Jason Clarke with support from Triona Carville
8th August 2013 – The Merchant, Belfast
A little taste of home-grown talent was showcased on top of The Merchant’s roof top garden, where Jason Clarke was joined by his friends, family and fans for an intimate acoustic set. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed andwhen mixed in with the amazing view over Belfast; it certainly was an evening to remember. Little gigs like these are unquestionably my favourite type of gig. Jason effortlessly combines his songwriting skills, voice and pretty chords to create a real tranquil atmosphere.
The highlight for me at this gig was when he invited the very talented seventeen-year old, Triona Carville to join him. The textures in her voice drew every person on that rooftop in and encouraged silence to fall over the crowd. Jason and Triona wrote a song together and came up with the name “Universe” on the spot. I particularly liked the blend of their two very differently textured voices.
Jason interacted with the crowd in a genuinely personal way, helping making it over all a very chilled evening. When he did his own rendition of Man in the Mirror, he encouraged everyone to sing along. It got everyone involved and felt more like a family party.
Jason is a showman in everyway, he knows exactly what he is doing up on that stage and how to work a crowd. With his stunning vocal he has potential to go do wonderful things in his lifetime. It’s no surprise that artists such as Paolo Nutini, Ronan Keating and Brian Kennedy have invited him to support them in the past few years.
Jason seems to be there for the little guys by inviting two unknown musicians to join him at this special gig. The sensational Ryan Mc Mullan also got a stint on stage and a chance to collaborate with Jason.
Ryan has such an amazing talent and voice. Performing two solo song’s which were totally captivating, he was clearly nervous but wholly took it in his stride and won the crowd over. He and Jason did a duet of ‘Halleluiah’ taking the verses in turn, and it wound up a real crowd pleaser. I really respect the opportunity that Jason has given these two really very talented musicians, and I know we will see them shining bright sometime in the future.
Jason finished the night with a few of his own songs including, “Standing Alone”, and his previous single, “Loving you”, which was a real treat – in fact, this was my favourite song of the evening as it seemed to be an emotional song for Jason himself. He seemed to relish performing this particular cut; which in turn really made the crowd enjoy it.
A fantastic night, in the heart Belfast with a group of people who clearly have a love for Belfast (and good!) music.
