Mick Hanley may be one of Ireland's leading songwriters, but he's not so well known as a performer. The Cobblestone was packed for this solo concert and he was in top form, playing a mix of old and new material.
The majority of Hanley's songs are gentle and lyrical, and he sings them in an unmannered style. Songs such as You're a Big Girl Now and One More from the Daddy are soft-centred, but manage to steer just clear of sentimentality - his writing is too sharp for that.
The Way Dreams Are has apparently been recorded by Daniel O'Donnell (which Hanley welcomed, because "he sells a lot of albums - I don't"). It's a classic forlorn love song and was delivered perfectly, as was another ballad, Burned Out Star. It helps that Hanley's diction is crystal-clear.
The second set proved more light-hearted, opening with a brisk version of On Vocals and Guitar. The ridiculous The Fabulous Thunderbirds worked brilliantly, driven by Hanley's percussive guitar. He relished the verse-endings with their increasingly strained efforts to find new rhymes to go with "kettle".
Hanley's biggest hit, Past the Point of Rescue, was greeted jubilantly by the crowd and provoked an enthusiastic singalong. Without a Fanfare then quietened things down. There's a distinct country inflection to much of Hanley's music, so he ended aptly enough with a country standard, Tennessee Whiskey. An excellent concert.
Mick Hanley will be appearing again at The Cobblestone on Friday May 22nd and Friday 29th.