Jack L
Edinburgh Spiegeltent (Monday August 30th)
The problem here is, it seems when it comes to Jack Lukeman, I’m preaching to the converted or just talking to myself. Anyone who’s seen the Dublin singer-songwriter is, almost always, instantly converted to a disciple. For those who haven’t, then (sigh): Lukeman is pretty much the ultimate performer. As ever, quite the showman – he appears sporting an umbrella, and tosses flowers into the audience… and then gets down to the serious business of showcasing his massive voice.
With a very capable trio behind him, he delivers what’s really a best-of set. His albums are patchy – ok, that’s perhaps unfair, but there are maybe four on 1999′s Metropolis Blue which are worldbeaters. He does the lot – the swinging ‘Bedsprings’, the swooning, gorgeous ‘Georgie Boy’, a version of ‘Rooftop Lullaby’ which shows off his vocal to great effect, and a nothing-short-of-epic ‘When The Moon Is High’.
For sheer entertainment value a Lukeman show is hard to beat, and ever the showman he milks the audience reaction, as ‘Little Man’ becomes a mass singalong. Conversely, ‘Stardust’ sees the crooner wander through the crowd, a cappella, just one man and his accordian.
With that there’s no question that an encore won’t follow – and Lukeman delivers, with a audacious take on ‘Old Man River’ followed by a honky-tonk version of ‘Jacky’. For sheer variety, never mind quality, what better way to round off the festival?
Stuart McHugh
