Something quite Swell!

So its a Saturday night and im sitting alone on my couch listening to soul touching music and perhaps feeling a bit sorry for myself... after texting numerous "potentials" alas no one was keen to spend their lonely night with me. So after watching for episodes (1/5 of a season) of Gossip Girl distraught that I haven’t rented the next disc i decided to reflect on things past... and i cant justify feeling sad and lonely at home on a sat night because I have had an incredible week out (every night) and you know maybe my Saturday is my nana night at home!

So on Tuesday went to the MOST AMAZING CONCERT of my life (that is most amazing along with Justin and Muse and Ryan Adams oh and the Backstreet Boys)!

I went along accompanied by my Dad (yay) The Swell Season
You may be more familiar with Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová from their lead roles in the Irish independent film Once. Ahhhh those guys I hear you say. Yep those guys. Their performance was Truly magnificent. Words can not express the place that I was taken to, the sound that touched my ears and the music that spoke to my heart... but here are some of the highlights!

Glen took to the very front of the stage (were talking toes over the edge)and began their set by playing Say It To Me Now acoustically. No mic no pick up, just him and his banged up guitar with two holes in it. (I pointed out to dad that his gat had a hole in it and dad said they are meant to! yea not that sort of hole!)After being blown away by the power of a solo voice ringing through the dead acoustics of the Aotea Centre he was joined by Markéta and four other members from his band The Frames.

What followed was song after song, masterpiece after masterpiece. Every instrument knew its place in the ensemble (which was pretty impressive as his band members were roped into the tour as support opposed to key members in a backing band) making for sheer brilliance in delivery and performance.

Glen has quite a powerful voice and in some of the numbers (When Your Minds Made Up and Lies)I thought he would completely dominate and his passionate screaming would leave poor Markéta struggling to be heard but whilst he continued to scream passionately you could hear her every harmony cut through.

The performance chit chat was brilliant... sharing with us stories and encounters with people all over the world. The humour was priceless and just the humility that came across was unforced and admirable. One of the best moments was when Glen asked if anyone could do the "Kihi dance thing they do here" followed by his brilliant attempt of a Haka, and then his excitment when an audience member said they could do it.

We were also treated to a solo performance from Colm Mac Con Iomaire(what a name) who is the Violin player for The Frames. He played the most incredible Irish piece which included him looping himself to build a layering of tracks. This piece sent shivers up and down my spine as I listened I imagined myself on a cliff top in Ireland... Idyllic! bad recording but you get the gist of it!

To end the night... Markéta played the sombre but beautiful ballad The Hill, and was then joined by Glen to play crowd favourite Falling Slowly (yea you know the one in the music shop) and then the encore of the encore... Irish Traditional 'The Parting Glass'. This piece has traditionally been sung at wake's for the last 400 years. An execerpt of lyrics...

O, all the comrades e'er I had,
They're sorry for my going away.
And all the sweethearts e'er I had,
They'd wished me one more day to stay.
But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
Goodnight and joy be with you all.


So Glen made the audience join in on the last 2 lines each time they were sung and then ended by repeating these, he then stepped back from the mic and the entire audience sung in unison these beautiful words. Goodnight and Joy be with you all. It bought a tear to the eye!

What I loved about this finish was it wasn’t about them, they could have easily (and some may argue should have) finished with Falling Slowly. Instead they chose to play a traditional piece and what Dad mentioned afterwards was that not only did it not end with them but it ended with the Audience. Coming together from all places of life and singing. (this is Oprah stuff)

So all in all... A intimately spiritual experience... the melodies spoke to my soul and the music to my heart. I laughed, I cried, I sung, I listened, I took, I gave.