I’m a relative newcomer to A Lazarus Soul. I’ve seen them four times since 2021 and each time they’ve grown on me more. Tonight’s show blew me away. Brian Brannigan definitely belongs to the Irish tradition of great folk and trad singers like Christy Moore and Luke Kelly, but here the trad element being almost totally absent, or certainly heavily supplemented with post-punk. The closest they get to trad is when Brian sings with just Joe Chester accompanying him on guitar. Everything else in the set steers gradually further into noise. Joe’s guitar playing is wizard, creating magic with is foot. There are great moments of grinding repetition reminiscent of The Fall. Brian’s lyrics are brilliantly emotive; socio-political; haunting; working class. The set covers homelessness, poverty, junkies, burned out cars, childhood, darkness and despair. His connection with the crowd is tangible. Banter that you’d imagine isn’t repeated verbatim at every gig.
A Lazarus Soul are completely authentic.
A Lazarus Soul photo & set-list:
Set-list:
Midday Class – Joe & Brian
Black Maria
The Flower I Flung Into Her Grave
Glass Swans
Lemon 7s – Joe & Brian Acoustic
The Day Harry Left
Diver Walsh
Black & Amber – Joe & Brian Acoustic
Long Balconies – Joe & Brian Acoustic
We Start Fires
Graveyard of Burnt Out Cars
Mercury Hit a High
G.I.M.
Factory Fada
Encore:
The Dealers (Joe & Brian Acoustic)
Tar Road
Funeral Sessions
Ghetto blaster/ Reverence (Reverence – The Jesus and Mary Chain Cover)
Photos & words Cormac Figgis @themasterswitch