exercise either; surely the standout moment of the night is when James clambers off stage to cover the Ray Charles’ classic ‘You Don’t Know Me’ in the middle of the crowd. A bellowing rendition of ‘Say Hello’ follows, before around three encores and seven claims of “This is my last song” bring the evening to a close.
No-one seems in a rush out the door, though. Some are trying to grab selfies with the local hero, or get a hug. Others are trying to insist on more. Most are simply enjoying the chance to talk again. After the show they’ve seen, there’s plenty to talk about.
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