REVIEW - Volume Control Presents The Emerald Armada, Joshua Burnside, Jamie Neish, Matthew Duly
Across The Line
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The Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast
Friday 25th July
We re-visited Belfast's Oh Yeah Centre, where the Volume
Control team provided
another intriguing line-up of local talent.
First on stage was singer-songwriter Matthew Duly,
a young artist whose performance at times displayed absorbing levels of
conviction. As the first act on a bill of considerable gravitas, few of the
assembled crowd gave the Carrickfergus native the attention he deserved.
Despite playing to a less than attentive crowd, Duly's belief never wavered, as
he put all he had into a set of clearly meaningful acoustic ballads.
To emerge from behind the drum kit of one of the country’s most popular bands
and take the reins of a solo career is quite an achievement. For Ballyclare's Jamie Neish the transition has proved intrinsically
natural. While his drumming talents have never been in question, the interest
declared in Neish has made him a promising talent in his own right. Here the
lack of an accompanying backing band maybe hindered the live potential of some
of his set. The anthemic nature of many of his songs mean that, while his vocal
delivery and guitar playing remained nothing short of impressive, the feeling
of what may have been (and still could be) was present. With the right band
in place, the More Than Conquerors drummer could possibly further his solo
career to a wider audience, if he wished.
Main support act Joshua Burnside showcased his immense professionalism early on, whilst avoiding the potential hurdle of technical difficulties with ease. The complexities of Burnside's songs have now come to define him, the gentle swing of 'Black Dog Sin' bringing many to near silence. By the end of Burnside's set a considerable crowd had for the first time decided to venture towards the stage, thankfully in time to hear the awe inducing 'Platonia'.
Though technically flawless,headliners The Emerald Armada seemed to lack a certain energy, perhaps through the absence of lead guitarist Tony McHugh. As time progressed so too did Armada's stage presence increase, the friendly atmosphere slowly beginning to turn the tide back in the local lads favor. Front man Neil Allen interacted well with the crowd and their verses saw some members of the audience dancing along. By the final few tracks, the audience were entranced by The Emerald Armada's blend of folk-rock. While a combination of factors inhibited them somewhat of reaching their true, carnival invoking potential, this remained a solid performance from a band that is one of N.Ireland’s most promising live acts.
Taylor Johnson
