I’ve been to dozens of album launches in my time. You find there’s a pretty standard format – you file in, take your seats (or stand, if the venue hates you) and you listen to a collection of songs by the releasing artist. At some point, the artist will say something along the lines of “my album is out now – you can hear it on Spotify”, or whatever. You applaud, the show is over, you leave.
If you are going to see Ciaran Lavery release Light Entertainment though, you can take everything you know about album launches, scrunch it up and kick it over the bar to score a point for Antrim – it’s no good to you now. This show has pushed the envelope so radically, seeing a standard show will feel like going backwards.
Hosted in the Lyric Theatre, Light Entertainment’s launch blends music, film and theatre with Ciaran Lavery’s dry, introspective wit to create something unique and tough to define. I took my seat in a busy main stage already thick with dry ice. Onstage, a simple collection of props – a lamp, an armchair, a vintage tube TV and a rotary telephone, all on a nice rug (I did think about how nice the rug would look in my house more than once). Very few instruments were present, only a guitar, piano & a scattering of mics in the background. Certainly not the typical drums/bass/guitars that come as standard.
The room goes dark & a short film is projected on a suspended screen – Ciaran Lavery’s “Light” Entertainment, masterfully produced by Donegal’s ReAct Productions. It’s a mesmerising watch, dealing anxiously with Lavery’s struggle to remain present and creative in a hostile & stressful world, all the while the ensnaring temptation of going corpse-mode in front of the TV looms. An all-star cast includes Morgana, Joshua Burnside & (National Treasure) Daniel O’Donnell.
Then we begin; an anxiety-inducing cacophony of voices introduces Ciaran & his musicians onstage – himself in a suit, his backing vocalists in a much more disheveled version of said suit with their hair combed back like they’re the Lost Boys. Throughout the night, these backing vocalists are going to be Ciaran’s cast members as well as his band, copying his movements with a precise delay, as though his shadow’s gone rogue. They’re three phenomenal songwriters in their own right; Aoibha, Sarah McCreedy and Eve Belle. Perfect choices all, they form a solid foundation to Lavery’s more dream-like, scattered persona throughout. (“I only did this for the Britney mic to be honest” he says, into a Britney mic.) Danny Morgan Ball & Dan Byrne McCullough round out the sound nicely on guitar & live production duties.
Breaking into “Honeybun”, I’m struck by how well-crafted every element of the show is. A powerful lighting rig lends itself to the “light” part of “light entertainment”, a spectacle not often seen outside of huge venues. The sound is crystal-clear considering the format & gives punch to each note and lyric. As “Honeybun” ends, the stage goes pitch-black. The stagecraft is powerful for what’s not a theater production – but then sort of is at the same time.
“Never considered myself an actor,” says Lavery, “yet here we are… Fuck’s sake.” Heart Malaise begins & is a swirling, dreamy number with an epic, punchy vibe that’d sit well in a film score. Some awkward dancing takes place too – awkward on purpose, I believe. (You do get the sense that, if he was really trying, Lavery could do some movin’ and shakin’. In my notes I’ve written ‘gentle choreography – v good !!’)
Again, the stage goes black. At this point, the rotary phone rings. Of all the clever ideas in this show, the phone is the cleverest of all. Rather than do a cliche crowdwork segment, the phone rings; Lavery turns his back to the audience & speaks to some fictional character on the line (“Yeah, I think they know you’re not real at this point. What’s that? Yeah, it’s so I don’t have to do the cheesy “are you having a good night?!” thing,”). It’s apparent that Lavery’s sick & tired of doing things the traditional way – Everything Considered and We’re Looking For A Hit drip a dark cynicism with the ordeal of having to be a businessman as well as a musician. That seems the theme of the night really – how do you balance the catharsis & joy of making art with the pressure to make a career? How do you deal with the mortifying ordeal of being perceived when your craft is art & you’re an insecure person? It’s so tempting to blot out the constant pressure altogether with sweet, sweet television.
Musically, there are no let-downs. A stripped-back version of Oh My God (No Your God) feels captivating and beautiful, but suddenly bursts into life with a full, driven performance. His voice is melodic & reserved but never shy. Combined with his crack squad of backing vocalists, there’s quite a powerful choir of four onstage.
Each backing vocalist gets a moment to shine – Eve Belle takes the lead with the haunting & slow Ted Bundy Tapes, Aoibha performs a delicate version of fan favorite Shame & Sarah McCreedy is commanding & theatric as she sings Hearse (Lavery is collapsed in a chair here, having been incapacitated by a moment of thespian overwhelm). Special guests Joshua Burnside join us on vocal & guitar for We’re Looking For A Hit, Ryan McMullan lends his voice to The World Will Put Its Arms Around You. Julian Simmons of UTV continuity fame is sampled in – maybe not physically here but he’s certainly spiritually present. It feels like when you spot a cameo in a movie – knowing how difficult it is to schedule a cameo in a movie, you get a sense of “one night only” specialness.
Special is the optimal word – I’ve never seen anything like this show before. I’ve never seen the kind of scope and ingenuity put into an album launch, I couldn’t have even dreamed it up. There’s a final fade to black, then an encore – some traditions are worth keeping after all. It’s Nice To Be In Love is the crowd jewel tonight, a thumping We-Didn’t-Start-The-Fire-esque bop-and-a-half to lead us out.
Once we’re out, I’m genuinely gutted it’s over – for a while, I’d been transported somewhere else entirely, and was jolted back to reality. The radical mix of theatre and music is a monolithic achievement, one that sets the bar extremely high for live music. Here’s hoping more artists start dreaming at the scale Ciaran Lavery’s been dreaming at.
Photos kindly provided by Nikki MacRae, Imane Gilbert & Jack Saunders.
