NEWS: Annual tribute to Rory Gallagher at Belfast City Blues Festival

THE Belfast City Blues Festival will be paying its annual tribute to Rory Gallagher, the guitarist who made Belfast his second musical home, at the Black Box on the afternoon of June 24th at 1pm.

Gallagher was a frequent visitor to Belfast, first with Taste and then with his own band, throughout the 70s and 80s.

This year’s tribute to Gallagher, ‘A Taste of Rory’ will feature The Pat McManus Band, The Willie Byrne Band and Blackwood.

McManus said he looked forward to paying his own personal tribute to Gallagher.

"Over the years and all through my career, Belfast has been a city that welcomes me,” he said. “Likewise with Rory Gallagher, as the people of Belfast welcomed him in, supported his style of music and gave him room to grow musically, Rory never forgot that.

“He always came back to Belfast and the wider Northern Irish community even through the dark days. For me it’s still an immense pleasure to play to the people in my home land of Northern Ireland."

Rory Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, he was brought up in Cork where his musical development started. To date there are more than 30 million sales of Gallagher’s albums.

He was an almost annual visitor to Belfast, where his Ulster Hall shows are the stuff of legend.
Gallagher died on June 14th, 1995 aged 47.

The festival which is celebrating its ninth year with 50 gigs across 22 venues from June 23-25 has once again been sponsored by American Holidays.

For more information and a full schedule for the Belfast City Blues Festival which runs from June 23-25 log onto www.belfastcityblues.com

Tickets for ‘A Taste of Rory’ are priced £12, including booking fee, are available from www.blackboxbelfast.com

Even superlatives aren't enough when Pat McManus plays

THERE are those of a certain vintage for whom the Pat McManus song The Oldest Rocker is not only appropriate but places us in a similar age range to the guitarist. Those of that vintage can not only appreciate, but also revel in the County Fermanagh axe man's development and excellence.

Playing the Diamond Rock Club on Sunday (21st December) the Pat McManus Band shone not only as a showcase for Pat's talent, but as a coherent three-piece that pull off the trick of being both laid back performers and tight as musicians.

Familiarity can breed contempt for some bands when they play a venue where they have treaded the boards before: not so Pat and his co-conspirators on rock 'n' roll exuberance.

Exuberance is sometimes a term associated with the over-the-top, big light show, heavy made-up bands who play every song like robots. But exuberance can also come from an artist who takes the stage with intent, who makes adjustments and improvises to both please themselves and to please the audience through exuberant playing.

Pic courtesy of Paul Verner

Those who have experienced Pat's playing before know that superlatives are not enough to describe his talent with a six-string slung around his shoulders. From delicate, heart-rending pieces through to hard and raging riffs, and to solos that explore the full toolbox of guitar techniques - hammer-ons, trills, tapping, sweep picking, you name it and Pat deploys it.

With bass and drums in ample support the set on Saturday night flowed with too many highlights...that may be an oxymoron, but it makes redundant the inclusion of a track-by-track analysis of the set, other to mentions some notable songs that stood-out.

Recent album Dark Emerald Highway was showcased appropriately with S Before X, Fallen Angel and Belfast Boy all coming to life on the stage, the latter track dedicated to the late Gary Moore.

Pic courtesy of Paul Verner

With the likes of Juggernaut stretching their legs on stage Pat took the audience on a six-string journey, with diversions along the way to fiddle playing and slide guitar played on the floor.

Being so close to Christmas Pat and Co made sure their fans left with smiles, throwing a few covers to keep all happy - Sharp Dressed Man and Christmas Number One contender Highway to Hell included. However, adapting the chorus Sweet Home Alabama to Merry Christmas Ballymena was also a sure-fire crowd-pleaser. But, it should be noted that where many bands throw in tracks like this to keep the punters happy for those watching Pat and his band it feels like it is a partnership in rock rather than a contrived encore.

As a reviewer one tries to convey a sense of a concert to reflect their own opinions of the performance for those who were there; and to outline what is was like for those who did not attend. Therefore, it is right to conclude by saying: "You had to be there," but you weren't and you missed a superb penultimate show for the 2013 gigging season with Derwin and Fiona and the Diamond Rock Club audience.

Great show, great band, great solos, great crowd.