Lisa Hannigan / Gavin Glass

Advent is a season observed in the largely Western Christian religion, as a time of eager expectation and pious preparation. Perhaps fitting therefore, that Lisa Hannigan chose the first week of this hallowed juncture, to make her righteous return to the city of Salford to perform tracks from her long-awaited second album 'Passenger'; much to the obvious delight of her devout folk followers. Accompanied by her constant disciples: Molloy, Glass and Fitzsimons, the musical message was one of peace and passion; with talent such as this, preaching would be futile.

Performing a supporting role on selected dates of Hannigan's UK tour; pianist and lead guitarist, Gavin Glass, took to the altar at St Philip's, to perform some of his very impressive solo material. As expected, the acoustics in the venue were breath-taking. The stunning building was designed in 1825 and its Greek style is unique to the area; its bell tower swelling above the skyline of this great north-western city. The performance space was more than accommodating, with ample room for the myriad of instruments on display, which included: drums, mandolin, acoustic guitar, double bass, trumpet and accordion, to name but a selection. To get the opportunity to watch Hannigan and her band is to be truly in the presence of two great things.



Hannigan took to the stage to deafening applause, greeted her audience and kicked off her set with the title track from her second album. 'Passenger' chronicles her travels across America, with key cities and towns acting as pinpoints for her own memories of someone back home. Hannigan's voice was as soothing and resplendent as ever; at times however, slightly hard to hear over the band, likely due to the aforementioned ready-made acoustic surround sound. 'Pistachio' followed, which happens to be my favourite track from her debut album, 'Sea Sew'; making my inner cherubim and seraphim dance with delight. 'Pistachio' is quite a subdued track, with Hannigan likening her demeanour to that of: a pistachio; the pre-shelled variety, a photo left out in the sun and sugar; tending toward the brittle and sticky when spun. I think that we can all relate to those metaphorical images at some time or other, hence my great love for the track. I like to feel a connection to the lyrics of a song, otherwise the words merely float past me and become white noise; a response that has so far eluded any of Hannigan's work.

New album track, 'A Sail' followed and Hannigan took to the mandolin, accompanied by Donagh Molloy on the xylophone. This is probably the most serene of all the tracks on the new album, perfectly suited for such a venue as St Philip's. Hannigan describes her sound as "plinky plonk rock" which will make perfect sense upon hearing this track. 'Ocean and a Rock' came next, with Hannigan delighting the audience with her clear love and mastery of the accordion. This is another of my favourite tracks from her Mercury and Choice Music Prize-nominated debut album. Her first album followed the theme of the sea, whilst 'Passenger' focuses on travel, with a fluttering of birds throughout. Hannigan said in a recent interview, that she and her best friend refer to each other as "bird"; all will become clear! Hannigan has the air of someone very unassuming, almost shy and unsure in her physical demeanour, yet her Irish warmth and verging on celestial talents, never fail to draw the listener and observer in. She is someone that I'd very much like to sit down with, have a cup of tea and just drink in the lilt and learning.



'Venn Diagram' followed, then the emotive and enticing 'Little Bird'. The power of Hannigan's vocals rang out like a church bell on this track, reverberating through the air and resonating through hearts and minds. The track speaks about harsh or difficult words being shared with someone; the build-up and reasoning behind such an event, ("…your heart sings like a kettle and your words, they boil away like steam. A lie burns long while the truth bites quick"), the emotions experienced during ("I am empty as a promise, no more") and the resolution ("…here I stay, I lay me down, in a house by the Hill. Dug from the rubble, cut from the kill.") With the resolution came an almost audible sigh of wonder, at both Hannigan's performance and at the uplifting moral conclusion.

New album tracks, 'Nowhere to Go' and 'Oh Sleep' came next, with new guitarist John Smith accompanying Hannigan on the latter. Ray LaMontagne takes up the mantle on the album version. Getting lost in the stunning instrumentation, I found myself asking the question; where else could you utter the phrase, "he's playing the offertory plate!"? I am finding myself increasingly of the mind-set that the only place to truly hear and appreciate folk music is in a church or otherwise hallowed ground.

'Paper House' is another new album track which speaks about life in Dublin; the protagonists of the story are young, having but each other and the theme of temporary bliss appears to be recurrent here. Hannigan's pure and eternally-hopeful take on modern folk delivered a poignant and quite beautiful version of this track; this was the highlight of the night for me. Crowd favourite, 'I Don't Know' followed which prompted much cheering and clapping by the audience. This, alongside 'Lille' would be the two most popular and widely known tracks from 'Sea Sew'. 'What'll I Do' and 'Safe Travels (Don't Die)' were received well; the latter being met with the same level of good humour as is displayed in the lyrics. Hannigan and her band retired for a short time and the audience's appreciation and shouts for an encore simply grew in volume and passion. Returning to the stage and visibly overwhelmed by the reception, Hannigan performed two further tracks: 'Teeth' from her first album and 'Knots' from her second. The heartfelt and emotionally exhausting 'Teeth' was the perfect opener to the lighter, brighter and brilliantly bouncy, 'Knots'. 'Knots' was the first single to be released from 'Passenger' and is accompanied by a quirky and most colourful video, showing Hannigan in all her kaleidoscopic glory.

This was my third time watching Lisa Hannigan and her magnificent band and it will certainly not be my last; she has talents which far outweigh her years and she defines the folk genre for me and for this, Lord, I thank you.

FUTURE GIGS

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