By Rachael Grealish

The Danny Dunnery Band drew in the crowds as they warmed up for their upcoming slots at The Boof Festival and Whitehaven Alive.

The three-piece is set to perform on the same stages as Cast, The View, Tinie Tempah and Jake Bugg this month and next after securing gigs at the two Whitehaven-based festivals, so it only made sense they got a warm-up in the town.

On Saturday, July 29, the band performed at The Yellow Earl, in Whitehaven, with support from the Belfast band, Foreign Mornings.

Kicking off the evening, the Irish rock band made their debut performance not only in the venue, but it was their first time in West Cumbria.

Even as the opening act, the five-piece played an array of original songs, including one called ‘Good Enough’ and held their audience’s interest with their alt-rock 90’s feel music. The whole set felt like it had the essence of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana with very modern and emotive lyrics.

One fan, Caitlin Swanston, from Workington, said: “I think they’re great, I’d not heard of them before but I really like their sound and I’ll definitely be following them on Instagram.”

Next, it was time for the main feature as the Danny Dunnery Band took to the stage – but without their usual bassist. Led by the band’s namesake, they played a mix of original songs and some fantastic fan-favourite covers.

One original song that really stood out was ‘She’s in Love with him’ – which is due to be released in only a couple of weeks. The song had the feeling of Rick Springfield’s 1980 hit ‘Jessie’s Girl’, but with a much more modern beat to it. Even being the first time this journalist had heard it, the catchy pop track was easy to get lost in and have you singing along to at the end.

Of course, the night wouldn’t be complete if Danny and the lads didn’t play a medley of some classic covers, such as Take That’s ‘Patience’, Cher’s ‘Beleive’ and even a mix of the 00s hit ‘Tick Tock’ by Kesha. There really was something for everyone to enjoy.

One notable thing about the evening, in particular, was the number of people who turned out for the band, considering it was the weekend of the iconic Kendal Calling festival – the venue was packed.

Speaking to Danny after the performance he said: “It’s been a great night and we’re really looking forward to both the Boof and Whitehaven Alive.”

He went on to explain he is ‘honoured’ to be playing both of the West Cumbrian festivals and sharing a stage with such ‘legends’.

“It’s an honour to be asked to play the Boof since it’s the last one, we’ve only played it once before and it was great and I can’t wait,” Danny continued, “As for Whitehaven Alive, I don’t really know what to say. Again, I’m honoured to be playing the festival and getting to share a stage with the likes of Tinie Tempah, The Vaccines and Jakes Bugg, actual legends.”

You can next see the Danny Dunnery Band at the Boof Festival’s final bash over the weekend of August 18 and 19 – tickets can be found HERE.

Following this the Danny Dunnery Band will be supporting The Vaccines and Jake Bugg at Whitehaven Alive, on Saturday, September 9 – tickets can be found HERE.