Review: Mick Flannery and Valerie June, Right Here Right Now festival, Cork Opera House

"I came here for one thing, and that's to shine. That's why I'm wearing all this sparkly shit."

These could never be words uttered by Mick Flannery. Like his Cork compatriot and recent fellow Late Late Show guest Roy Keane, Mick must surely be often advised to tell his face he’s happy.

Usually studiously downcast of demeanour, he took to the stage bearing a boyish grin, knowing he had the 23-piece Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra at his back. They have been adding their musical heft to the headline acts at the Right Here Right Now festival since its first edition in 2017.

On Saturday February 22 Flannery, and charismatic musician Valerie June- she of the hippy-dippy between-song repartee and shiny gold shoes and lamé jacket- were joint beneficiaries of the orchestra’s stardust, sprinkled by the baton of John O’Brien.

Their equal billing resulted in a more compact set by Flannery, something that surprised the audience when he signaled the end of his set just shy of the hour mark. "That's all we rehearsed," he shrugged cheerfully.

More June is a price worth paying for less Mick; she brought the sunshine to rainy Cork.

Her contemporary roots sound is infused with extra wonder courtesy of the orchestra. ‘Astral Plane’ is sublime, right down to the delicate tingle of glockenspiel at the end. ‘If And’ features wonderfully arranged horn and strings courtesy of Cormac McCarthy. The bassoon providing the song with its bass throb.

Most of Flannery’s set visits the music world narrative of his recent self-titled album, but band and orchestra really gel when Susan O’Neill (aka SON) appears for their sizzling new single, ‘Baby Talk’.

A heart-swelling ‘How High’, featuring verses sung by SON and June, should have sufficed in sending the throng home happy but Flannery’s impromptu encore of 'Boston', unaccompanied on the baby grand was a timeless moment, proving less is often more.

Verdict: Four stars