Can you fall in love with a band after just 7 songs? Judging
by Raintown’s performance at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on July 21st, I’d answer that
with a resounding yes.
Raintown were blessed with a good crowd on Thursday night,
with the Empire completely packed out with Raintown and Runrig fans alike,
leading to an already electric atmosphere before the band even walked on stage.
It was therefore no surprise to me when a big cheer went up as Paul and Claire
took to the stage, starting the show with the title track of their latest
album, Writing on the Wall. This was
the perfect song to kick off the show, with the audience clapping along in no
time, partly due to the catchy tune, and probably partly due to our delight
that Claire, due a baby in just 10 weeks time (congratulations Raintown!), was still able to
move around the stage so well, and in heels nonetheless! It was great to see
the duo play with a full band with whom they interacted really well, Paul
taking regular breaks to strum some air guitar or bass with the other band
members and show that they were having a good time.
Their second song was one of my favourites, Nineteen Again, which had a really
country vibe, and made me proud to see the duo playing the same stage that
Rascal Flatts, Eric Church, and Lady Antebellum had once played. It was easy to
forget that Raintown were tonight’s opener, as they could easily have been the
headliners, as I certainly could have watched them play for another hour. Nineteen Again was a great song to
highlight Paul and Claire’s voices, with my favourite parts being when the band
went quiet and the venue was filled solely with their voices. This was
highlighted particularly well when Claire hit the high note in the middle of
the song, leaving the crowd hanging onto every word.
They continued the country vibe with If This Was a Love Song, and by this point in the set it was clear
that the audience were glad they’d got there early enough to see Raintown play.
The duo continued interacting well with the audience as they moved into Light the Fuse Up, with Paul clapping
along to the beat as Claire sang, both getting the whole audience to join in. Even
though I’d enjoyed listening to their record, somehow it sounded even better
live, so I wouldn’t be shocked if the duo gained a lot of new fans that night!
Things then slowed down for the soulful ballad Forever Isn’t Long Enough, but not for
long, and a huge smile broke out across my face as one of the members of the
band pulled out a banjo, knowing we were in for something special. They picked
the pace back up to jump into Love’s Got
a Hold On You which they mashed up with the Johnny Cash and June Carter
classic Jackson, highlighting a nice
mixture of ‘old’ and ‘new’. This was
exactly the kind of song that would allow the duo to fit right in at any of
Nashville’s honky-tonk bars, but worked just as well in a venue like the
Empire.
Raintown ended the show on a high note, with the poppy Feel Much Better Now, followed with the
perfect song for all the ‘haters’ and internet trolls, Shut the Front Door, saying what I’m sure a lot of artists would
like to say to some unsavoury characters online – “Shut the front door, take
the trash out when you go, we ain’t gonna listen anymore” – thankfully I don’t
think they’ll need to say that to anyone who was at the gig as everyone seemed
to be enjoying themselves. I tell no lie – the woman seated next to me said
“Did you catch their name? Raintown? Hands down the best support act Runrig
have had for years” – high praise indeed!
As Paul and Claire left the stage with their band, they commented again
about how much they’d always wanted to play this venue – I’m already looking
forward to when they take to the O2 Empire stage again, only this time as the
headliners.
Thanks again to Raintown for a great show! Keep up to date with
all the latest country music news and reviews at
@CiarasCountry, and find out more about Raintown at @raintownmusic
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