Mick Flannery & Susan O’Neill were set to have one date in The Watergate Theatre Kilkenny, which was a sell out, but due to new Covid restrictions which have brought venues back to only 50% capacity it had to be split into four shows over two days. This being an early evening show and a later show, we ended up reporting from the last of the four shows
First out on the stage to open the night was John Blek from Cork, I first came across John with his band John Blek and the Rats who released a couple of albums, but since then he’s pursued a solo path with no less than studio albums under his belt, the last of which – On Ether & Air supplies us with several of tonight’s tracks.
After a 15 minute interval Mick Flannery took to the stage and opens the night with two songs before introducing Son aka Susan O’Neill to the stage as both are here to promote their duet concept album In the Game. The pair inform the audience its about a couple of musicians where the male isn’t as good as the female, and for the most part, save for one or two songs Susan is accompanied by Mick on the piano, while she plays harmonica to open one song and trumpet in one or two also.
Between songs we are told the story of the couple and the females success’ alongside the male’s not so successful music career – and what and asshole he is, which is announced a number of times by Susan through a whisper, then eventually by Mick who seemed reluctant to say it at first. So we come to the end and are then treated to an encore in which John joins Mick and Susan on stage and Micks brother. All in All it was a fantastic night and all artists works are well worth checking out.
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