Silencing chatterers

The former leader of Mother Earth has just released his solo album, You Are The Healer, but this event has been somewhat overshadowed…

The former leader of Mother Earth has just released his solo album, You Are The Healer, but this event has been somewhat overshadowed by the news that he will be joining Oasis on tour as Noel Gallagher's temporary replacement. Before he left for the bright lights and the big stadiums, however, Matt Deighton fulfilled his commitment to play a low-key Dublin gig organised by the Vyagra crew, keeping Oasis waiting while he entertained his small Irish fanbase.

The stage was set out like a pastoral idyll, with large, leafy plants and a big, screened backdrop straight out of National Geographic. It was the perfect environment for Deighton's delicate, folksy tunes, and the quietude was disturbed only by the chattering of the audience in the undergrowth. Undeterred, Deighton performed songs from his current album, including Easy Times and 5 Years In Pieces; old Mother Earth tunes such as Time In The Future; and yet-to-be-released songs like The Common Good.

Like a younger, hungrier version of Paul Weller (with whom he has often performed), Deighton plucked out the organic sounds from his acoustic guitar, helped by his wife, Nicola Bright-Thomas, on vocals, and Andrew Dillon on harmonica. Bravely, the trio trekked their way through the glistening guitar chords and trickling melodies of Pure English Honey, Tumbling Free and Hear My Mind, sometimes coming into sharp focus, other times fading into the distant musical horizon. Sadly, Deighton was unable to fully capture the crowd's meandering attention span and hold them in his spell - perhaps when he returns from his Oasis stint with a full band in tow - as he has promised - he might just silence the chatterers.

Kevin Courtney

Kevin Courtney

Kevin Courtney is an Irish Times journalist