Top names in Americana for special Galway city gig

The Delines, an outfit featuring some of the leading lights in Americana, play the Róisín Dubh on Saturday, June 7.

The band features Jenny Conlee from The Decembrists on keyboards, and Sean Oldham and Willy Vlautin from Richmond Fontaine.

Punters will also get to hear the sublime steel playing of Tucker Johnson, who plays with The Minus 5. Leading the Delines is vocalist Amy Boone, who sings with The Damnations. The Delines  released their debut album, Colfax, back in April. It’s a melancholic yet uplifting listen, with Boone’s voice sounding immaculate as she sings Vlautin’s heartworn songs.

Willy Vlautin is familiar to Galway audiences, having played here on several occasions with his band Richmond Fontaine, and for his public reading alongside Roddy Doyle at last year’s Galway Arts Festival. Vlautin is a superb writer, penning novels that bring to mind American greats like John Steinbeck. His first book, The Motel Life, has been made into a film starring Kris Kristofferson.

Throughout Vlautin’s books and songs there is a recurring theme of people trying to make the best of a hard life. Surviving against the odds has always intrigued him. “A few unlucky breaks and a person can be in a really rough situation,” he says.

“I think I’ve always been attracted to people with that struggle because I always thought that struggle was just right around the corner. File this gig under ‘unmissable’. Doors 8pm, tickets €12/€10