大象传媒

Welcoming the early arrivals into the Ulster Hall tonight were 'Sharks.' Not unlike tonight's headliners in style, 'Sharks' delivered a strong set of rock with a twist of indie and punk thrown in to the mix. Captivating the growing crowd the jiving jelly-legged lead guitarist really made some of the songs stand out with blistering lead breaks and moves to match.

With probably the most difficult of jobs in being first on, 'Sharks' were more than up to the task and were an excellent addition to the bill. Stand out song 'Three Houses' and a cover of 'True Believers' with the help of Chuck Ragan and some of the Gaslight Anthem brought the set to an epic climax and 'Sharks' were cheered off the stage by a suitably warmed up crowd.

Having made a rather impromptu entrance to join in the 'Sharks' final song, Chuck Ragan nonchalantly plugged in his guitar and commenced proceedings. With a full band behind him he'd maybe be classed as punk/rock n' roll, but stripped back to an acoustic guitar, harmonica and Jon Gaunt on violin, Ragan achieved a really unique sound. With supreme control over dynamics, songs could transform in an instant from soft guitar and gentle vocals with a harmony on violin to almost abrasive, driven by gruff vocals and thrashing guitar.

Unhampered by minor technical difficulties Chuck carried on and held the attention of the audience in a way only a true performer can manage. Ragan left the stage to resounding applause but could easily have played on to the fixated crowd for much longer, despite the imminent arrival of the main act.

Moving tonight's gig from the Stiff Kitten to the Ulster Hall was more than justified as a capacity crowd rose to welcome the New Jersey quartet to their first Belfast show. The party atmosphere of the last gig of the tour created by all three acts being on stage in each other's sets continued and the Gaslight Anthem dove headfirst into a set laden with sing-along choruses, beautifully composed guitar licks led by Alex and thundering bass and drums.

Songs from the new album like title track 'American Slang' went down just as well as older favourites such as 'The '59 Sound'- the track Bruce Springsteen played onstage with the band at Glastonbury. There's a boyish charm about front-man Fallon as he flashed cheeky grins and winks to an adoring crowd. But his lyrics betray a maturity and an honesty many artists lack these days. It's clear to all that the words mean something to Fallon and as one the audience sings along fuelled by Fallon's emotive style. The floor literally shakes as chaos ensues during anthems 'The '59 Sound' and 'The Backseat' and the band seems taken aback by the response.

The night and the tour end on a high with all three acts on stage, 'Sharks' stage-diving and Ragan and Fallon bellowing lyrics to a cacophony of whistles, cheers and applause. Tonight's performance proves the only way is up for this New Jersey four-piece.

Daniel Lynch