Ruby Sessions (@rubysessions) - 24/04/2012
Last night Ruby Sessions announced that a "Top Secret Guest" would be in attendance and performing on the night. Looking back on it now, it seems so obvious why they didn't say "Special Guest". It was of course the talented singer-songwriter Peter Wilson aka "Duke Special". Having never seen him perform before I had an incline that my expectations of a drab and dreary performance would be lived up to! However I was pleasantly surprised, having thought of his music as a very different genre altogether! His snap-happy piano work and his well worked lyrics make for an enjoyable, almost theatrical experience. Especially songs like AppleJack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICDQhv7g-Po or Last Night I Nearly Died http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PZn-tBOrrM. I would definitely recommend checking out Duke Special and am kind of disappointed that his Workman's gig tonight is sold out. I will however try to catch him on the Camden crawl on march 11th in Whelans! Duke Special's work is available to purchase on iTunes!
Another band first encounter last night was with The Mandolas. These four lads reign from Cork and the Ruby Sessions was their first Dublin gig. It was also Duke Special's first Dublin gig, although over 10 years ago. I guess if you want to know who's the next to watch out for, you should definitely attend the Ruby's on a regular basis.
Anyway back to The Mandolas! With a name like that you can guess what kind of music they might play. It is of course with madolins, mandolas and acoustic guitars! Their music at the core is folk/ pop, incorporating some old English traditional folk with some contemporary pop. The ambiance they bestow, is like that on the set of Robin Hood Men In Tights; with a feel of medieval Minstrels on stage then throwing in some modern pop to keep you entertained. Very much that of the Beach Boys, with as adequate a harmony. All in all The Mandolas make for a fun night out, with people shouting for an encore! Their Debut EP "My Greatest Day" is available now and you can check them out on their website:http://www.themandolas.com.
The Ruby Sessions was, as always is a great night, with great music. The only annoying part was that girl that kept "SSSHING" people, that was very annoying! Other than that, well done guys once again! Cheers!