A review of Duke Special (live in Kavanagh’s, Portlaoise) Review Snapshot: While there’s no room in tonight's small venue for his piano, Duke Special still  managed to put all his energy, enjoyment, and drama into a gig which enthralled us for over two hours. The Duke managed to silence us with his fascinating stories and history lessons, bringing a different perspective to what can be achieved when you mix music and art. The Cluas Verdict? 9 out of 10   Full review: Having witnessed a few Duke Special gigs over the years, I thought I’d seen all this man has to offer, but I have to admit his May Day Bank Holiday performance in Portlaoise recently was the best I’ve seen him deliver. There’s standing room only as the venue cramped with 100 lucky people has an intimate feel to it, like he’s performing in your sitting room.  With at least six studio albums to his credit now, there’s no... [Read on]

Duke Special live in Portlaoise, Ireland Review Snapshot: The Duke returns to the town of a previous nightmare gig, but this time wins the audience over, not once, but twice, with successive concerts within hours of each other, and proves that he's the perfect gentleman, both on and off stage. The CLUAS Verdict? 8 out of 10 Full review: My six-year old daughter is one of Duke's youngest fans, so we brought her to see him live, and not only did she witness a great performance, she got to meet him, got the autograph and photo, and the T-Shirt literally. As part of The World Fleadh, Duke Special was back in Portlaoise to perform twice in one night, beginning with an intimate gig at the Dunamaise Theatre. He opened the show with 'Some Things Make Your Soul Free' and 'Closer To The Start' before telling the crowd how happy he was to be here as part of the World Fleadh. After the uptempo 'Brixton Leaves', some of the crowd wanted to k... [Read on]

The Proclaimers, Katie Melua & others live The CLUAS Verdict? 8 out of 10 Full review: A 1:00pm start on Sunday was always going to be tough on he opening act, and Nizlopi drew the short straw. To be fair to John & Luke, they put in a professional performance in front of a handful of people, who like me all just wanted to hear the ‘JCB Song’. Sandi Thom rocked the place with a cover of ‘Proud Mary’ while telling the crowed that it was her 26th Birthday the previous day. She saved the singles  ‘What If I’m Right’ and ‘I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker’ till the end, but the only criticism that took the gloss off her performance, was her refusal to sign an autograph for two fans who’d made themselves visible to her afterwards. Despite been 20 feet away, she turned and walked the other way. Duhks were a lot more accessible, and as the evening wore on Flook and Carlos Nunez also performed on the main stage... [Read on]