Gig Review/Interview with Janet Devlin
I had the absolute pleasure of travelling over to The Cluny2 in Newcastle over the weekend to catch up with Irish singer/songwriter Janet Devlin and review her gig in The Toooon!
I must admit that I've always liked the way Janet goes about her music. She's an independent artist and although funding may be an issue, it gives her a licence to be as creative as she pleases! She's currently on a UK Tour and she admits that she's delighted to be back on the road.
"It's been intense! I'm absolutely knackered but it's been so worth it, I sometimes forget gigging is part of my job because I'm so used to just writing music and recording music. Performing live, for me, is the hardest part especially in intimate venues because I'm still quite a shy person but meeting people after the shows and listening to how happy my music makes them, makes it all worthwhile for me!"
Janet mentioned intimate venues, and I'd imagine The Cluny2 in Newcastle had a capacity of around 200, which was close to full last weekend and having experience playing in bigger venues, she agreed that there is something special about intimate shows.
"I've played in arenas and stuff and it's a totally different experience because it's so de-personalised, you can't see anybody, whereas tonight, I could see everybody, if someone laughed or coughed I could hear it, and that for me, is special!"
A couple of months ago, Devlin released a cracking new tune called 'Outernet Song', which we have featured before on the blog, and while it is a catchy, upbeat track, it also deals with quite a number of serious issues that we presently have in society.
"I started writing that song about three years ago, and earlier this year it kind of re-entered my head and I added a few things to it and decided then to release it. Because it was written over the course of three years, there is quite a lot in it. It talks about me, what people have said to me, the internet and trying to get off the internet, but it means a lot to me and I'm glad the response has been so positive!"
Devlin aaalso released a new Christmas EP called 'Little Lights' and I would urge you to check it out on Spotify and iTunes etc. because there are a few little gems on that track!
"I brought out December Daze last year and when I listened back I realised that I kind of left a few things out, and I think Christmas time just combines so many emotions at once and I wanted to get that across in Little Lights. There's no one solid mood in the EP like the song Wake Up is truly depressing and it ends on Christmas Kiss which is just about walking into a pub in Ireland during the festive season!"
Although she now lives in the UK, Ireland will always be Janet's home and she caps off her tour with two shows up North, in Belfast and Omagh and understandably she can't wait!
"Playing at home is very different because number one, you hear familiar accents and that's a pleasant surprise and two, especially when I play in Omagh, it's weird because I see all my friends and family and that can be really scary but it's a good way to end the tour because it makes me push myself as a performer, like, performing in front of people you know is the hardest thing. But I'm looking forward to it."
Janet just has the six following dates left on her Opium Tour:
04 Dec - Convent, Gloucester
08 Dec - Union Chapel, London
09 Dec - Deaf Institute, Manchester
10 Dec - Platform, Lincoln
14 Dec - The Empire Music Hall, Belfast
16 Dec - Strule Art Centre, Omagh
Her show in Newcastle was one of the best gigs I have been to over the last couple of months. She has the ability to silence a room solely with her voice, and that to me, is an incredibly difficult thing to do. 2017 promises to be an exciting year for the Independent artist and we will no doubt keep a close eye on her here at View From The Stalls.
"It's been intense! I'm absolutely knackered but it's been so worth it, I sometimes forget gigging is part of my job because I'm so used to just writing music and recording music. Performing live, for me, is the hardest part especially in intimate venues because I'm still quite a shy person but meeting people after the shows and listening to how happy my music makes them, makes it all worthwhile for me!"
Janet mentioned intimate venues, and I'd imagine The Cluny2 in Newcastle had a capacity of around 200, which was close to full last weekend and having experience playing in bigger venues, she agreed that there is something special about intimate shows.
"I've played in arenas and stuff and it's a totally different experience because it's so de-personalised, you can't see anybody, whereas tonight, I could see everybody, if someone laughed or coughed I could hear it, and that for me, is special!"
A couple of months ago, Devlin released a cracking new tune called 'Outernet Song', which we have featured before on the blog, and while it is a catchy, upbeat track, it also deals with quite a number of serious issues that we presently have in society.
"I started writing that song about three years ago, and earlier this year it kind of re-entered my head and I added a few things to it and decided then to release it. Because it was written over the course of three years, there is quite a lot in it. It talks about me, what people have said to me, the internet and trying to get off the internet, but it means a lot to me and I'm glad the response has been so positive!"
Devlin aaalso released a new Christmas EP called 'Little Lights' and I would urge you to check it out on Spotify and iTunes etc. because there are a few little gems on that track!
"I brought out December Daze last year and when I listened back I realised that I kind of left a few things out, and I think Christmas time just combines so many emotions at once and I wanted to get that across in Little Lights. There's no one solid mood in the EP like the song Wake Up is truly depressing and it ends on Christmas Kiss which is just about walking into a pub in Ireland during the festive season!"
Although she now lives in the UK, Ireland will always be Janet's home and she caps off her tour with two shows up North, in Belfast and Omagh and understandably she can't wait!
"Playing at home is very different because number one, you hear familiar accents and that's a pleasant surprise and two, especially when I play in Omagh, it's weird because I see all my friends and family and that can be really scary but it's a good way to end the tour because it makes me push myself as a performer, like, performing in front of people you know is the hardest thing. But I'm looking forward to it."
Janet just has the six following dates left on her Opium Tour:
04 Dec - Convent, Gloucester
08 Dec - Union Chapel, London
09 Dec - Deaf Institute, Manchester
10 Dec - Platform, Lincoln
14 Dec - The Empire Music Hall, Belfast
16 Dec - Strule Art Centre, Omagh
Her show in Newcastle was one of the best gigs I have been to over the last couple of months. She has the ability to silence a room solely with her voice, and that to me, is an incredibly difficult thing to do. 2017 promises to be an exciting year for the Independent artist and we will no doubt keep a close eye on her here at View From The Stalls.
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