Review of ‘More Like Me’ featured in Alternative Ulster magazine (AU 53, 2009, p.80)

It is an almost superhero power, the way that songwriter John D’Arcy can see through people and situations and get at the core of them.  His observational nous and ready wit combine wonderfully with the preening melodies of More Like Me.

Over the course of a few years, John D’Arcy has been honing his craft, looking for that elusive sound that will crystallize around him and show him the way to greatness.  With More Like Me, it would appear that he has reached a plateau, with all manner of different directions streaming off in front of him.

Review of ‘Sarah EP’,   featured in Hotpress (Vol.31, No.17, 2007, p.104)

John D’Arcy approaches, and suddenly a noble lineage straightens up, squeezes together and shuffles around to give the new boy some space.

John O’Neill and Mickey Bradley trade knowing smiles, Tim Wheeler says hello, even the adolescent lead singer of Them gives a gruff nod of the head.  It’s been a while since we’ve had a new applicant seeking acceptance to the North’s blue-blooded line of teenage pop laureates, but D’Arcy, two weeks shy of his A-Level results, couldn’t be better qualified if he tried.

Eighteen years old, and fresh of face (“I still have trouble getting served at off-licences.  But thankfully the government have now given me permission with a nice provisional licence”), D’Arcy certainly meets the age criteria.  However, it isn’t just his date of birth that looks set to guarantee him membership of this most exclusive of clubs.  No, it’s the wide-eyed lyricism of his song writing – where bittersweet sentiments and big emotions are painted in vivid primary colours – that shows he’s cut from some quality cloth. 

The record reveals D’Arcy to be a skilled performer in whichever medium he turns his hand to.  The title track and ‘Miss You’ are affecting ballads, whilst ‘Take Care Of Me’ brings to mind the vaudevillian pop of Duke Special, and ‘Scotty’ and ‘Poptart’ are bratty, stinging songs, full of barbed witticisms and quirky twists.

But it’s the gentle and intricate ‘Gentleman Jim where D’Arcy’s true talent emerges.  Beautiful melodies intertwine with the words, creating a mature and fully developed voice, revelling in the craft of songwriting, but revealing none of it.  It is, put simply, an effortless masterpiece.  Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess, but the journey should be a great ride.

Steven Rainey

Take ‘Glasgow’, where he worries about waving goodbye to schoolmates preparing to leave for university; or, more properly, the title track of his debut release The Sarah EP – a lilting, look-no-hands, freewheel of a tune, where our heroine is encouraged to take heart, stand up straight, and face the world square on.

“Oh Sarah, whatchya do with your umbrella” he sings. “Is it stuck behind the wall with all the art you draw / When everybody knows it should be up on the wall / Oh Sarah it’s not hard to see what a wonderful girl you’ll grow up to be / Oh Sarah the chippy ain’t paying you enough”.

We don’t know who this Sarah one is, but someone should tell her she could soon be hanging out with Gloria, Julie Ocean and a certain Girl From Mars. 

With another track called ‘Castle Street’ it seems D’Arcy has a knack for ringing poignancy from he unlikliest of sources.  Nicknamed Nerd Rock at school (a result, he says, of his tendency to enthus, unprompted, and at length on Weezer and the Pixies), it could be tempting to pigeon-hole him as a naïve savant; but there’s a clued-in and literate quality to both the song-writing and the sentiments that suggests D’Arcy is a much more durable prospect. 

Colin Carberry

John D'Arcy & the Great Bunch of Lads, Readers' Wives

Auntie Annies, Belfast

03/07/2010

First impressions can often be deceptive, and they're frequently a hard thing to come back from. How many times have we taken one look at something, thought, "That's not for me, thank you," and then ignored it, no matter how much it tries to get our attention? We know it's wrong, but it feels so right.

More surprises are to be found in the shape of John D'Arcy and The Great Bunch of Lads, resplendent in a uniform of red t-shirts. D'Arcy will be a familiar face to many, having gigged consistently over the last few years in various different formats, from the earnest folk troubadour, to the playful indie-rocker.

