Paul Heaton completed the Irish leg of his 50/50 tour – a tour of the UK and Ireland by bicycle covering 2500 miles, fifty for each year of his life having just turned fifty himself – with a gig in the intimate surrounding of the Thatch Inn, just outside Tullamore. It was nearly 11pm by the time he walked on stage, but he explained it had been 5.30am in Kilkenny by the time he got to bed. ‘I love this country but I have to get out of here before it kills me’ Heaton joked while discussing all the late nights he’s had on this tour, and all the drinks he’s been bought.
Regardless, he put on a brilliant show opening with ‘Welcome To the South’ and ‘The Balcony’ from his previous solo albums. Most of the audience were there to hear his vast back catalogue of course, and he didn’t disappoint with Beautiful South numbers including ‘Dumb’ and a beautiful stripped down acoustic version of ‘Old Red Eyes Is Back’ early in the set.
He spoke about the current cycle tour and told us that they have cycled a total of 1,465 miles so far, while putting out an appeal ‘to get the pot holes fixed’! A couple of new songs come next, ‘I’ve Got Some Dancing To Do’ and ‘Costa’ from next year’s album, both well received by the appreciative crowd, but it took a couple of old Housemartins favourites – ‘A Place In the Sun’ and ‘Build’ – to get everyone singing along.
You could have heard a pin drop during his acapella version of ‘Caravan of Love’, and my request for ‘Poems’ had him rustling through the pages of his lyrics book before performing it admirably, while the lyrical brilliance of ‘God Bless Texas’ ended the set.
Still sweating, he jumped back on stage and donned his red guitar for ‘Me And The Farmer’, which was a pleasant surprise for all the Housemartins fans in attendance, and he finished the night well after midnight with a cover of The Clash’s ‘White Man In Hammersmith Palais’, which he mentioned was one of his all-time favourite songs.
With a new concept album out next month, and about 20 songs written for next year’s album, there seems to be no let up in the output of one of the 21st century’s most prolific and successful singer-songwriters.
THATCH INN – TULLAMORE, 5/6/12
Welcome To The South / The Balcony / Dumb / Little Red Rooster / A Place In The Sun / Ladders Buttom Rung / This House / Old Red Eyes Is Back / Deckchair Collapsed / I’ve Got Some Dancing To Do / Build / Costa / Blackbird On The Wire / Poems / Caravan Of Love / Acid Country / God Bless Texas / Me And The Farmer / White Man in Hammersmith Palais
MAY
15 – Salford Kings Arms / 16 – Ulverston Old Farmhouse / 17 – Boldrun George and Dragon / 18 – Newcastle Dorset Arms Hotel / 19 – Galashiels Clovenfords Hotel / 21 – Pitlochry Old Mill Inn / 22 – Aviemore Old Bridge Inn / 23 – Ullapool Arch Inn / 25 – Glencoe Clachaig / 26 – Ledaig MacGochans / 28 – Darvel Black Bull / 29 – Derry Paedar O’Donnells / 30 – Carrick On Shannon Dunnes Bar / 31 – County Clare Tully’s
JUNE
2 – Cahir Punters Rest / 3 – Wexford Sky in The Ground / 4 – Thomastown Eddie Murphy’s / 5 – Tullamore Thatch Inn / 7 – Porthmadog Golden Fleece Inn / 8 – Welshpool Raven / 9 – Talybont-on-Usk Star Inn / 10 – Barry Park Hotel / 12 – Bristol Thunderbolt / 13 – Braunton Aggi Inn / 14 – St Agnes Driftwood Spas / 15 – St Austell Polgooth Inn / 17 – Newton Abbot Jolly Farmer / 18 – Cattistock Fox and Hounds / 19 – Isle Of Wight Tap / 21 – Shoreham By Sea Duke of Wellington / 22 – Isle Of Sheppey Shurland / 23 – London Pelton Arms
Review by Mick Lynch.
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[five-star-rating]