Melankolia presents Paul O'Reilly, Selver& Keith

The Blue Room Cafe- 5th April 2000

The nights of music run by the Melonkolia fanzines' Paul O'Reilly appear to have become a regular thing. Tonight's gig took place in the intimate surroundings of the Blue Room, a lovely little cafe tucked away behind the Powerscourt Centre. The atmosphere was pleasant, and the coffee was top class, but what of the music?

First up was Paul himself, the writer of Melonkolia. Paul has a really nice voice, and played some nifty guitar work, but his influences shine a little too strongly. Nick Drake is the influence in question, and everything about Paul's short set screams of him.

Next up is two member act Selver, who play an angst ridden, grungy music which is extremely dated to these ears. All of the songs seem to feature death in one guise or another. A glowing example of the inspiring (?) lyrics - 'I'm sick and tired of this world, this world is dragging me down'. Please! Nirvana, Hole and Smashing Pumpkins are all too obvious influences.

The final act Keith is like a breath of happiness compared to his preceding act. Keith is the singer with Tandem Felix, who played a recent Cluas gig. On that night the band didn't impress, but solo, Keith can really cut it. His songs are really well crafted, with catchy hooks and his voice is very strong. His lyrics are also good, with themes of love and loss tackled with a hopeful approach. Another good thing about Keith's performance is his on-stage presence. He is a confident singer and his personality shines through. He is certainly one whose progress I will watch with interest.

Niamh Grimes