Live music: Ron Sexsmith - The Pav, Cork

5/5

Sometimes a singer seems so at home in a venue you almost feel you’ve stumbled upon a private performance for 400 of his closest pals.

And so it was with Ron Sexsmith’s solo show in The Pav this week. His first appearance in Cork since 2006, he was awe-inspiring. For two full hours, there was barely a whisper from the sizeable crowd.

After an impressive support slot from Lynda Cullen, the mellow beauty of Sexsmith’s singing, guitar playing and manner earned a church-like adoration, aptly theatrical in this atmospheric near capacity repurposed former cinema. He certainly relaxed into the cabaret-boudoir feel of the candle-lit, black and blood red room.

There was also great theatricality to ‘Saint Bernard’, one of several great songs from Sexsmith’s new album, ‘Carousel One’. In it, the Canadian pop-folkster describes the bulky mountain rescue dog as his spirit animal.

“Who else is going to rescue me when I’m face down in the snow?” sings Sexsmith. “No other dog looks a bit like me if I’m feeling, or unwilling, unable to make the show.”

Self-deprecation is an ever present. He wipes his brow mid-gig, saying “I thought I’d be a sweaty mess by now.”

In ‘Get In Line’, Sexsmith tells critics who list out his failures to take their place in a very long line. This is also the first song he delivers to order.

Despite starting the night by inviting shout-outs, the revered silence stayed unbroken until the last half hour. The only other requests were his two encore songs.

“I was pacing around back there, wondering what I’d sing for you,” said Sexsmith. “I’ll do two more.”

“Right About Now,” shouts one fan.

“Speaking With The Angels,” entreats another.

“Ok then, I guess I’ll do those two,” he obliges, and an already magical night somehow rose a notch.

Highlights included ‘Just My Heart Talkin’, ‘Strawberry Blond’, ‘Brandy Alexander’ and ‘Nowhere Is’. Huge applause greeted the sublime ‘Secret Heart’ (Feist’s cover enjoyed global attention); he stopped two lines in to remind people the song was his own. The crowd erupts, then he starts over.

“This next song was covered by Michael Bublé of all people,” says Ron, introducing ‘Whatever It Takes’. “But this is the way it should be done.”

It’s rare to leave a two-hour solo acoustic show thinking you’d love another hour. This was one of those nights. Here’s hoping he doesn’t leave us waiting too long for the next one.