Whilst he has proved adept at fitting into various situations, this chameleonic capacity has also proven to be a potential weakness; an indistinct blurring of identity. As we see him going from gig to gig, swapping genre for genre, we feel compelled to ask, "Just who is this John D'Arcy fellow anyway?"

Cashier No.9, Ed Zealous, The Jane Bradfords, John D'Arcy

Spring & Airbrake, Belfast
16/09/2010

Tonight sees the Limelight complex thrown open for the penultimate night of Belfast Music Week, with the Spring and Airbrake hosting Belfast Calling.

A dapper John D'Arcy opens, leaving his Great Bunch of Lads sidekicks to watch from the audience as he takes to the stage for a solo acoustic set of stick-in-your-head, well crafted tunes. With soft little love notes - More Like Me - and sweet songs such as Scotty and Pop Tart that are both lyrically sharp and wonderfully observant, it's clear that it's D'Arcy's personality and wit are equally responsible for his talent and his music. A lightly vaudevillian touch and a keen engagement with the audience brings it all together without the support of his band.

Aoife McKeown

Featured in BBC Radio Ulster, ‘Across The Line’

Nerina Pallot with John D’Arcy

Auntie Annies, Belfast

03/05/2010

The very moment Music Matters Magazine arrived at Auntie Annie’s, brimming with excitement at the prospect of seeing Nerina Pallot live in Belfast for the first time in three years, we were greeted by John D’Arcy’s unexpected grinning face.

As pleasant a surprise as this was, not even the sharpest journalistic instinct could have predicted how utterly brilliant a D’Arcy and Pallot live combination would turn out to be…

On stage, unplugged and stripped of production gloss, both performers carried a raw and emotionally affecting presence that no record could do justice.

D’Arcy opened his set with two of his most well known tracks: ‘Teenage Meltdown” and “More Like Me” – both of which were executed with stunning precision.

Wonder Villains, The Varionis, John D'Arcy & the Great Bunch Of Lads, Southern

Auntie Annies, Belfast

03/08/2010

Having seen John D'Arcy too many times to recount over the years, this reviewer was pleasantly surprised by the man's new persona with "the Great Bunch Of Lads". Old songs are reinvigorated and the new songs sound ready to bring John & Co. to the "next level". Beefed up with excellent punchy baselines, muted power chords and straight up beats, John D'Arcy has moved from twee teenage songwriter to the Weezer/Blink 182 radio friendly guitar driven indie-pop that so many try and fail.

The old favourites are there, but the most exciting prospect is the quality and catchiness of the new songs in the set, making me yearn to know the words so I can sing along.

Amy McGarrigle

Featured in BBC Radio Ulster, ‘Across The Line’

Their inventive fusion of punkish zest and soothing folk created a ripple of appreciative murmurs and nods across the audience.

Having wooed the crowd in the space of about three chords, his performance began to build more confidence and momentum as he threw in touches of blues and plenty of subtle melodic finger picking.

In essence, D’arcy drew an unimaginable line between 1950s folk and 1970s punk – fusing a youthful and energetic vocal performance with guitar parts full of maturity and depth. Perhaps the fact that he had the look of Buddy Holly and closed with a song called ‘Poptart’ says it all – charm and anarchy.

Matthew Wheavil

Featured in Music Link NI

His latest incarnation might just answer those questions. Operating within the confines of a punchy three-piece setting, once familiar songs are given a new lease of life, kicked into shape and all the better for it.

With D'Arcy prowling the edge of the stage looking like a young Joe Strummer, comparisons with Give 'Em Enough Rope-era Clash soon spring to mind, with the dexterous bass playing and crashing Telecaster guitar chords taking us right back to '78. However, it's not long before D'Arcy's contemporary lyrical references, and Belfast-centric song locations soon remind us where we actually are.

It's a strong performance, and old favourites are unleashed to an appreciative crowd, but one gets the impression that this new band have yet to find the songs that suit them best. They're an impressive musical unit, and are able to shatter the first impressions we may have had with some of these songs, but with the prospect of new material on the way, surely the best is yet to come?

Steven Rainey

Featured in BBC Radio Ulster, ‘Across The Line’