Cheerios Childline Concert November 2014

(Originally published here)

Regular readers of EP will know we’re big Jedward fans here. John and Edward Grimes have worked hard to get where they are, and continue to do so, and we’re proud of them. We were in Dublin last weekend to cover some of the music of the Irish capital, so when we heard Jedward were going to be at the Cheerios Childline Concert at Dublin’s 3 Arena, we knew we had to be there!

The twins were the third act of the night, following opener Olly Murs, and Fresh Ré, a five piece band from Celbridge, County Kildare. Olly was very good – singing with a band and backing vocalists, he went through all his classics, “Heart Skips a Beat”, “Wrapped Up”, “Dear Darlin'”, and crowd favourite, “Troublemaker”…giving an energetic and very friendly performance, Olly had the audience singing and clapping along. Asking for water, because he was “a little parched”, he received a bottle from the audience, and after having a quick swig, thought to ask, “You’ve not got germs have you?”. Wiping sweat from his brow Olly responded to calls from the audience to throw it to them with, “If you eBay it, whatever you get you’ve got to give it to Childline”. Olly will be touring from March next year, and said he will be returning to Dublin next April.

Fresh Ré are relatively new, but went viral on YouTube with the 2012 cover of Rihanna’s “We Found Love”, which has, to date, over 4 million hits. The band came on to sing “We Found Love”, and had a very good stage presence, and we were slightly saddened that they only sang the one song. Watch out for Fresh Ré, we suspect they are destined for big things.

Nicky Byrne, the host of the event, himself with a solo album coming out soon, announced what we had been waiting for – “…represented Ireland TWICE in the Eurovision…” Yes! It was John and Edward, but not as the audience knew them. Gone were the quiffs, but they did retain the bling, in the form of spiked sleeves and shoulders on their leather jackets, and sequinned black tank tops.

In another departure for the twins, they performed with a live band, which we feel is a very good move towards them being recognised as serious artists. Last year John and Edward performed with legendary Irish band Aslan at the benefit concert for lead singer Christy Dignam, which garnered the duo much praise. We’re hoping the band becomes a regular feature of their shows.

The Twins had said on twitter that they were going to sing only new songs at Childline, and so we were partly prepared for what to expect. What we were not prepared for however, was the song, “Make Your Own Luck”, which they debuted that evening. A Justin Timberlake-style song, “Make Your Own Luck” gave them the chance to show off their incredible vocal range, with Edward’s falsetto on the bridge a particular crowd favourite. “Make Your Own Luck” focuses on moving forward, and making and fulfilling your destiny, and was a nice segue into “Free Spirit”, the song inspired by US figure skater, Gracie Gold. “Free Spirit” is about being your own person and expressing how you feel – wise words and well-placed at the Childline Concert. Last but not least, they finished the set with “Ferocious”, a thumping dance number which reached number 15 on the Irish singles charts a few weeks ago. “Ferocious” is all about “finding your inner wolf” and standing up for yourself – the perfect song of empowerment for any bullied person.

All three songs were written and produced by the twins themselves. It seems since splitting with their former management over two years ago, they’ve gone from strength to strength – we’re really looking forward to seeing what else they have to offer.

Catch the rest of the Cheerios Childline Concert on TV3 (Ireland) this Saturday from 5pm. Childline needs to raise money to keep their 24 hour phoneline open – any donations are welcome. Ferociousand Free Spirit are now available on iTunes, with Make Your Own Luck expected out in the New Year.