LISA HANNIGAN Live at Giardino di Via Filippo Re, Bologna 17th July

Lisa Hannigan at BOtanique

Lisa Hannigan is, for me, a female equivalent of David Gray. There’s no great similarity between these two artists in terms of background or singing style but both are the kind of commercially successful singer-songwriters that normally leave me cold.

What they share is a directness, charm and honesty that forces me to forget any elitist judgements about mainstream pop.

Both artists add enough of their own personality to a well-worn genre to convince me that they are not simply going through the motions or writing formulaic tunes.

Lisa Hannigan’s first ever concert in Bologna was well attended but by no means packed. The show was part of a month-long series of mainly acoustic shows under the heading BOtanique – Il Rock Respira (letting rock breathe). Continue reading →