THE SEWING ROOM

THE SEWING ROOM (Chu’ Bangs, Ranelagh, Dublin)

Despite boasting remnants of two of Dublin’s ‘should-have-beens’, namely The Stars of Heaven and Hey Paulette, The Sewing Room have kept a relatively low profile to date; playing only intermittent gigs in venues like The Attic, a name which befits their insular, inward-looking style.

Chu’ Bangs, being a small, intimate cafe in which even Alan Shearer would have difficulty finding space, goes one better: it doesn’t even have a stage! Never mind the living room, this gig felt like it was taking place in my kitchen ! And so there they sat: Stan Erraught (guitar), Eamonn Davis (guitar), Colm Fitzpatrick (bass) and Peter O’Kennedy (drums) huddled inconspicuously in the corner, their brittle, delicate songs etched out acoustically with corresponding tender, loving care; a gentle strum of a guitar here, a brush of the drums there, all delivered with an almost apologetic air.

It’s as if they didn’t want to intrude on their audience and so it’s probably not entirely coincidental that the chorus of their opening song should run: “Lord, let it be over soon” .

This reluctance to court the spotlight may be precisely what the band are about, as their name hints at, but this could count against them in an industry which values the bloated charisma of the egomaniac above all else.

But The Sewing Room refuse to play ball and so each member of the band had a stab at lead vocals tonight, with varying degrees of success it has to be said.

Stan Erraught’s strength is as a songsmith, witness the plaintive ‘Mobile’ with its irresistable melody – this is the man after all whose gems inspired to me to buy a guitar in the first place! There’s also a rich tapestry of covers woven from Townes Van Zandt to Jonathan Richman, from The New York Dolls to The Go-Betweens. Let’s hope they reap what they sew!

• Nicholas G Kelly