The first time this young irish singer/songwriter caught my eye was coming on as the opening act on the main stage of Bestival 2007, and after being away for a while since the release of his Mercury nominated album The End of History Fionn Regan is back on the road again in support of his new LP, Shadow of an Empire.
Arriving at the gig there were a few things that immediately
confused; one being that Fionn was playing at the Academy 3, the smallest of the Manchester Academy venues and two; why on earth the bloke sat in front of us had gone to a folk gig by himself and got so jarred up that he fell asleep cross legged in a heap and missed a large majority of the gig.
With a Mercury nomination under his belt and new LP recently released I thought that this hidden gem of a musician would be better known. More fool me. Me and my good friend Nina were even offered a free ticket as we went in but after telling the gentleman we already had tickets sorted he muttered to himself “can’t bloody give these away” and scarpered out the door.
Personally I was glad that this was a more intimate gig as it suited Mr. Regan’s style much more than the large festival stage where I first laid eyes upon him. Appearing on stage alone with nothing to accompany him but his oversized train drivers’ cap he kept talk to a minimum and quickly broke into opening number 'Hey Rabbit' to cheers from the crowd, when halfway through he was joined by his band to finish off the song giving new depth to the acoustic number. Backed by his new stagemates he furiously tore through a few new numbers from his latest album such as 'Catacombs', 'Coat Hook' and the lead single from the album- 'Protection Racket'. It was during the newer songs that I felt Fionn was really enjoying himself, wildly shaking his head as if he was trying to get rid of the unfortunate lego man hair that perched upon his head from wearing his hat for far too long. With his latest LP giving a nod to good ol’ rock n roll with the Dylan comparisons obvious and slightly lazy; listening to his latest efforts I hear twinges of The Libertines and The La’s.
The biggest cheers of the night ironically came when Fionn performed by himself running through fan favourites such as 'Penny in the Slot' and the beautiful 'Hunters Map'; a personal highlight. Although it was his earlier material that was the best received throughout the night I feel that some of his fans are just becoming accustomed to the changes in Fionn’s style since his debut. I must admit I was wary when I first heard Shadow of an Empire; it almost felt as if history was repeating itself and this young folk troubadour had just plugged in his electric guitar to abandon his acoustic routes. I was ready in the wings to cry “Judas”, but I can honestly say it definitely gets better with every listen and certainly when heard live.
After finishing his set he reappeared alone having won over his doubters treating them to a wonderful rendition of 'Be Good Or Be Gone' cutting out his amp and stepping away from the mic for the final chorus leaving the crowd to touchingly end the evening. It was with this final refrain that everybody was left with in their heads as they headed out into the dreary Manchester night.
Be Good or be Gone, Be good or be..... Be gone.
If what he says is true I can’t see Fionn Regan leaving us for a long time to come.
Posted In Live Reviews, Feb 28 2010.
Words - Si Edwards