'Ticket's There' – Irish and International Music Blog

Going to the Odessa club’s like going to the dentist except for two prominent differences. One, it’s totally self inflicted. You’re actually paying to go though the awfulness that awaits you inside its doors, without the excuse that it’s all being done to avoid much worse pain in the future. Second, they don’t hold you down and numb you when you walk in. You have to work long and hard at the bar in order to numb out the sounds of rejected D4 ego tripin’ ponces, moaning on about riff raff always attending sales in brown Thomas. Anyways, I won’t go too off the rails because tonight is Ollie Coles first solo single launch and no crowd, no matter how up their own arses they try to be, can dampen that.

About three minutes after entering the venue, Tickets There turned and ran. I am no fan of that venue and I’d timed my arrival to the exact moment I thought Ollie would be walking on stage, Unfortunately, I’d arrived half an hour before the support act was even due so running was really the only option. After a few failed attempts to find a quiet pint nearby and a nice wee walk around the town, it was time to face it and head back. In the door, straight up the stairs and to the bar that’s the only option in crisis times like these. Drown out the blues. Thankfully the Odessa has some good…ish smoking areas and the roof one was nice and quiet.

After a couple of pints, it was time to head down and check out the support (name totally escapes me). I only managed to catch three songs and it all seemed like a mock cliché. I remember there was one song called Small Fish, Small Pond and really that doesn’t hold up great aspirations does it? Remember that scene in Family Guy when Stewie bashes the shit out of the jackass with the guitar. That kind of guy and that kind of music. Ended on a funny note though when the guitar kept making strange noises. Ah well, good fun.

After another blatant crashing of the private party upstairs and some more smoking area intrusion, it’s finally time for Ollie to take the stage. With no commotion, Ollie Cole, long time friend and band mate, Gavin Fox (Concerto for Constantine) and Ciaran Fortune (The Chapters) take the stage and quietly get things ready. With a few words of welcome, the band start the show with Oh My Girl. The sound is surprisingly good and the venue flips from half full to wedged within seconds, as people continue to pour in throughout the opening number. Not letting the enthusiasm drop, Ollie and co. plow on through another new song before playing a great version of the single they’re here to launch, What Will You Do?. Live, this song sounds even better that on record and band and crowd start to flow together a little better. A rendition of Turn classic, Close Your Eyes follows and brings a very quiet, appreciative atmosphere with it.  

Not one to stay in one style, the band launch into some upbeat / heavier numbers ,including Need You Strong, Drug Song and Holding Your Heart. Unfortunately Tickets There missed, what sounded like, a great job on We Albatri, one of the best known songs from Ollie’s forth coming album. After another new one (didn’t catch the name) the band finished the evening off with another old Turn number, Life’s Great Advice, which still sounds as strong as ever.

With no encore, the band turn and run before the masses piled on top of each other, start their descent towards the stage. Tickets There did likewise and briefly meet a trapped Steve Wall on the road to safety.  

With the album due out next year, you can be sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about Ollie over the next few months and by the sounds of the material and band tonight, that’s going to be a good thing.