Brilliant Dublin singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey plays Vicar St on
the 31st of December.
Dempsey draws influence from an eclectic palette of musical styles ranging from folk to reggae to rap to traditional. As if Bob Marley was jamming with Luke Kelly and the Roots, he fashions all this into something that's unique to him and delivered in a thick Dublin accent.
His best-known song Dublin Town shot him to prominence in the Irish singer-songwriter scene a few years back and he has been building his audience with gigs in England and America. Massive Attack have recorded, but have yet to release their version of his song It's All Good from his debut album They Don't Teach this Shit in School.
Dempsey supported Sinead O'Connor at the Point in January. He has recorded with Shane McGowan, while Christy Moore is a big fan and Dempsey has also played support for the first men of Irish songwriting. He recently played a live set to a great reaction on Tom Dunne's Pet Sounds on Today FM, which included his own Angry Man and a cover of The Pogue's Rainy Night in Soho.