Lisa O’Neill – The Grand Social – April 8th 2011
by Sean Stevens
After a brief introduction back in 2010 I was hooked listening to Lisa O’Neill on YouTube. Her videos which have been filmed by none other than Myles O’Reilly really show off her talents and more importantly her unique voice and guitar playing. After returning from the US where she supported David Gray on his US tour it was The Grand Social that would host her long awaited return to a Dublin stage.
It was my first time in the venue so wasnt sure of the set up or layout but the place suited her performance down to the ground with the decor and the relaxed atmosphere that greeted her fans as they arrived to see her perform. Backed by her band O’Neill arrived on stage to great excitement from not only me but from the packed out crowd who had come along to see her perform. It was going to be something special. Her set included original material along with covers. One notable cover was Three Babies originally performed by Sinead O’Connor. O’Neills version was not only moving but she really put her own mark and identity on it with many people who I talked to after preferring Lisas version. I had to agree.
As she sung her way through her album ‘Lisa O’Neill Has An Album’ it was apparent that she was definitely going to be huge over the next while. Songs such as ‘Bobby D’ and ‘Im Gonna Get Me To The Road’ left people smiling with delight after what they had witnessed. There was thunderous applause after each song along with giggles before some including ‘Its Not Your Fault That Your A Man’. From the weird to the wonderful it was a magical evening because it felt as if we had all gotten to see a performance that we will be talking and raving about for a long time.
I would highly recommend you check Lisa O’Neill out and get yourself a copy of her album. Seeing someone so talented live is what it is all about and they dont come any better than Lisa O’Neill.