Graham's Shed Extension: Rich pickings at the Cherrytree for Celine Carroll

CELINE CARROLL
The Cherrytree
Walkinstown
Dublin
Saturday February 27th 2010
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Carlsberg don't do gigs at The Cherrytree in Dublin , but if they did, then this was the one.

Without a shadow of a doubt it was Probably the best gig I've ever attended. Celine Carroll was en forme, in both playing to , as well as with, the audience. There wasn't even a moment, let alone a song, in the entire set which lost the attention of those in front of her.
Essentially , Celine Carroll has just entered 2010 in the same vein as she left 2009 with another full house at The Cherrytree. Those who were lucky enough to be there are hoping that those less fortunate will get to hear about Celine pretty soon.

Returning to a venue just 2 months after a successful gig might appear to be a bit of a gamble to some, especially when spare cash is at a premium at this time of year. Not so for Celine Carroll and her band.
Audience figures were at least the same and there were many new faces in that number.

Little needs to be explained about the fact that Celine's music is the reason why she can command such a healthy following. Her biggest critic is her dear mother, Maureen, who won't hold back if things aren't right in her world. So when the hardest one to please gives the nod of approval in the direction of her beloved, no one can complain.... except Celine and her devoted followers. The reason for the air of unrest is the inability of the music media to do anything to stop such talent passing them by. There are more radio stations than RTE Radio 1, BBC Radio Merseyside and WDAR. There are other venues besides the Cherrytree and there are agents and promoters with blank pages in their diaries. But rest assured, there is but one Celine Carroll, and if she doesn't find any of you this year , her growing army of fans certainly will.
Celine's music possesses some peculiar attributes, one of which is that her albums refuse to stray from my CD player. New material will come and go but Celine will return to sound even better.
The same can be said for her live performances. Just two months previously , her set began with Home and Slow My Wheels. But it didn't matter , these two openers still lifted me back into the clouds just where she put me but a few weeks before.

To balance the previous statement , there was some new material to feast the ears upon too. One of which was so new that Celine had to have it written out on a couple of sheets of A4. Rather than make use of a music stand , she invited the subject upon to the stage to hold those sheets before her while she sang it to him. (The song title : Hey John). Needless to say electricity filled the air afterwards. So what happens straight after, she focuses the hearts and minds of the masses upon another new one (We'll Always Have This Song) before hitting them with a very successful single , Sweet Heart of Mine, which launched her latest album, Such a Beautiful Light.
This little cluster of songs just provides a window into a well planned setlist which even kept the most experienced Celine Carroll fan curious as to what might come along next.
There was also a couple of borrowed ones amongst the older and the new in the form of Gilbert O'Sullivan's Nothing Rhymed and Daisy Lady by Leo Kelly. The former being a solo by Celine , the latter featured Siobhan taking the lead.

Even the encore threw in more than the odd surprise, the Gilbert O'Sullivan song for one was an unexpected cover. Apologise was once again dedicated to yours truly and every time I feel the throat muscles tense when she does. Celine played guitar for Bird in a Cage while the album version sees her playing piano , and I doubt that many noticed the difference, such is the sheer quality of the song.

Two and a half hours came and went in what felt like two and a half minutes, yet it only took a fraction of the shorter time for everyone present to stand and applaud another fabulous evening in the company of Celine Carroll and her band at The Cherrytree. And to a man, each one in that audience will give you the same message, Celine Carroll's music must not remain Ireland's biggest secret any longer !!
PS: Carlsberg is available on draught at The Cherrytree.

THE BAND
Celine Carroll - Lead Vocals , Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Jerry Fehily - Drums
Johnny Campbell - Bass
Paul Seymour - Keyboards
Siobhan Lennon - Backing Vocals

SETLIST
Home
Slow My Wheels (See Video)
Itch
Yeah
Grey Sky Blue
I Believe In Love
I Won't Be Your Fool Anymore
Before You Go
Fence
Standing on My Own Two Feet Again

INTERVAL

You're Still Here
So Wrong
You And I
Hey John (See Video)
We'll Always Have This Song
Sweet Heart Of Mine
The Wheels Fall Of Our Love
Love Disappear
Better Than This
Heart Of Gold
Daisy Lady (See Video)
You're Every Beat Of My Heart

ENCORE
Apologise
Bird In A Cage (See Video)
Nothing Rhymed (See Video)
Laugh While You Can (See Video)
I Love You I (See Video)

ALBUMS
Celine Carroll's latest album , Such A Beautiful Light , is available on iTunes, and for those who prefer to paw their way through the sleeve notes, this CD is available from the following Dublin outlets : HMV in Grafton St, Tower Records in Wicklow St and Celtic Note in Nassau St. You can also email Celine via her website, Ask nicely and you might get an autographed copy. Her previous albums, Itch and Catch You As You Fall are also available from her online sources.

PHOTOS
Baz O'Brien
Graham Ashmore
John Loughlin

SUPPORT
Peter Fitzpatrick
The very least that this guy deserves is a mention on this review . The support act is usually one of the loneliest places in the house , but Peter certainly kept what was approaching capacity in attentive silence throughout his half hour slot.
Judging by what he provided during his timeslot , it won't be long before he commands his own full houses, especially when he lists George Harrison as one of his influences.

ALSO PRESENT
A little bit of namedroppping , but while the camera still had room on the memory card ....