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  2. I was there in Dublin, Paul. A couple of my pals went to both shows.

    I felt a bit of a fraud even going to the show, as I can’t pretend to have been a lifelong fan. Their heyday was just before my time, and I remember buying a Fatima Mansions LP when I was about 16 or 17 and it was way above my pay grade at the time. I later picked up a Microdisney greatest hits in a splurge in the record shops of That London, but it got somewhat lost in the pile when I arrived home.

    But my pals have always nudged me in the right direction in the past, and I had seen Cathal live before and knew he was a great performer, so I had a distinct Fear Of Missing Out and decided to take a punt on it. I’m glad I did.

    My homework consisted of a few listens to The Clock… along with digging that greatest hits out of the archives. It paid off, as I knew about two-thirds of the setlist. Some of those that I didn’t know turned out to be highlights, eg 464 during which Cathal blew the bloody doors off before switching tack and crooning a lovely tune, and repeat.

    Unsurprisingly, it was mainly gentlemen of a certain age. Also unsurprisingly, some of those gentlemen had a ball – loads of lads around me had clearly been devotees for years, and knew every word. The room was busy but not full as I had expected for their Dublin swansong.

    My favourites where when Cathal was giving it socks on vocals, eg Begging Bowl, but there was never a feeling of them phoning it in. Interestingly, Sean left some of the best guitar lines to the second guitar player, I don’t know if this was down to humility or ability.

    The main set finished up with the near-hits Singer’s Hampstead Home and Town To Town. I wasn’t sure how they could follow that – the answer was with a Frankie Valli cover. Cathal admitted that he didn’t listen to him at the time, because (and I quote from memory) “He wasn’t listening to Ornette Coleman so was clearly a fucking idiot.” They’ve changed their mind now. It was great.

    A friend of a friend had made a six hour round trip to see them. I turned to him after the show to ask him was it worth the journey. He grinned and said “Fuck, yeah.”

    • Hey as long as you enjoyed it who cares if you are a big fan or not. Thanks for filling me in.

      Cathal’s website says this is the last time. But they said that last year after London, so I can dream….

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