Occasionally, someone comes along on the “ones to watch” list that you suspect is destined for superstardom if there is any justice in the world. Tonight, while he is no overnight sensation, I think it’s safe to say that Dan Byrne is teetering on the edge of the last chasm to cross to reach his nirvana. The question is, will he soar or will he fall? Only time will tell, but this evening’s performance gave a good indication that he is finally getting the wings he has worked so hard for… 

Opening on this tour is genial Wiganer Sam Millar with his ever-changing band of balladeers. Regular bassist Benji Faith is missing this time due to other commitments but stand-in Chris does a fine job even if he doesn’t have quite the same tongue action! There is a plethora of flowery shirts on stage this evening, and that fits because the music is also kind of flowery. It’s lightweight pop-rock, party music, music to make you dance. It’s so summery you could probably get a tan just from standing too close to the stage.

Sam can throw a shape, blast out a riff and screech a solo with the best of them, but he does all of that without going too far down the road of metal. He dips all his toes into power chord territory but mostly stays safely on the pavement of cheesy hard-edged pop. The set is replete with melody and hair-tossing, and the lyrics reflect Sam’s cheeky chappie persona and twinkly grin. You can’t help being drawn in by the warmth, and despite the lightness of the music it makes for a damn good time for the early-doors crowd. 

Here at ROCKFLESH, we’ve been following Dan Byrne for quite some time now. We’ve watched him develop from nervous just-out-of-school boy through blues-rock screamer and special guest status with some very famous names, so it’s an honour to be here tonight at the first gig of his first tour under his own name. This is a first for Dan and for us, and the surprisingly large crowd wait with bated breath while the intro music wafts out into the room.

The band spring into life and suddenly Dan is on the stage belting out the first song ‘Hard To Breathe’. Despite this being a small venue and despite Dan being quite a humble man he owns the stage with ease and could be playing to thousands of people instead of a hundred or so. The setlist consists of some old favourites (‘Wide Awake’ from his old band Revival Black makes an appearance), there are some new songs from his upcoming album that the band are currently recording, and also some covers of his favourite songs. It’s a personal journey for Dan as he explains the significance of various tracks, and this makes it all the more immersive for the eager crowd. The fact that pretty much every song gives the crowd chance to sing along, clap, or wave arms doesn’t hurt either. Not being the tallest frontman in the world is offset by him having a metal box with his name on to stand on, although even if they can’t see him too well the sound of his stunning voice carries easily to those at the back. That’s what tonight is all about really, Dan’s voice. Soulful, powerful, tuneful, it adapts easily to everything from power ballads to out and out rockers, never dropping a note or missing a beat.

There’s almost an interlude, where the rest of the band take a breather and Dan comes to centre stage with his battered old guitar to belt out the Lynyrd Skynyrd (Or Shinedown if you’re younger) classic ‘Simple Man’ unaccompanied. Being the first night of the tour there are teething troubles, in this case some nasty feedback from the guitar that stops the show briefly. Unfazed, Dan just sings the song anyway with the crowd providing his only backing, that was a spine-tingling moment if there ever was one. The band rejoin him to air another new song ‘Cherry In Love’ which takes us on a genre journey away from the comfort of his usual bluesy rock and dips a toe into the grunge territory of a Nirvana or a Pearl Jam. Such versatility is welcome, if not unexpected, and throughout it all Dan continues to smile, to thank us for coming, and to entertain us with the sheer force of his voice and personality.

Throughout the night Dan bares his soul and the people nurture it and throw it back to him. This was no ordinary night because this is no ordinary band. Dan’s voice is extraordinary in its perfection, and one day one suspects that tonight will be one of those moments where you can tell everyone “I was there when it all started you know”.  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Dan Byrne + Sam Millar