Opening Bands: Michael Brunnock, Annie Minogue
Band Links: link

On Thursday, I was back down in the city for the Young Dubliners show at the Canal Room. It’s the first time I had been to the club and enjoyed the cozy atmosphere. The show wasn’t very full but had a decent crowd for fans to really enjoy themselves. For the openers, I hung in the back on the VIP couches since they were available to all of us that night. First up was Michael Brunnock, originally from Ireland. He now lives in New York and is a folk singer. He was pretty good but was more of a downer than the rest of the night would turn out to be. After Michael, it was Annie Minogue and her band. She was doing her girlie rock thing, and reminded me of the Irish girl on American Idol this year. She was more upbeat and faster than the other opener, and in no time the Young Dubs were up.

Having just played NYC back in July, it was a nice treat to have them back so quickly. I figured I wouldn’t be able to see them for a long time. Other parts of the world will be seeing the band next so I had to jump on the opportunity to see the band. As always, the band never disappoints. They are fun, energetic and really know how to rock using Celtic influences. Playing hits from all of their albums including “Touch The Sky,” from 2005’s ‘Real World’ and “Follow Me Up to Carlow” from 2007’s ‘With All Due Respect,’ The Dubs gave a wonderful performance which has been a long and exhausting summer. Just last month, the band had their van stolen with all there gear and not much of the gear has been recovered yet. Be on the lookout on eBay and Craiglist listings if you are inquiring. It was enjoyable to take pictures of the guys playing even though the lighting was a little schizo during the set. Also, Eric Rigler, master Piper was on hand to lend his support to the band. You may know his work on major movies like ‘Braveheart,’ ‘Titantic,’ and ‘Road to Perdition’ to name a few. After the set, it was nice to chat with the band as they are usually hanging out with all their fans in the bar so it was a blast to see the show once again. I’m really looking forward to 2009 as they will be touring again and releasing a new record in February. Check it out.