Mr Billy Fitzgerald - Whelan's - 10/3/26

My first experience with Mr Billy Fitzgerald was a competition I won last year, in which I got tickets for a Neosupervital gig (and a merch pack) in The Star Bar (RIP). A brilliant gig it was and the perfect support topped it all off: Billy himself. Billy came across as a confident performer and somebody that I should keep an eye on. When the opportunity to catch him in Whelan's arose (cheers bud!), I had to jump at the chance. Mr Fitzgerald is one to catch for fans of David Byrne and Beck, with eccentric pop-tunes and epic poems written about country nightclubs. Armed with cutting lyrics and a piercing falsetto, Billy treated us to a night of (what should be/soon-to-be) hits. Tunes from his debut album A Grand Romantic Gesture went down a treat. 'Give Me a Chance' and 'Gimme Love' simultaneously evoke the best of Republic of Loose and Prince. What a combination. In a perfect world, these songs would be international radio staples. This perfect world is the 80s. Bring us back! (Disclaimer: reviewer was born in 2002). Support act New Data Scientists were a nice time, evoking The War on Drugs AND Bob Dylan. That could be to do with the fact that the singer is a dead ringer for New Morning-era Dylan. It definitely is. The crowd loved every minute of every song, and were quick to shout "Billy, no!" whenever he inadvertently offended anyone. Inside joke, yous wouldn't get it. Catch him when you can!