ELEANOR McEVOY
Marr's Bar
Worcester
16th October 2005
It's a mid-October Sunday evening. Time to sit back in a comfy armchair and toast your feet by the fire. Stare into the flames and dream of those heady days of summer and Christmas around the corner.
If you can capture that feeling , then you're not far away from the ambience in the Marr's Bar.
With memories of my last Eleanor experience with the splendid 50 piece RTE Concert Orchestra still fresh in my mind, I was wondering how a conventional Eleanor solo performance would greet me.
No problem at all !
This show had all the warmth of that autumn fire and that little glow from the accompanying glass of brandy.
A quick "Howya doin' ?" , on with the acoustic and Fire Overhead is almost whispered.
"If you're outta luck" is sang unaccompained along with the next line and the song, I'll Be Willing which then floats along a little slower on a soft acoustic backing.
The relaxed style of these openers set the tone for both Eleanor and audience. The Marr's Bar is attended by a music loving clientelle. Appreciation was given and received from both sides of the mike stand.
After You'll Hear Better Songs (Than This)- I do miss that Dublin clarinet! We were treated to a new song, Lovers Chapel, which was co-written by Dave Rotheray and will appear on her next album (exclusive , you heard it here first).
I've never seen Eleanor so laid back and relaxed, nor have I been or the rest of the audience either. All in all it was a pleasant evening. And apart from a little mix up over the name of the sound technician (Sean/Pete - the other guy made her a sound cup of tea !), everything else passed off without a hitch.
A couple more from the set list worth noting. Memphis Tennessee and The Rain Falls on their own are worth the effort of getting out of the house to witness.
Driving Home From Butlers would have sounded even more perfect had they switched the ACU off and Paddy McCarthy's reel used a very "un-trad-arr" wah-wah pedal.
Next stop for Eleanor on the tour - Buxton, my place of birth which is only a couple of miles from where one of her Yola co-writers, Lloyd Cole, used to live - Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Setlist
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Acoustic guitar
1. Fire Overhead
2. I'll be willing
3. You'll hear better songs (than this)
4. Lovers Chapel ( new one)
5. The Rain Falls
6. I got you to see me through
Electric guitar
7. The Way You wear Your Troubles
8. Territory of Poets
9. Ave Maria
Acoustic guitar
10. Days Roll By
11. Memphis Tenessee
12. Only a Woaman's Heart
Violin
13. Driving Home From Butlers
14 A "Trad Arr" tune ( new to me)
15. Paddy McCarthy's reel (with the 'fuzz' pedal - Celt-a-dellic)
16. Wrong So Wrong
Acoustic
17.Did you Tell Him
18. Isn't it a Little Late
Encore (Acoustic)
as requested by the audience
19. Whisper A Prayer To The Moon
20. Only A Woman's Heart (Spanish Version)
21. Easy In Love
It would be remiss of me not to mention the support act. A Shropshire Lad called Sam Newth
Step aside please David Gray
