“Doors 7.30 pm/Show 8.00 pm”, it said on the ticket, so it was a bit of a surprise when Jeff Finlin took the stage before 8.00 pm and started straight into his set. 

Accompanied by the excellent Will Kimbrough on electric guitar, Finlin played acoustic guitar and sang the pared down set to an audience waiting for Steve Earle and The Dukes.  Despite having to play the second song solo because of Kimbrough’s malfunctioning amplifier, Finlin was convincing and assured.   The songs, mainly from last year’s well received “Somewhere South of Wonder” worked very well in their stripped down state, carried by Finlin’s distinctive voice and delivery, keen and clear in the higher register, and growling in the lower. 

In fact they worked so well I can’t help but feel that some of  “Somewhere South of Wonder” may be a little overproduced, with a tendency towards AOR.   It is probably a good test of a singer songwriter to play their songs, with minimal accompaniment, to an unfamiliar audience and have them accepted.   In Galway Jeff Finlin passed that test with flying colours, and the audience reaction must have been encouraging to him.   I know that he is not sure at the moment what form his next album might take, but on this showing it might be the right time to brush up on harmonica playing and produce a Springsteen-type “Nebraska”.  Now that would be interesting!

Review by Barry Jones