Fionn Regan: Cockpit, Leeds, Oct 26th

Looking fairly timid as he entered the stage to the cheers of the substantial crowd you could be mistaken for thinking Fionn Regan was new at this. However, as soon he begins to play, you are immediately reassured that he is the real deal.
Starting slowly on his lone acoustic, fittingly illuminated in a warm orange glow, Regan eased his crowd in before welcoming on stage the rest of his band, assembled from various other bands including Babyshambles. Luckily, the bands performance was very unlike Pete Doherty's men and a tight rhythm section gave the songs the additional lift they needed. An additional percussionist added to the atmosphere and worked really well when he reverted back to the lone acoustic for a couple songs.
Regan's lyrics are filled with clever lines and on the whole, nice and upbeat which left the crowd smiling rather than staring at their shoes. As I was unfamiliar with him before the gig I didn't know what to expect from Fionn Regan but I guess now, I can see what all the hype is about.