Fionn Regan, Dingwalls, London
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Independent Minds
Since he released his debut album, The End of History, last August, Fionn Regan has been likened to Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. Tonight at Dingwalls, the 26-year-old Dubliner, shortlisted for the Choice Award, the Irish equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize, is worthy of all the accolades.
As Regan begins "Hey Rabbit" you can feel the still silence of the enraptured crowd. A master of heartfelt storytelling, Regan delivers vitriolic lyrics with snarling conviction "they want you to sink, but you stood up and swam" - then stares out his viewers intensely in the wistful "Put a Penny in The Slot", ensuring we each pay heed to his lessons: "I don't give advice/But be wise and think twice/Before getting involved in a game." He breaks some emotive tension with the upbeat "Medicine Chest", lightheartedly repeating the rhythm strumming over and over like a jesting troubadour. It puts smiles on everyone's faces including Regan's.
At the end, he thanks the audience with a playfully straight face "all these shows are top secret you know". And as the "secret" spreads, this could well be one of the last times he plays such an intimate show.
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