We were only popping in for an hour or so. Three hours
(and several fine pints of The General) later we emerged from The Gresham House Inn (what a ruddy lovely pub) after spending an
afternoon in the company of hugely talented local singer songwriter Ellie
Finnerty. In a hits packed two hour set Ellie literally took us through the A
to Z of pop, rock and disco from Abba to The Zutons, kicking off with a sublimely
soulful take on Guns N’ Roses Sweet Child O’ Mine.
There was pretty much something for everyone, absolute
heaven for a musical magpie like me. Highlights included a Nash-tastic cover of Kate’s
Foundations, a spirited rendition of Fairytale of New York (not easy with just one person) and arguably ABBA’s
finest moment Dancing Queen (luckily for the rest of the audience I resisted
the urge to strut my stuff…it was such a great cover it was a close run thing
for a moment or two though).
But the real treats were Ellie’s originals like Generation
Z anthem in waiting Screen and a beautifully poignant reflection on the place
Ellie and we call home (South Devon’s best kept secret, Dawlish), called Home
appropriately enough. Writing and singing from the heart sounds simple but it
ain’t and in many of her self penned numbers Ellie cleverly combines that cocktail of emotions that sum up what it’s
like to be young and in…and out…and quite possibly back in again…love.
Simply one of the most enjoyable Sunday afternoons I’ve had in a looooooooooooooooong time. Ellie’s off to Cornwall for a while but hopefully she’ll be back in Dawlish soon and, if there’s any justice in the world, on her way to much bigger things. Catch her while you still can and look all smug when she does a Sheeran and ends up playing Wembley.
PS: Went for a walk afterwards and took a little snap of 'home' at night...
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