SHARON SHANNON

Live Review

Glee Club, Birmingham (2011)

Irish folk musician Sharon Shannon is called a virtuoso of the accordion and boy does she deserve it. 

She does things with that accordion that a decade ago the Catholic church would have banned as incendiary. 

Internationally renowned Shannon came along with special guest and fellow veteran of the Irish/folk music circuit Eleanor McEvoy. 

During the first part of show McEvoy had a chance to display her wonderful versatility, even using a couple of boxes of Smarties as instruments on I Want It So Much. 

Then it was down to Shannon and her band of extremely talented musicians, not least of which was Dezi Donnelly who is an absolutely awesome fiddle player, to give the appreciative Glee audience a perfect example of the Craic and she hit them right between the eyes from the very first track. 

Considering she spends the whole set sitting down, the energy Shannon puts into the jigs and reels during her performance with her hands just a blur as they squeeze every last note out of her instrument is just infectious. 

With tracks such as Jewels in the Ocean, Duo in G, Raitlin Island and Flying Circus the Clare musician set the Birmingham club alight. 

Shannon of course finished the night with the two songs, Blackbird and Galway Girl, which have become her signature tunes and were constantly demanded by her persistent fans, who even in the cosy confines of the Glee studio found room to get up and dance.