Review of James Vincent McMorrow at The Pepper Canister Church on April 28th
Review by Conor Skinnader
Following his nomination for a Choice Music Award last month, James Vincent McMorrow rapidly sold out two dates at the Pepper Canister in Dublin. Being a big fan of the album I went along to see what his performance was like live, in what was sure to be a very strange venue.
Walking into the church and taking your seat in one of the pews, knowing you were about to see a live performance rather than attend mass, left me unsure exactly how the gig would sound and whether the venue would bolster or dampen James’ performance and voice.
Before he began though, he had a supporting act in the form of Jennifer Evans, an artist I hadn’t heard before. Her incredibly strong voice was at odds with what seemed to be a shy on stage persona, barely audible when she briefly interacted with the crowd. This, reminiscent of the Howling Bell’s lead singer, and some nice melodies were the only positives I could find in her set, with her stop-start rhythm style proving very hard to keep track of. I found myself growing disinterested, even bored as her set wore on and we waited for the main act. However, at this point the venue was only half full, so this emptiness may not have helped how her sound travelled through the church. There was complete silence throughout her set, but I feel this was mainly because any sound from the crowd would have been instantly audible. Anyone who’s ever been to mass will know just how loud even a cough is, so I’m glad I wasn’t munching on crisps.
By the time James Vincent McMorrow came on stage it had become dark outside and the venue was full, meaning it was completely different to how it had been when Jennifer Evans was playing and it was now that you could see why they had chosen this as a venue. James haunting vocals matched the eerie, cold and hollow church, only warmed by the number of people packed into the pews. This coupled with the street lights shining through the stained glass windows and a single coloured light shining onto the stage made for a very humbling experience. He began his set with one of his lesser known tracks, which was nonetheless excellent. He followed this up with some of his more widely known album tracks, continuously bantering with the crowd between songs. This is a part of playing live he really seems to enjoy as he regaled the crowd with tales of how he’d drank shed loads of watermelon martinis after one gig and a liquer called Rumplestiltskin which he said would make you crazy due to it’s 95% alcohol volume!
However he knew everyone was there to hear him sing and despite his ramblings leading to a lot of laughter from the crowd, he made sure each song was performed flawlessly, despite being at the end of 3-4 days of live performances. One of these performances was at the Royal Albert Hall in London, proving just how popular he has become over the past year.
Midway through his set he brought his back-up group onto the stage with him. Listening to his album on its own, you don’t really pay much attention to the backing singers, but seeing him live you realise how much they add to each song. There were times during the performance when you almost felt there would be an operatic soprano type moment, with the stained glass windows shattering under the sheer power of his voice and their understated, elegant tones complimented his high pitched vocals perfectly.
There were also two absolutely magnificent covers by James Vincent McMorrow on the night. The first of these was Wolves by Phosphorescent, with James using his vocal strength for a completely different take on it. The second was his cover of ‘Hope there’s Someone’ by Antony and the Johnson’s which was astounding. I didn’t think anyone could make such a heart-wrenching song any sadder, but he definitely managed it and that is no mean feat. It was one of many highlights on the night. As for what songs went down best with the crowd, it was inevitable that these would be the strongest tracks off the album – If I Had a Boat, Follow You Down To The Red Oak Tree and From The Woods along with a powerful mic-less acoustic version of This Old Dark Machine.
This was a one off chance to see an up and coming star performing in a unique but very intimate setting. The silence in the church from the crowd was almost uncomfortable, only sporadically broken to rapturously applaud a song, or laugh at James poking fun at himself. Few artists would suit a venue such as the Pepper Canister or be able to captivate the audience to such a point that they stay unanimously quiet. Comparisons with Bon Iver are therefore warranted if not for his voice, then his fantastic lyrics and he definitely has a fantastic future ahead of him.