John McIvor promises great things from them in the future at MAPS

Sometimes the best discoveries are made without all the preparation, the anticipation and the insight. Would Columbus’s 1492 landing in the Americas have been any the less worthy of a fanfare had he simply fancied stretching his sea legs and stumbled across the New World whilst having a mooch around? 'Of course not!' I hear you cry and you would be right. But Columbus did prepare, he did anticipate and he was insightful, and all this with the aid of a map…and herein lies my connection with the great pioneer. I ventured out this weekend armed with just such a map, or MAPS to be precise, and this was when I found my own little slice of the Promised Land, or the land of John McIvor as the ownership flag clearly designated.

In its sophomore year and passing every exam thrown at it, MAPS Festival is certainly shaping up to be quite the teacher's pet. The Manchester festival showcases a diverse range of artists and offers visitors the opportunity to sample a mere amuse bouche of the arts and music venues which The Northern Quarter has to offer; one such example being the inimitable and ever impressive Night and Day Café. This was the venue of choice for John McIvor's first outing to the city and neither place nor performer were disappointed.

Formed in early '09 whilst studying together at college, the four-piece band are named after their lead singer, chief songwriter and creative force, who I couldn't help but liken to fellow Irishman and multi-talented maestro, Damien Rice. Fusing blues and folk with a Celtic/traditional acoustic predilection, the band has drawn comparisons with folkies of choice Mumford and Sons. Indeed, McIvor’s tone was not dissimilar to that of Marcus Mumford, both possessing qualities which are perfect for the genre; addictive, introspective and positively calming. The band kicked off their short but sweet set with 'Heroes' taken from their debut EP 'John McIvor and the Tizzlettes'. This reflective yet rousing track speaks about differences; be they cultural, religious or social and is told through wide –ranging geographical references. The track tells us that there is "…no need to save the world, no need to be a hero", perhaps because you won't change the opinions of others and those cultural, religious and social differences will still exist; a view expressed as the music reaches a crescendo in the drum-laden chorus which focuses on acceptance as it's conclusion.

New, non-EP tracks 'Johnny and Addicted' and 'Chelsea Girl' followed, further demonstrating McIvor’s skills as an accomplished lyricist, whilst never compromising on melodic composition. McIvor states on his MySpace page that he is influenced by several notable live performances, mainly in the folk, singer-songwriter genre, including 'Mumford at End of the Road in '09' and 'Fionn Regan live at ULU 2010'. I share this view; as inspiring as listening to a great album can be, I don't think anything can compare to listening to a track being performed live. Indeed, I have often discovered that I like a song far more than I thought after hearing it live, without all the technical wizardry. Stripped down will always be my preference.

'The Garden' followed, which reels you in with the delicate and dreamy harmonica intro, until you feel just as lost as the protagonist in the track who is looking back to describe the feeling of getting lost in someone, '…time wasn’t present here, just a broken clock, always tick not tock.' This is the kind of track that you never want to end and you could quite gladly have on in the background whilst you while away the hours. 'Anna' is the third and final track on the recently released EP and is a bittersweet and reflective ode to lost love. I don't think I could ever tire of the emotion and expression that comes across through the medium of folk music, which is why I find this track particularly special.

Upcoming festival dates for the band include Sellindge Music Festival in Kent and the Isle of Wight Festival, both taking place in June this year. I would recommend fans of Mumford and Sons and the folk/blues genre generally, to take a listen to this band as I think we will and indeed should see great things from them in the future.

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