Irish musician Cian Ducrot performed at Rescue Rooms as part of his short UK tour...
Sadie Jean was the supporting act for Cian Ducrot, and she was the perfect choice because her ethereal vocals which reflect on her own heartbreaks and relationships matched Cian’s thematic lyrical content.
Her sound is reminiscent of singers such as Lizzy McAlpine and Mimi Webb with the gentle, heartfelt and honest nature of her and her music. With just her acoustic guitar to accompany her she showed off to the audience her musical talent and her faultless voice. The crowd enthusiastically sang along especially to her most well-known song Locksmith.
Cian’s set started with a light extravaganza, his name in lights flashed in a range of different colours alongside the opening bars of Make Believe, pre-empting his appearance on stage. The clever use of set built the anticipation in the crowd, and it made it feel as though you were in a cool edgy venue in London rather than Rescue Rooms in Nottingham.
When he walked on stage to Make Believe he was wearing a pair of black sunglasses to add to the edginess of his entrance. However, he later confessed to it being a purely humorous take on being cool and the glasses made frequent funny reappearances during the gig.
I was surprised Cian performed in such a small intimate venue considering his popularity and wide following. For his next tour a bigger venue such as Rock City for his stop off in Nottingham would be more than likely. I was privileged to be part of the smallest crowd of his tour because I doubt, he will be doing intimate shows like this for much longer.
Cian performed songs from the span of his short career during his time on stage. Most significantly his first released song Aftertaste which he modestly said was the worst song he’d written but it was a masterpiece in its own right, with its John Legend-esque feel.
Cian also played my personal favourite Not Usually Like This from his 2021 EP Make Believe accompanying himself on piano which created a more stripped back instrumental moment. Cian made full use of his musical mastery playing the piano, guitars and even the flute during the gig which is one of the many reasons why he is just at the start of his music success.
Often artists during their sets cover songs and put their own spin on it. Cian’s cover was one of the best I’ve a seen, a mashup of One Direction’s Story of My Life, Steal My Girl and Harry Style’s Falling. The songs effortlessly flowed into one another and provided a moment of light relief amongst Cian’s often quite heavy and profound discography.
The impressive set ended with his two most loved songs All For You and I’ll Be Waiting which ended the concert on a high with everyone singing along and clapping during the finale of I’ll Be Waiting. It has just been announced that Cian will be supporting Ed Sheeran on his tour in March so any readers with tickets must ensure they get there early to see him. He is a rising star that you don’t want to miss!
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