Duke SpecialOne man, one piano. Duke Special (Peter Wilson) walks on to the stage unannounced to open with a gentle rendition of Nothing Comes Easy, one of the few tracks played tonight taken from the early Duke Special albums. Halfway through, Duke is joined by the members of Northern Irish act General Fiasco. The whole track lifts off and a raucous sound echoes through a gently packed Monday night in Whelan’s.

Tonight is one of only three dates that Duke Special and General Fiasco will share the stage, the other two dates being in Derry and in Belfast (on the 12th and 29th of June). This, for them, is a Monday to enjoy each other’s music, experiment and play some covers. Over the course of the evening we are treated to a few of the hits, some new and lesser known tracks, some General Fiasco songs and some covers selected by the group. These covers range from Steve Earle, to My Bloody Valentine to the Pixies, so an eclectic night is had by all.

Duke is in chatty form, telling us stories in between most of the songs and standing firm on his set list. At various points throughout the night there are calls for Freewheel, so much so that Duke decides to use some expletives (in a gentle well-meaning way) and explain to the crowd that while grateful for fans having favourites he just doesn’t feel like playing that particular song tonight. We are told to imagine the players in Shakespeare’s The Tempest being shouted at to say something from Macbeth, it wouldn’t happen, so it shouldn’t happen here either. We move on swiftly!

The new songs showcased tonight, coupled with the energy of having a four piece band behind him, gives Duke Special a new lease of life. The sound that reverbs around the room is not the melancholia that you normally associate with Duke Special but a passion and an anger that really drives the night along. There are songs about consumerism, religion and globalisation. All are sung with a firm belief and you get the impression that Duke is relishing in sharing the spotlight with the band. Having gone through somewhat of a tough time of late (a court appearance in January for speeding and currently going through divorce proceedings), it seems that he is more than happy to let General Fiasco get the plaudits in equal measure. Twice Duke Special leaves the stage so the band can indulge the crowd in their own material, including playing something from their latest album called Unfaithfully Yours. The song Ever so Shy proves a highlight, a real radio friendly summer song. It’s clear from the crowds singing along that there are a number of people here not just for the name on the ticket, plenty of mouths are singing along to the band.

This is not to say that this is a serious night, on the contrary. The band and Duke are loose and twice Duke Special informs us of his inebriation. This almost feels like a session at their house that we are allowed a glimpse of. What night could be serious when a cover of The Magnetic Fields Andrew in Drag is one of the highlights? Duke even forgets some of the words to No Cover Up at one point and is ably helped out by the audience singing along merrily.

Overall, this was one of those rare nights, an artist having fun, telling some stories and playing some songs. For €12 I don’t think anyone could complain and if they do decide to play some more dates it would be well worth checking out. Just don’t ask him to play Freewheel!