Despite the disappointing turnout, Jerry Leger was nonplussed. It was the Canadian singer-songwriter’s second only visit to Ireland, and his first time in the newly opened, refurbished and repurposed Court House in Bangor. The Open House not-for-profit organisation has done a magnificent job in turning the defunct listed mid-Victorian bank (and later courthouse) building into a superb venue, comprising a bar and mid-sized gig room on the ground floor, and the spacious but cosy Drawing Room bar on the first floor, with views of Bangor marina and harbour from all the windows. Jerry happily took to the floor there, with the backdrop of the early summer sun setting behind him over the sea, and gave it his all, as is his reputation as a hard working touring artist, with or without his band.
He proceeded to treat the small audience to a selection of songs mainly from his two most recent albums - NOTHING PRESSING (2022) and TIME OUT FOR TOMORROW, his 2019 opus that was scuppered, along with so many other artists’ projects, by the pandemic. He mostly let the songs speak for themselves - well crafted numbers like Kill It With Kindness, Nothing Pressing and Recluse Revisions needed no explanation. Occasionally, we were treated to amusing anecdotes by way of introduction, like the fact that Dead Radio Stars was inspired by his father’s love of radio dramas while growing up in Newfoundland without a tv. There was a song from his 2008 album, which he described as his ‘Gordon Lightfoot’ phase, and he aptly dedicated it to the late singer-songwriter. A cover of Bowie’s Janine followed his endearing tale of how big an influence that icon was on him as a teenager, doing cover songs in a local coffee house. We were transported back to 2010 for Dreamer, Pretender, his girlfriend’s favourite song off the TRAVELING GREY record. Revealing that his songs are generally only partly autobiographical, he admitted that his girlfriend is referenced in The Great Unknown, ‘she’s got a lot of those records/you’ve been dying to hear’.
Almost two hours on, armed only with his vintage monogrammed acoustic Guild guitar, Leger encored with Jeff Tweedy’s You Are Not Alone, a song covered by Mavis Staples recently.
Leger claimed that ‘he was giving it at least 86% tonight’. For the audience, many of whom were leaving as firm new fans, it felt like 186%.
Review and photo by Eilís Boland