Other Voices 2013 Dingle - Day Two: Wicked & Weird

Over the course of twelve years, Other Voices has morphed from an intimate TV show that leaned towards singer-songwriters to an event that is much more multi-faceted.

There’s periphery musical acts playing in pubs around the town on the music trail, there’s markets and free guided walks. There’s food for the head in the form of the Banter conversations with luminaries like artist Alice Maher, filmmaker Gerard Barrett, actor Jack Reynor and John Grant lighting the way through conversation.

Saturday’s night music lineup was far far away from a night of guitar-wielding poets. But, it started with a young one, as an introductory ease into what was to come. Rosie Carney is only 16 but the Letterkenny young lass travelled for nine hours from Donegal to play in St. James’ Church.

Undaunted by the cameras live streaming the event online and the pubs nearby, Carney played three songs which placed her in the vein of Laura Marling: sweet, considered and capable beyond most her age. She also has a song called 'Ghosts' if that helps. A cover of Michael Jackson’s 'Thriller' was brave but the ethereal slowed down rendition worked to her advantage. Carney has already been snapped up by Universal so there will be greater things to come from her too.

At the other end of the spectrum was a fireball of sensuality. Newcastle Upon Tyne’s 21 year-old Lulu James caught some blog buzz earlier this year but her shapeshifting R&B songs were not easy to pin down.

It turns out she isn’t either as her performance pegged her as an alumni of the school of Grace Jones. In her stockings, jewels, bowler hat, heels and Northern accent, she comes across as an exotic toon army Gaga.

There’s no hint of the accent in her singing voice, which is a magnetising soulful, raspy, smoky, high decibel one. Her songs are as expected, very much in the future R&B pop sphere but it’s her ambition that leaves the biggest impression. There's no obvious song highlight (her best song to date 'Sweetest Thing' is absent) but a ferocious display of stage movements and theatrics captivate.

“I don't know who I am,” says Willis Earl Beal when it’s his turn to introduce himself as part of his band The Church Of Nobody, also an anti-establishment congregated movement. But he does. He's the outsider artist masquerading as a B-movie cartoon thief. He’s a former homeless army man, a Lone Ranger prowling and howling at your door singing soul with a voice that could bring the greats back from the grave.

He uses his stool like a play horse, contorting, pivoting and standing on the stool as his voice channels Marvin Gaye. He only removes the eye mask to explain how his grandmother will never know how important she is with a fatalistic but powerful song called 'The Flow'. This man goes with his own flow.

The most well-known draw of the night are also the loudest. Earplugs are handed out in advance of Mogwai taking to the stage. The instrumental Glasgow band have made their name with beautiful and powerful post-rock noise and in the church, they preview five tracks from their new album Rave Tapes.

In general, the new songs are softer, louder still. There’s vocoder throughout particularly effective on ‘’The Lord is Out of Control’ , ‘Remurdered’ is a foreboding Italian horror-esque electronic rumble, while a new song with lyrics sung by Stuart Braithwaite features disused train lines and a destination unknown. Mogwai always arrive at the same place: a release after a build of enrapturing sonics.

The night begun with an introduction to a new act and it closes with one too. The Australian singer Josef Salvat, decked in a sharp blue suit with no socks and shiny black shoes recalls the new romantic style and he may be a Bryan Ferry fan.

‘Every Night’ , ‘Hustler’ and ‘Til I Met You’ are three belters waiting to be hits and Salvat’s on-stage dancing, like a jerked puppet controlled by the music is a clear indication that this earnest guy feels his music through his bones and so do we.

Pics by Rich Gilligan.