Fell to Erin + *Furl + Cait Vertigan

So I venture out, alone, to check out the AO (Acoustic Orginal) night at Irish Murphy's in Salamanca. Free entry and the chance to see acoustic Fell to Erin encouraged me out of my warm house.

The night starts off quietly, Irish was a little empty and I must admit, I felt pretty strange being on my own, but I found a great seat at a table near the front to watch Cait Vertigan. The crowd was an eclectic bunch, with a few punters still in their uniforms – Navy and Suits with medals for today - ANZAC day.

Cait was captivating - I have never heard her perform before. Although, in my opinion, I think she looked a little lonely up on the stage, with her keyboard, and perhaps a little nervous, too. Her songs were beautiful – in particular my favourites 'Lost' and 'The Demon Song' – she's a gifted singer with a powerful voice. I found the lyrics spellbinding and at times Cait sounded a little like another of my favourite female artists, Tori Amos. Although the audience was small at this point, they were appreciative.

The stage was then empty, so I found a comfy booth on the other side of Irish. I had every intention of going back to check out second act, *Furl, but was joined by friends and the conversation and company was nice – so unfortunatley I can't give you my take on this band. They sounded pretty good, from where I was sitting on the opposite side of Irish!

Then it was Fell to Erin's turn. I got a table close to the stage, ready to listen to one of my favourite Tassie bands in all their acoustic glory.

I was looking forward to hearing new tracks 'Meter Maid' and 'Dirty Sneakers' from their (soon to be released) EP 'Stumble & Fall' – I heard these track last week at The Trout and they are pretty rocky!

Fell to Erin managed to deliver the goods just as well acoustically. It was a great set - standout track for me was 'Judas', from the 2001 EP of the same name. I hadn't heard the track for some time and the acoustic version reminded me why I love this FTE track so much.

It was a fantastic night, a fitting venue (it had this 'jamming in your loungeroom' feel about it!). I haven't been to Irish Murphy's for quite a while and it was nice to be back in one of my favourite Hobart pubs. As I was leaving I noticed Irish's sign for the AO night which reads “A night of acoustic music from the heart for the mind”, so true.

Check out an AO night at Irish Murphy, every Tuesday from 8.30 onwards – Acoustic music at its finest!

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