Busker’s delight as Kodaline asks him onstage

JOHN Garrity said he could hardly contain his surprise and delight when rock band, Kodaline asked that he join them on-stage to perform at a future Belfast gig.

Speaking to the UlsterHerald on Tuesday from the bustling city of New York where he was holidaying, the Trillick musician and busker recalled the incredible series of events that led to the request – instigated by none other than Kodaline lead singer, Steve Garrigan.

“It was Christmas week, and I was busking as normal in Belfast,” the 28-year-old recounted. “A guy I knew decided to take a video of me playing my own rendition of ‘All I Want’, which is a single from Kodaline’s first album.

“I always try to put my own spin on songs to make them my own, and I had performed that one with quite a bit of emotion. I think, as it is a song about losing someone, people are able to connect to the way I sing it.

“He then posted the video of me onto Facebook, and I shared it a couple of times on my page. It started to gather momentum, and got to about 100,000 views.

“A couple of weeks later, someone uploaded it onto Twitter, and Steve Garrigan saw it almost immediately.”

Impressed by John’s musical talents, Steve promptly composed a tweet which asked his followers to ‘find this guy’.

“Great version of ‘All I Want,” the Kodaline singer wrote. “Can anybody find this guy? Would like to ask him to join us on-stage at our next Belfast show.”

John continued, “Steve then got in touch with me, and he’s been messaging me since! He’s a really cool, down-to-earth guy.

“I even sent him my album to listen to, because he was interested in my music. It’s all been very overwhelming – but in a fantastic way.”