“The first time I played here, over ten years ago, the stage used to be over there,” notes IAN WHITTY, pointing to the passage way leading from De Barra’s live room to the venue’s back bar. “The monitors used to hang down from the ceiling. I got a great round of applause that night, but when I left the stage, I walked right into one of them.”
Ouch! Fortunately, Ian’s first show in two years at De Barra’s is free of such mishaps, though this highly enjoyable evening does throw up one incident deserving of inclusion in this wonderful West Cork venue’s 30 Year anniversary book of memories. During the acoustic, country-tinged ‘Tattoo Rings’, one euphoric punter launches into a truly bizarre hybrid of a dance roughly equal parts Ian Curtis freak out and Michael Jackson moonwalk. It’s quite possibly the oddest show of affection this writer’s witnessed since watching a fly-away- collared Bez wannabe frugging his sandals off to Dick Gaughan’s funereal Scottish folk at the 1990 WOMAD Festival.
But hey, everyone’s allowed to show their appreciation, right? Besides, this fine Cork-based singer/ songwriter’s re-emergence is more than worthy of our applause; not least because almost five years have elapsed since his excellent full-length debut LP ‘The Lucky Caller No. 9’ appeared. Scarily, a quick spot of research reveals that it’s also been the best part of three years since W&H last caught The Exchange in full flight at Schull’s Livestock Festival.
Hearteningly, Whitty obviously hasn’t been resting on his laurels in the interim. Opening with the E-bow-led rumble of ‘Bought & Sold’ and then a terse ‘When The Drunken Jailor Sleeps’, tonight’s 22-song set takes in the bulk of the LP, but also parades a wealth of new/ unrecorded material, most of which is already sounding mighty fine indeed.
Though Ian later reveals that strings and piano will feature on his next LP, tonight’s the first time W&H have seen The Exchange minus strings. In truth, it’s not a major issue as the band’s core – subtle’ n’ inventive lead guitarist Flor Rahilly; solid, driving bassist bro’ Paddy and expressive drummer Anthony Noonan – always locks together with intuition and verve. Tonight’s no exception, though a special shout ought to go out to Noonan. He hobbles onstage on crutches and is playing left-handed due to injury, yet still performs with consummate skill. Major respect is indeed due.
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The new songs suggest the next LP is going to be rich and diverse. As with ‘The Lucky Caller No. 9’, there’s a good mix between Whitty’s trademark erudite introspection (the solo acoustic ‘Marathon’, the touchingly heartfelt ‘Birds Carry Souls’); slow-burners such as ‘Cash Crop’ and the more direct, rock-inclined likes of ‘Fuckin’ Around’ with its disco beats and no-nonsense chorus. Oh, and I know I’ve already said it to the point of boredom, but the insanely catchy ‘Prettiest Dress’ is surely destined to reverberate around large muddy fields sometime in the (hopefully) near future.
Elsewhere, it’s to the quartet’s credit that the older songs remain fresh and vital. ‘City Friend’ and ‘Walking To Meet You’ are as punchy as ever, while ‘The Family Is Still Young’ is both unexpected and heart-meltingly lovely. Perhaps inevitably, though, the biggest cheers are reserved for the popular singles ‘Not On Your Side’ - with its loops, handclaps and nippy, Costello-esque wordplay – and ‘Houndstooth Shirt’ which brings the main set to a celebratory close.
Ian returns to deliver a solo tribute to the late Lou Reed courtesy of a sparse, yet audience-assisted version of The Velvet Underground’s ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’ before The Exchange slip back onstage for an emotive ‘Will O’ The Wisp’. Its kiss-off line (“we will get through this season”) seems especially apt, for Ian Whitty has not only survived, but It seems he’s ready to thrive all over again.
Ian Whitty & The Exchange Facebook page
De Barra's Facebook page
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