MUSIC

A diva with Smerins, a stomping folkster with Medicine Creek and a natural balladeer as a solo acoustician: Julian Owen meets Golden Lion-ess Nuala Honan.

Not every act can raise life from a St George’s crowd at the annual Acoustic Festival. By contrast, Nuala Honan took them in the palm of her conducting hand and had them enthusiastically singing along in three-part harmony. “Irrepressible” might work as a one-word summation; “Wise old head in a young body” a more helpful one.

Since arriving in Bristol three years ago, the 26-year-old has continued a tradition of placing herself in the middle of whatever music scene is to hand. The night before we meet, frinstance, she celebrated the first anniversary of her Live in the Lion’s Den residency at the Golden Lion. She wasn’t alone. “The bar said they did record Tuesday takings, even better than Christmas. 53 Tuesdays...” she trails off in a tone of no little wonderment. Clearly the night has a winning, friendly formula: Nuala, other acts picked for craft and/or need of a break, and truly special one-offs – scene aces Daisy Palmer, Emma Hooper and Beth Porter have an olde tyme project, Lady Sisters, that only ever performs her night.

“Bristol’s got everything I need,” opines Nuala, “always seems to be uncovering something new. I think I’ll be here a long time.” Coming from a previously inveterate traveller, that’s a compliment indeed. Having grown up “in isolated rural south Australia”, dad raised in County Down and mother with parents from County Mayo, the potential for exploration was always there. “We had a globe in the house – this is where dad’s from, this is where we are. I think that ingrained an urge in me to fly off and see it. I love Australia, love the outdoor lifestyle, but it is all about sport and outdoor living. I had this fantasy that everyone in Ireland played an instrument.”

Which, a year after finishing school, she discovered to be pretty much the case. First, though, a 12-month experiencing a “really nurturing scene” in Adelaide. “I met people who totally prepared me for throwing myself into the scene over here. I went to see Tim Rogers, a songwriting hero of mine all through my teens. He was doing requests, and got me up to sing with him – one of the most amazing moments of my life!” The venue’s owners were looking on. “They called me up a week later. The support act had dropped out on the day of a Blind Boys of Alabama gig, and they said ‘Let’s give this kid a go’. I wanted to say no, but it was amazing! 800 people and dead silence, just me and my guitar. Bold! I’ve always been bold...”

After the spell in Ireland, Nuala moved to live with her aunty in Exeter, and formed the Alchemy Quartet. “An amazing four or five years. We stopped before it got stale.” Still good friends, the group sensed it was time for each to strike out in their own direction. “I was doing a whole new set before long. With the Quartet we were doing festival-y dancey stages, trying to make people dance at pub gigs, so all of my ballads got put on the back burner.”

Some appeared on last year’s all-acoustic ‘No Horizons’ EP, a release showcasing a real lightness of touch in her voice (“beautifully natural, like bluebirds dancing in sunlit towering treetops,” as we said of that St G’s performance), at some remove from the brilliantly belting performer from Quartet days. Which is where a diversity of projects comes in. “I get to do my diva thing with [mighty brass hyperfunkers] Smerins Anti-Social Club, and I get my stomp-on with Medicine Creek.” Formerly Whiskey Drifters, founded by Sheelanagig’s Dorian and Aaron – she replaced Pete Roe in the group when he moved to London. “We thought of it as filler when we had holes in the diary, but we all just fell in love with it. We’re really passionate about finding obscure old American folk songs and making them our own.” The debut CD is all set to launch at an Old Fire Station gig next week.

“The thing I’m most excited about is collaborating,” says Nuala. Example? “My friend Jamie Harrison is teaching me to play ragtime-blues finger-picking guitar, and I’m teaching him self-management: following contacts, making videos, electronic press kits.” It’s a skill she’ll be looking to pass on with Sail Your Own Ship, piloting on 5 Mar at Hamilton House. “I need to find out what the market is, want to get to know people so they can really open up and find their voice.”

And, ultimately, give them the tools to enjoy their work as much as she did hers at St George’s. “You spend so long being frustrated at a noisy room, so when everything sits right you have to be in the moment. It felt like the room did the singing. I just opened my mouth, and the room sang at me. Easiest singing I’ve ever done.”

NUALA HOSTS LIVE IN THE LION’S DEN AT THE GOLDEN LION EVERY TUE AND PLAYS THE CANTEEN ON SUN 27 FEB. MEDICINE CREEK LAUNCH THEIR CD AT THE OLD FIRE STATION ON FRI 25 FEB. FFI: WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NUALALIVE
 

Copyright Julian Owen 2011

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