It seemed fitting that Luan Parle opened her seventeen date Irish tour with a concert in her home county. The Wicklow born singer songwriter releases her latest album NEVER SAY GOODBYE on February 7th and on hearing a sample of the songs in her setlist this evening, it may prove to be her strongest recording to date. As usual these days she’s accompanied on stage by Clive Barnes and his impeccable crisp guitar work, both on his trusted white Gretsch and acoustic guitar. Coupled with Parle’s stunningly crystalline vocals and a wonderful venue and sound engineer, we are treated to an enthralling evenings entertainment. As would be expected, the material is a selection of material from the new album together with songs from her back catalogue. Also featured are a few well chosen covers which include the Roland Salley song Killing The Blues, immortalised by Robert Plant and Allison Kraus on their collaboration RAISING SAND. It’s the song chosen to open her set and she also performs Dolly Parton’s Jolene and Applejack as part of a three-song encore. Stevie Nick’s Landslide also features and is delivered in a stripped back minimalistic style.
Her stage presence is relaxed and assured and she succeeds in catching the audience’s attention and holding it, both in her songs and banter. She regales us with tales of her ghost and crime fiction obsessions (Ghost Of Martha is the title of one of the new songs she plays). She also reminisces about the beginnings of the album and tells of her retreat to Innisboffin, together with her mother two years ago, following the passing of her father, to seek inspiration, gather her thoughts and put them to paper. She also explains how she took her time writing the album over a two-year period, thankfully not being under any time deadline to complete it.
Barnes is a guitarist that is as comfortable playing blues as he is grunge and a man that wears many hats. His performances with Parle in recent years have cemented them essentially as a duo, he contributes backing vocals alongside his customary atmospheric guitar work. He also takes the time to deliver his own anecdotes and this evening we’re told of a near road rage experience in New York when Luan and he are unceremoniously ‘car bullied’ by a limousine driver, whose occupant turns out to be none other than Paul Simon. Tales aside, the real winner tonight is the quality of the music and its delivery.
The material played from her new album includes My Something Beautiful which is the first single from the album and has hit the No.2 spot on the iTunes country charts on its release last week. Others that really impress include Cocaine Corner - inspired by a phone call from Barnes to her, recalling how he had just performed what was to be a low key solo gig, only to be saddled with a sound engineer directly in front of him who appeared to be wired up and undoubtably under the influence of a chemical substance. Come To Me Darling, Fare Thee Well and Change Your Mind from the new album also impress. Crowd favourites from her back catalogue include Roll The Dice, Why Baby Why and Ghost, after which she name checks two stand out young singers (Holly and Grace) in the audience.
Very few artists in the roots/country genre whose musical careers are launched as child stars, manage to prolong their careers successfully throughout adulthood, Tanya Tucker being one exception. Luan Parle has managed that transition seamlessly. She would have witnessed a number of shifts in the direction of popular music during her career and the current predominance of roots music drifting towards country under the Americana banner. It’s a branch of music that she excels in and I expect that NEVER SAY GOODBYE, on its release, will remind listeners of the quality of her vocals and songwriting. In the meantime, check out her website to catch one of the upcoming shows, you certainly won’t be disappointed if this evening’s splendid performance is anything to go by.
Review and photos by Declan Culliton