“Come on people, we are here to celebrate the greatest man to ever pick up a Fender Stratocaster – his name was Rory Gallagher.”
So proclaimed Sinnerboy frontman Barry Barnes, and so began a night of raw and powerful rock ‘n’ roll as the Manchester-based tribute band launched into Cradle Rock, soulfully replicating the opener of Gallagher’s 1974 Irish tour album.
To open their three-hour concert in the Ormonde Hotel on Saturday night, Barnes had gently warmed up the crowd with an acoustic set which included Blind Boy Fuller’s Pistol Slapper Blues, Son House’s Empire State Express, Out On The Western Plain and Moonchild. And once the guitarist was joined onstage by bassist Dave Burns and drummer Steve Richardson there
was no holding back as the diehard Gallagher fans were clearly there to rock.
The trio displayed incredible skill throughout the night, and yet what truly stole the show was the music itself. As one Gallagher fan explained when asked how the band was able to rock so hard, “It’s because Rory Gallagher wrote all the songs.”
In fact that’s one reason Sinnerboy’s performance was such a fitting celebration of the legendary guitarist – they were clearly passionate about and in awe of both the music and the man who blessed us with it.
Playing favourites such as A Million Miles Away, As The Crow Flies and Tattoo’d Lady, the band energised the crowd, including fans from the Gallagher pub The Meeting Place in Midleton, Co Cork and a family who were following Sinnerboy for the length of
their current tour. By the time they ended the night with the fantastic Messin’ With The Kid a good few people wereout of their seats, dancing in front of the stage and, fittingly, playing their hearts out on their air guitars.
In the absence of Rory Gallagher, Sinnerboy are clearly the next best thing.
“Come on people, we are here to celebrate the greatest man to ever pick up a Fender Stratocaster – his name was Rory Gallagher.”
So proclaimed Sinnerboy frontman Barry Barnes, and so began a night of raw and powerful rock ‘n’ roll as the Manchester-based tribute band launched into Cradle Rock, soulfully replicating the opener of Gallagher’s 1974 Irish tour album.
To open their three-hour concert in the Ormonde Hotel on Saturday night, Barnes had gently warmed up the crowd with an acoustic set which included Blind Boy Fuller’s Pistol Slapper Blues, Son House’s Empire State Express, Out On The Western Plain and Moonchild. And once the guitarist was joined onstage by bassist Dave Burns and drummer Steve Richardson there
was no holding back as the diehard Gallagher fans were clearly there to rock.
The trio displayed incredible skill throughout the night, and yet what truly stole the show was the music itself. As one Gallagher fan explained when asked how the band was able to rock so hard, “It’s because Rory Gallagher wrote all the songs.”
In fact that’s one reason Sinnerboy’s performance was such a fitting celebration of the legendary guitarist – they were clearly passionate about and in awe of both the music and the man who blessed us with it.
Playing favourites such as A Million Miles Away, As The Crow Flies and Tattoo’d Lady, the band energised the crowd, including fans from the Gallagher pub The Meeting Place in Midleton, Co Cork and a family who were following Sinnerboy for the length of
their current tour. By the time they ended the night with the fantastic Messin’ With The Kid a good few people wereout of their seats, dancing in front of the stage and, fittingly, playing their hearts out on their air guitars.
In the absence of Rory Gallagher, Sinnerboy are clearly the next best thing.