RECORD (REMIX)

The Workman’s Club

***

There is healing power to be found in music. Nobody is more aware of that than Dylan Tighe, whose debut album Record explores his personal experiences with bipolar affective disorder over the last 20 years. Yet "personal" doesn't quite come close, in some ways: the Dubliner's show incorporates spoken word (including readings from his own private medical records), video clips and songs from Record, all of which combine for an affecting and sometimes uncomfortable performance.

Tighe proves himself a competent songwriter, too, his electric guitar-based compositions sung with a likeable croon pitched somewhere between Chris Isaak and Bruce Springsteen. If there is a fault with Record (Remix), however, it is a lack of clear narrative: the glimpses into Tighe's past are eye opening, but where has it left him today? Perhaps the point is that positive mental health is an ongoing concern with no neat conclusions. In any case, a thought-provoking show.

Ends Sept 15