John Spillane is a musician, songwriter, performer, recording artist, storyteller, poet and dreamer. Rooted in people, place and story, his music transports the listener and his live performances captivate audiences around the world.
As an artist his music appeals to listeners across many genres and generations. His vocal style has a unique almost sean-nós like quality and his performances shimmer with the magic realism that permeates many of his songs as he effortlessly flits between beautiful poetry tinged with melancholy to roguish, irreverent humour. John has the ability to charm, mesmerise and entertain in equal measure.
In October 2022, John released ‘In Another Light’ a career spanning album recorded live at the Right Here Right Now Festival recorded at Cork Opera House in November 2021.
In Another Light is a career spanning album, the songs ranging from 1983 right up to John’s most recent release in 2020. This album is a result of a live concert with the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra in November 2021 as part of the Right Here Right Now festival. Every person involved with the concert experienced these songs in a different way. For John and Pauline, who have been performing these pieces for years, it meant learning them anew, in collaboration with the orchestra. For the orchestra, playing newly orchestrated pieces brings new challenges and excitement. For the audience members, they could sit back and experience these well known and much loved songs as they have never heard them before.
The resulting recordings are a perfect marriage of true lyrical and melodical brilliance of the songs, lifted by the perfect accompaniment of a professional orchestra. There is a true sense of family and community around this album, how many people does it take to put a show of this scale on a stage? How many people does a musician such as John meet on his journey? We want to welcome everyone into this community, experience these songs with us, hear these tracks that you know and love, In Another Light.