Reeve Carney at The Workman’s Club – Review

I was a little bit worried when I arrived at Workman’s to find the doors closed. I thought the gig started at 8, so I double checked with the doorman and he confirmed I was at the right place at the right time. After a bit of waiting around I was finally let into the venue. I started getting a little anxious as time was going by and only a handful of people had strolled in. Was this gig going to be empty? I thought Reeve would have been fairly well known. After half an hour a guy who I initially thought was the sound man sat down and introduced himself as the opening act. Paddy Hanna (singer/songwriter) is hard to describe… Although he seems a talented guitarist, I found his songs very hard to listen to. There was a strange rambling quality to his music. His lyrics and vocals were executed weakly and paired with frequent and random outbursts, I was just left feeling a little confused as to what I had just watched.

When Reeve Carney appeared on stage to a now full room, the place erupted in applause. He obviously has a very dedicated following here in Dublin as there was much name screaming and shouting. It was as if I was at a completely different gig! As soon as he stepped on that stage, everyone could feel his presence. A real showman, the second he started playing the whole room was stomping along to his opening song. His buttery bluesy voice is absolutely infectious, it is something that really needs to experience live. Listening to his recordings online really does not portray just how good he is in the flesh!

His engagement with the audience was effortless, and he just oozed coolness in an understated and humble way. After telling us that he has been mixing his new album in our very own Dalkey (surprisingly, I thought as he is from the States,) he began to play a few songs from his new album, my favorite being ‘Youth is Wasted on the Young’. It was a fantastic track that really shows off his amazing vocal range and talent. During the show he also did the best cover that I have ever heard of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen. The whole room was completely enthralled by his rendition, it was absolutely electric!

When Reeve Carney is on stage he gets engrossed in his music, and it is fascinating to watch. Body movements and head-banging don’t seem forced or staged at all, but completely natural to him. He experimented with his guitar at one point by playing it with a bow which created a very unique sound and was also extremely entertaining to watch.

Little did I know at 8 o’clock just how good this gig was going to be. I would recommend going to see Reeve Carney to anyone that wants to see a real musician perform. He is an exceptional talent, and the next time he plays in Dublin again, I will most definitely be in the front row!

Review by Ruth McGovern