Fionn Regan, Tom Cooney @ TheTroubadour, 02/03/2007

Tue 6th Mar, 2007 in Gig Reviews

The Troubadour is unquestionably the best venue in Brisbane to see bands and artists in a genuinely intimate setting, and tonight’s crowd is comfortably settled in on the floor and chairs waiting for the show. An important thing to remember when you are attending a gig at the Troubadour is that even if you are a little further towards the back of the room that everybody can hear you talking; so try and avoid the urge to sit on the ground in a circle and discuss your day as some girls did on Friday night, it’s inconsiderate and distracting for both the musician and everyone else trying to enjoy the show.

Tom Cooney’s debut mini album Hold Me Down has been receiving very positive reviews all around town and after tonight’s performance it’s easy to see why. Tom is low key and likeable onstage, cheerfully admitting that he’s more than likely to mess up his newer songs and after doing so during one comments, ‘Maybe I should play one I know’. These very minor and unnoticeable mistakes do nothing to affect his performance and the crowd is left with no doubt as to his talent after hearing the first few songs. By the time he plays his fourth song of the set In The Fire the venue is completely silent as the crowd was completely caught up in the intense song and Tom’s passionate performance. Every song played was intricate and moving, but what particularly stood out apart from the beautiful melodies that he created on his guitar was Tom’s expressive voice, every song performed with real emotion and raw feeling which made for an extremely memorable performance.

Fionn Regan wanders onstage, glass of wine in hand, and begins the evening by playing one of his more upbeat songs Abacus, before being joined by a female singer whom he claims to have met in the large print section of the bookstore because, ‘I like to read, but I can’t read small print’. Ballad of the Toadeaters follows with lines like ‘When you’re down in the rubbish looking for my old songs’ delivered with such ferocity that you can’t help but feel a little sorry for whoever this song is about. The single Put a Penny in the Slot from Regan’s debut album The End of History gets an excited reception from the crowd with everybody joining in for the chorus (one particular audience member a little louder than the rest) but it’s the haunting song The Underwood Typewriter that has the most significant impact, with the entire audience seemingly mesmerised until the last lines faded away, and keeping silent for a moment even when the song is over.