Wee Nathan delights at the Marquee

One look at the crowd strolling down the Monahan Road and you’d never believe that to most of us a year ago, Nathan Carter was a virtual unknown.

From little girls in summer dresses to teens in skinny-minis and teeter-totter heels, guys in checks and grannies munching queen cakes, they crowded into the big tent to pay homage to the 24-year-old country singer who is steadily disproving the myth that country music isn’t fashionable.

Carter, who left his native Liverpool and moved to Ireland at just 17 to follow the footsteps of his idol Daniel O’Donnell, looks set to achieve his dream.

These days, he’s not just selling out in the rural venues in the Midlands and north-west, the traditional heartland of country music in Ireland — he’s a big hit in Dublin where he packed out the Olympia Theatre.

And within seconds of bouncing onstage in Cork last night in waistcoat and jeans, the charismatically wholesome singer had the teens a-teetering and the grannies a-rockin’ to monster favourites like The Games People Play, Drift Away and the old Eagles song Heartache Tonight.

Deciding people still weren’t relaxed enough he had the whole tent waving their arms in the air and then hugging each other — it shoulda been the height of cheese but somehow it wasn’t — you kind of had to be there.

When he whipped out the accordion and started to sing a song he co-wrote, On the Boat to Liverpool, the crowd went wild — but not nearly as wild as when he belted out Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off. It’s no wonder he already has two number one albums under his belt — the only surprise is that this fresh-faced youngster was “gobsmacked” to be invited to headline Cork’s Live at the Marquee.

Going by this performance, Carter fits right in with the likes of other Marquee stars like Cliff Richard and Dolly Parton. Look out Daniel — he’s behind ya!