Review by Stuart McNiff

Acoustic Jukebox at The Empire Basement – Wednesday 14^th April 2009

It’s difficult to imagine a more bizarre concept than Acoustic Jukebox! But believe me, it’s a brilliant idea that needs to be experienced to be believed.

Featuring the talents of Niall Love on guitar this evening at the Empire Basement Belfast is a fantastic idea. Split over two sets starting at 10.30pm Niall encourages the audience to shout out songs from his extensive catalogue of over 110 covers from artists ranging from Amy Winehouse, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Kings Of Leon, The Killers, Kenny Rogers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Wellar, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Cure, Stevie Wonder, The Police, Tom Petty, The Verve, Travis, U2 and Van Morrison and many more.

On stage It’s Niall, an acoustic guitar, a unique feature of what looks like a kitchen chopping board with a pick up and an effects box which provide the musical background to Niall’s outstanding vocals.

Absolutely nothing phase’s this very talented musician and his banter with the audience is natural.

I had a very good seat near the front of the stage and was continually checking to see if it was actually Niall who was playing what I was hearing. This unique concept provides a great night’s entertainment and my advice would be to get there early and enjoy this free event as it fills up very quickly.   

Review by Stuart McNiff