Ben de la Cour is "the real deal" according to Déise music fans

Earlier this month, American gothic folk musician Ben de la Cour played in the upstairs of Phil Grimes pub, organised by Subterranean Sounds.

The gig started off a little shaky due to an “act of a vengeful and uncaring god” which is de la Cour-speak for sound issues. Unfortunately, to pass the time while the sound engineer resolves the problem, he tells the audience a terrible joke involving a butcher and a sheep’s head. “Go back to singing”, one of the audience members heckles.

It’s all in jest, though, and de la Cour has great chemistry with the audience, telling us anecdotes about his songs without waffling on too long. He comes across as shy and somewhat reserved. He is eager to please and clearly cares a lot about whether the audience is enjoying themselves.

He’s at his most entertaining when talking about his creative process. He tells us he titled his latest album ‘New Roses’ because it sounds like ‘neurosis’ – “Not that I’d know anything about that.” He tells the audience after a beat.

He tells the audience that all proceeds from the sale of his merch will go to “a young boy with a very litigious mother”. This earns him a good laugh from the older crowd at the gig.

In terms of the music, the phrase “he’s the real deal” echoed throughout Phil Grimes’ pub that evening. Even veteran Subterranean Sounds attendees were blown away by de la Cour’s powerful voice. He transforms into a different person when he sings – half cowboy, half voodoo magician, all passion.

His music is weird and wonderful. One of my favourites, ‘Stewart Little Killed God (On 2nd Ave)’ is, as the title suggests, about what New York would look like if Stewart Little killed God. I also enjoyed 'We Were Young Together Once', which reminded me of Sufjan Stevens. The highlight of the evening had to be his rendition of 'Lakes of Pontchartrain', a song I'd never heard before he played it, but haven't stopped listening to since.

De la Cour has performed all over North America and the UK. He has released two albums and been nominated for a Grammy, but it's easy to forget that he’s so successful when talking to him. 

I asked him why he decided to perform in Waterford, and he replied simply, “why not?” His impression of the Déise? - “Cold and rainy – but if it were subtropical and sunny, it wouldn’t be the true Irish experience.” 

He said: “I love Ireland, but I’m also the one American person who has no claim to Ireland at all.” De La Cour grew up in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Nashville for the past 13 years. He told me: “Music was my plan B, I always wanted to be a professional boxer when I was a kid.” 

His newest album, ‘New Roses’ was an “unintentional record.

“I bought this synth, I’ve never really been into synth music. I was messing around on GarageBand, and instead of doing acoustic stuff, I said I’d built it around the synth. I ended up recording the whole thing at home and playing every instrument for better or for worse.”