"Hello, hello...is the sound man there, please?"
Oh dear. It's not the most auspicious of starts. Hotly-tipped Chicagoan JOE PUG has just entered the packed back room at Ryan's to the sort of cheer normally reserved for a champion boxer. His arms are aloft and he's keen to drink in the atmosphere and knock us out with a killer performance. Only there's no-one to plug him in.
Lesser talents would quite easily fall at such a first hurdle, but young Mr. Pug is made of sterner stuff. Joking about this "deliberate" entrance and ploughing his way into his first song even without PA assistance, he's already working the room, making his presence felt and by the time the errant sound mixer has wised up, the song in question - an emotive version of the fine 'Speak Quickly, Diana' - is sounding like vintage singer/ songwriter fare.
Troubadours may come and go, but it would be a foolish man who'd bet against Joe Pug prevailing. He's built it up the DIY way, literally giving away 2-track CDs, sending out letters of personal thanks to his fans all around the world and working venue after venue as he's made his way around to his debut album 'Messenger' (released three months back on the 'Lightnin' Rod label.) The buzz is palpable in Kilkenny and Pug is keen to deliver.
And deliver he does. Despite being armed with merely an acoustic guitar and harmonica cradle, he means business. He's jokey and engaging between tunes, but the songs themselves are passionate and committed. His body language is equally no-nonsense and he exudes the nostril-flared belief of Graham Parker or a young Costello as he struts around his lone microphone.
His songs are both hard-edged, but lyrically vivid, whether he's applying balm to the heartbreak on songs like 'Unsophisticated Heart', indulging in Ed Hamell-style ramalama (a new song possibly called 'Crash & Burn') or addressing the horrors of war with eloquence and dignity as he does on 'Bury Me Far From My Uniform'. I've been trying hard not to mention him, but Pug's way with Dylan-esque lyrical flourishes is undeniable, especially on romantic diatribes like 'Hymn 101' which is stuffed with memorable images such as "will you recognise my face when God's awful grace strips me of my jacket and my vest?"
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Ultimately, though, this is Joe Pug's own thing and he's no-one's stylistic prisoner. His intense strumming requires "the fastest string change in the west" before the finale of 'Hymn 101' but his unlucky streak does for him again mid-song when another string gives up the ghost. "Motherfucker!" Pug exclaims, but he barely bats an eyelid and concludes the song a capella to enormous applause.
Showcases like this often sort the wheat from the chaff, but Joe Pug comes through with glory to spare and his eyes very firmly on the prize. Not even banana skins, black cats or walking under ladders are gonna prevent the rise of this boy.
Joe Pug on Myspace
Joe Pug official site
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