Interview with rising blues star Gráinne Duffy

REAL DEAL Grainne Duffy will be on stage in The Bungalow, Castlebar, during the Castlebar Blues Festival.

Catch a rising star


Going Out
Edwin McGreal

THERE is something special about seeing a talented musical artist perform in a small, intimate venue. Anyone familiar with the wonderful Róisín Dubh in Galway will be all to aware of the vibe of the place when any one of Ireland’s premier acts take to the stage.
The Castlebar Blues Festival has similar aims. For years the festival has seen some gifted, and, let’s be honest here, not so gifted acts perform in pubs in Castlebar.
The locations are not normally bastions of live music but a strong act can transform a pub during the Blues Festival.
Last year it seems The Bungalow Bar on Main Street was fortunate enough to discover such an act in husky singer/songwriter GrΡinne Duffy. That they have managed to draw her back this year means there is unlikely to be much standing room there for the festival on the June Bank Holiday weekend.
Considered highly promising, Classic Rock reviews Duffy as follows – ‘in a world of chick rockers, Duffy is the real deal. Label bosses get your cheque books out sharpish’ – there is little doubt that Duffy’s star is one that is on a rapid rise.
Ahead of her second appearance in Castlebar, 25-year-old Duffy cannot wait to return.
“It was great craic in The Bungalow last year, we all went wild there and had a great time,” she told The Mayo News. “People who came to watch really got into it and there was a great energy in the place. Castlebar is a lovely place to play – the people are very welcoming – and I’m really looking forward to going back there.”
Appearing on RTÉ’s Other Voices before Christmas will have increased her profile and feeling is out there that it is a case of when, not if, Duffy steps onto the next level.
Her voice is her strongest asset – the husky tone draws you in straight away. But Duffy’s guitar skills are evident too. As a performer, she is well able to move from slow, thoughtful melodies to pacey, feel good numbers which will have you up on your feet.
‘Bring it all together’ and ‘Drivin’ me crazy’ are excellent examples of the former and latter respectively.
Her debut album ‘Out of the Dark’ was released in November 2007, and the Co Monaghan singer/songwriter is currently in the middle of working on her second album, which she hopes to release in mid- to late summer.
Add in live gigging, and it means the life of a singer/songwriter is far from easy.
“I love playing and performing and writing, but it can be hard work. People are more selective now, so that when they do go out, they want to hear good music. The upshot for me is that when they come to my gigs, they tend to be very energetic shows – I’m lucky that I have really good audiences.
“It can be difficult, though, in the sense that you have to promote yourself, record and play. Ireland can be difficult too in the sense that it is a small country and there are only ten or 15 original venues in the country.”
Which brings us neatly on to a scourge for aspiring singer/songwriters – that of the manufactured act. This ‘X Factor’ culture as Duffy describes it is less about the soul of music and altogether more about the bottom line.
“To them it doesn’t matter about who wrote the song or what it means,” Duffy says. “Some people have lost the idea that a song is meant to come from someone, drawn from personal experiences. To these manufactured acts it is more about vocal acrobats. Sometimes it is annoying to see the type of machine that is behind them, giving them such a push. I think they are clogging the industry.
“It can be frustrating but the good thing is that appreciative audiences really do value it when a genuine singer/songwriter performs. We do have to work harder, but we have a more loyal audience as a result – they stay with us. For manufactured acts, the audience goes once the TV show is over.”
Don’t miss the chance to be part of GrΡinne Duffy’s audience if you are around Castlebar on Friday, Saturday or Sunday night over the Bank Holiday weekend – she hits the stage at 10.30pm each night.