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Any blues rock guitarist emerging from Ireland will face invariable and daunting comparisons with the very best in Rory Gallagher (and that’s before we even get started on Gary Moore). One such, Dom Martin, has been receiving rave reviews and a perfect place to see him for the first time was at one of my regular local haunts, the Eel Pie Club at Twickenham.
While the long running club naturally plays tribute to those with musical links to the pioneering Eel Pie Island scene of the sixties, encouragingly in recent years they are booking an increasing number of the rising blues talent including Connor Selby, the Cinelli Brothers and now the Belfast-based artist. The house was packed with a mixture of his own fans and curious club regulars, making it difficult at times to see the stage, where the usual club backdrop was replaced by Dom’s own Celtic themed logo.
After an engaging acoustic set from Alex Lleo who was a late stand in, Dom Martin also initially took the stage with just an acoustic guitar, albeit fully amped. Sporting saturnine good looks, and showing a quirky and laconic sense of humour as he bantered with audience members, he opened with the instrumental ‘Hello In There’ segueing into ‘The Fall’. The guitar work was intricate and delicate while his dark gravelly voice reminded me a little of Chris Rea. ‘Government’ meantime revived the art of the protest folk song with lyrics such as ‘you make me stick to my stomach’.
After bringing on two able bandmates in bassist Ben Graham and drummer Aaron McLoughlin, he successfully tackled those inevitable Gallagher comparisons head on with a blistering version of ‘Messing With The Kid’, though some jamming in which he and the band regularly took the pace down and back up again stretched the song well over 10 minutes.
The night though was primarily a showcase for his new album ‘Buried In The Hail’ and the title track offered a different take on the blues, dark and with a Vedder-esque deep growl in his vocal delivery. ‘Daylight I Will Find’ and ‘Belfast Blues’ were more conventional but equally enjoyable, notably in some aggressive slide guitar playing.
The film noir-style darkness in his writing showed on ‘Lefty 2 Guns’ which turned into a nine minute epic complete with some very twangy sounding guitar while ‘Howling’ began with some very CCR- like riffing but it provided the foundation for Dom to go into a lengthy solo with particularly solid bass support from Ben.
After more retro style blues rock in ‘Unhinged’, a main set that had flown by ended with a cover, not one of the usual suspects but ‘Crazy’ popularised by Patsy Cline, though as Dom emphasised a Willie Nelson song. By the end he had put his own musical stamp on it.
There was one encore which was ‘Maxwell Shuffle’, an instrumental which turned into a lengthy medley of other songs with only the occasional lyrics. His speed and fluency were impressive, though arguably covering the same crowded ground as a number of contemporaries and therefore not as interesting as some of those darker and more individual earlier songs.
Nevertheless my first impression was still of a compelling performer and a very significant talent who can rise above those inevitable comparisons and who I look forward to hearing much more from in future.
Review by Andy Nathan
Photos by Michele Kostiner
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