Live at the Marquee: Nathan Carter bids to get the country rockin’

Nathan Carter is a man on a mission — his goal is to make country music cool again, one glow stick at a time, and damn anyone who tries to get in his way.

The Liverpudlian, who currently lives in staunch Daniel O’Donnell territory in Co Donegal, has been playing music since the tender age of four.

Arguably the biggest name in Country and Irish music right now, Carter first hit mainstream popularity with his album Wagon Wheel, which was also the name of the record’s title track. His two follow-up albums both topped the Irish charts, helped up the ladder by Carter’s continuous nationwide gigging.

Happy and lucky to have my Dad and Grandad here for my gig tonight at The Marquee Cork!! Happy Fathers Day!! 😄👍 pic.twitter.com/NAvXG9KOYj

— nathan carter (@iamNATHANCARTER) June 21, 2015

At his latest concert, Live at the Marquee in Cork, the singer solidified his reputation as an energetic and talented performer, bursting onto the stage and delving straight in to a rendition of ‘Wagon Wheel’ followed by ‘Good Time Girls’ — giving the crowd exactly what they wanted, right from the word go.

Aisling Desmond, Watergrasshill, Cork, and Catriona Drisnan and Polly Shanahan, Castlelyons, at Live at the Marquee.

Carter also took the opportunity to showcase his incredible musical versatility — switching from accordion to piano to guitar and back again, singing his wholesome little heart out all the while.

Nathan Carter giving it socks in Cork tonight, review in @irishexaminer tomorrow @iamNATHANCARTER :) #LATM pic.twitter.com/hmuY5dcbRt

— Ceallach Ní Bhriain (Kelly O'Brien) (@Kellingtondawg) June 21, 2015

Putting aside Carter’s undeniable talents, and his boyish good looks, one still has to wonder how an artist with relatively few original songs can fill a venue as large and as prestigious as Cork’s Live at the Marquee, headlining along with living legends such as Lionel Richie and Van Morrison, and world-class acts like Kodaline and Ellie Goulding.

Many undoubtedly assumed Carter’s was a filler gig — bridging the gap between The Coronas and ZZ Top. This misguided scepticism, however, does Carter, and his fervent fans, a huge disservice — and it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yes, he mostly does covers, but they’re good covers, imbued with the spirit of an energetic 25-year-old determined to bring his beloved country classics to the ears of a whole new generation.

His fanbase is growing daily, and it’s as loyal as they come.

Karen and Ber Desmond, Watergrasshill, Cork, and Batt Murphy and Elizabeth Quirke, Glanmire, at the Nathan Carter concert.

Anthony Cronin and his friend John Casey from Churchtown South, Co Cork, have seen Carter live a number of times.

“We travel all over to see him. We saw him here last year; seen him in Blarney three or four times; seen him in Donegal once,” said Anthony.

“He’s the bomb!” said John.

Gerry O’Mahony and his wife Tina, from Rosscarbery in West Cork, are also huge fans.

“I’m a big fan of Nathan, we love country music. He puts a new slant on country and gets more young people involved,” said Gerry.

“I think he’s great, I really like him. We’ve seen him before, lots of times,” added Tina.

“We keep coming back for more!”