Singing the blues in East Clare

DROMANDOORA will play host to UK British Blues Award winner Bex Marshall, at a venue that hopes to introduce East Clare audiences to an eclectic mix of performers.

Bex has toured the UK, USA and Brazil in the last 12 months alone and has performed at Clonakilty Guitar Festival, headlined Crane Lane Theatre in Cork and The Rуisнn Dubh in Galway. Now she and  her three-piece band will take to the stage at Sam Doyle’s Music Club on Friday night.

The British artist was nominated to the top three in Best Solo/Acoustic Artist 2015 in the European Blues Awards and won an award at the UK Blues Awards 2013 for Best British Blues Vocalist and Album.

She has been compared to Bonnie Raitt, Joan Armatrading and Janis Joplin. Bex was personally chosen by Sam Andrew, Janis Joplin’s guitarist throughout her career, to be the voice of Janis on his 2014 European tour with San Francisco Nights.

Ennis man Aiden O’Neill has taken over the reigns at premises in Dromindoora and hopes to turn it into a music club, where all kinds of music can be appreciated.

“This is a whole new venture. There’s very little happening up there and when it does, it’s the seisiún. I don’t mind the sesiún but we would like to see a few other genres as well. I’m big into my rock and blues anyway, so we hope to bring in all sorts, I don’t mind bringing in trad, I don’t mind bringing in country and western but to bring it all in as well would be excellent,” he said.

Aiden explained  this is the first gig of many, including a free admission free event with Shanon’s Johnny Fean, along  with Ennis singer-songwriter Orlaith Kennedy in support.

Bex has been brought to  East Clare  by John Roberts, who lives in West Clare and is good friends with Bex. He explained how the gig came about.

“I’ve been talking to Aiden for some time and he said he would love to put on some great blues music and I got in touch with Bex and she said ‘why not’. It really is the gig at the end of the universe. Aiden has got great enthusiasm for his subject. He has great knowledge of his music and I think it can really work Coming up we have Brendan O’Neill, who is the drummer with Rory Gallagher, who will be playing with some other great musicians,” John said.