Happy as a sardine in a can

HAVING been introduced to John Prine about two years ago, I’m a somewhat new addition to his long list of admirers.

I was shown a song here, a video there and, buttressed by others unadulterated enjoyment for the man, I caught the Prine bug.

I took to Prine in the most warm and effortless of ways, a treasure discovery of an artist who wrote songs in a way which was incomparable to anything I’d ever heard before.

Songs like ‘Fish and Whistle’, ‘In Spite of Ourselves’, even ‘Aw Heck’ drew grins from even my most down-trodden gob – his wit, sarcasm and unique way of telling stories charming me greatly – oh, and his colourful, unrefined lyrics bringing a colour to my cheeks. So you can imagine how much I relished the opportunity to soak up John Prine’s one-of-a-kind music live, by Ireland’s premier John Prine Tribute band no less.

‘Bruised Orange’ is their name, and Prine tributes are their game, and they do a great job.

The lead vocalist, Michael McGarry, is as close to the real McCoy as I might ever see, channeling Prine with the perfection and respect that he deserves – with a moustache to match.

The lead guitarist, Anthony Toby Cregan, was to be admired, bringing a smooth sound to accompany McGarry’s acoustic.

Pianist, James Quinn, took solos and ran with them – much to the delight of the audience, while Matthews on bass and Carry on drums sealed the Prine sound. Some highlight tunes for me, included (but were not limited to), ‘Speed of the Sound of Loneliness’, ‘Hello in There’, and ‘Souviners’.

Later that night, and much to my surprise, I came to find that Mr Prine himself performed in the Strule back in 2017 – a short three years before his death.

Which only served to make the evening that little bit more special.