This year’s Westport Arts Festival has announced the addition of two notable music acts to this year’s October line up. Fionn Regan has already stimulated interest in Ireland and abroad, garnering nominations for the Irish Choice music award and the internationally acclaimed British Mercury music prize. Regan’s acoustic-based music has been compared favourably to Bob Dylan, both in terms of poetic lyrics and for moving from finger-plucking acoustics in his first album The End Of History, to a fuller sound in Shadow of an Empire. His abilities as a wordsmith are evident with a music that is laced with metaphors and analogies. He is an accomplished performer and includes this year’s Glastonbury among his many performances.
BBC Music Reviews consider his debut to be “a frank, genuinely heart-warming listen”. Regan likened its gestation to “building an ocean liner with a butter knife”, a statement borne out by the intricate song craft and sheer attention to detail throughout. He is due to perform on Saturday, October 2 at the Wyatt Hotel.
Cork native and former stonemason Mick Flannery has also been nominated for a Choice music award, and is gathering a loyal following due to his gritty vocals, intimate performances, and accomplished musicianship, both on piano and guitar. His 2009 Meteor Prize for Best Male complements wins from the International Songwriting Competition in Nashville, which included Tom Waits as a judge. Irish Times’ reviewer Lauren Murphy observed that though ‘undoubtedly influenced by classic songwriters, his gorgeous, textured voice - which sounds like it's lived through several lifetimes - is less imitative of his heroes, but no less affecting or understated’. His performance is due to take place Friday, October 8, at the Castlecourt.
This year’s festival is set to light up the autumn evenings with an enormous variety of events, including drive-in cinema, French contemporary circus, theatre, and children’s events, along with several genres of music. The visual arts programme is set to link in with Culture night, which occurs in various arts centres and galleries on Friday September 24. More details to be announced. See www.westportartsfestival.com
