Thekla, Bristol, March 16th
Rising Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot brought his UK tour to Bristol’s Thekla on 16/03/23. This was my first ever gig at the iconic boat-based venue in the south-west city and what an amazing gig I chose to attend for my first experience there!
Before Cian took to the stage, he was supported by a remarkable American singer-songwriter called Sadie Jean. The most wonderful thing about this experience is that I discovered both Cian and Sadie on TikTok a while ago, and I’ve been following their journeys ever since, so it was a dream to be able to witness them both live in the same venue on the same evening together. The Californian artist is definitely one to watch, as I think her talent is unbelievable. Currently, Sadie has just two songs on streaming platforms and both, ‘WYD Now?’ and ‘Locksmith’, are major hits in my opinion. I don’t doubt for a second that Sadie Jean is going to be a global name one day.
Accompanied by a two-piece band, Cian spectacularly graced the stage of Thekla’s intimate venue at around 8.30pm. The demand to see the Irish musician was so high that the Bristolian space was completely packed and you could barely move! It was extremely hot and sweaty but it was absolutely worth it to get the opportunity to witness firsthand Cian’s powerful voice singing his unbelievably beautiful songs. During his stunning set, he played eleven songs and even performed some iconic covers of popular One Direction tunes ‘Steal My Girl’ and ‘Story of My Life.’
Unbeknown to me, Cian told the crowd that he attended a school in Wells, Somerset for a few years during his former years and shared some personal details of his time there. One of the most special moments of the night was when the soloist told a story about a long-term fan of his because that specific fan was actually amongst the crowd and, in response to this, Cian said, “I thought I recognised you from somewhere!” Unreleased at the present time, the Irishman’s song ‘Part of Me’ was amongst his sensational setlist; this single is a very introspective record that was written about his close friend ‘Philly’ who sadly took their own life, and his performance of this song was incredibly powerful. Midway through the evening, Cian was passed a t-shirt which he held up and read to the crowd on stage, and the clothing was given to him by a local brand called ‘Don’t Be a Dick.’ During the final song, Cian invited two women on stage to perform with him and, unexpectedly, they didn’t sing with him but instead they interpreted the song in sign language which was refreshing to witness.
From amassing a high social media following and intelligently promoting his music, Cian has managed to gain mainstream radio play with his latest record and even seize the opportunity to support Ed Sheeran on his upcoming tour towards the end of March. Having released one mixtape, one EP and an assortment of singles thus far, the artist has managed to peak at Number 19 in the UK Singles Chart in 2022 with his song ‘All For You’, which went viral on TikTok. His latest hit ‘I’ll Be Waiting’ peaked at Number 16 and I regularly hear it being played on the radio still to this day. I can visualise this being only the beginning for the upcoming artist and I’m looking forward to seeing what else this talented individual achieves.
Dan Rose Photography
Dan Rose @danrose.uk
Role: Photographer
I’m primarily a photographer for both concerts and festivals, and am also available for BTS photos, portraits, promo shoots and tour photography. I also write the occasional review.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots and Touring
First attended gig: My most memorable early concert experience was seeing Eminem in 2014 at Wembley Stadium. This was a very pivotal moment in my life as it reinforced why I love music so much and reignited my passion for it.
First gig shot: The very first artist I photographed live was the DJ and producer Nathan Dawe at SWX Bristol. This was an incredibly fulfilling start to concert photography, as I was on stage with him during his set, and even hung out backstage afterwards.
Dream gig: My top 5 dream artists to one day photograph would be Eminem, J. Cole, Rod Wave, Jon Bellion, and Logic. One of my favourite artists, Juice WRLD, is sadly no longer alive, and I wish I had had the opportunity to see him perform live and photograph him.
