Samuely Vas-Y 5

When you watch Samuel Vas-Y perform a song and then subsequently go up to him to say hello; it’s a strange experience. When he plays he does it with a huge amount of personality and charisma; leaping from a smug confidence one minute to a defiant yet sensitive almost inaudible quietness the next. From his songs you wouldn’t know what kind of person you’d get when you approached him, or even what language or accent to expect, considering the ten-tracks on his album ‘Tickly Teeth’ feature parts in English, French, Spanish and Irish.

If you can bring yourself to say hello through the uncertainty, then you’re bound to be even more confused by the very amiable guy who smiles and extends his hand in greeting. You do from time to time hear about this thing with musicians who drift into another realm when they perform music, seemingly becoming embodied by some other spirit and Samuel Vas-Y is just such a performer. He finishes playing a song and he snaps back to reality, like coming out of a trance.

In true 2014 fashion, I first came across Samuel Vas-Y online after posting a Malik Pathé Sow & Bao Sissoko video on Twitter and our Plec Pick Wyvern Lingo (who opened for Samuel at his album launch) helpfully reciprocated my recommendation with Samuel’s music. The album was an immediate sticker with standout tracks like Coucou, Millionaire of Hours and West, Always West showing an artist with a complex creative range with the guitar and a real ear for melody. However, when it came time to shoot a video with him we went for the album opener Jungle Dream.

Ever since The Exchange got shut down in Temple Bar, it’s started to look like that whole part of Dublin would be swallowed up by the big corporate outlets dropping in and sucking out its soul. With a McDonald’s in the heart of the place, a Starbucks not for from there, it’s getting harder to believe all the talk about it becoming the cultural heart of the city. Still, the further you get from the hen night-ridden part of town the nicer it gets, towards Smock Alley and the interesting stores past the Project Arts Centre down to the Gutter Bookshop and onto Cow’s Lane where we decided to shoot the video.

It’s a quiet part of the city and situated right in its relaxing centre is the ever-popular Queen of Tarts. They were kind enough to let us sit in on their property for an hour or so while we recorded our vision of a lazy Sunday afternoon in the heart of Ireland’s capital. Usually performed with a band, the stripped back version of Jungle Dream perfectly suited the mood, as people passed by minding their own business and the odd sore head was soothed.

Samuely Vas-Y 2