What a great night and an incredible performance – Dom Martin live concert: Video, Photos

I have never seen Dom Martin live before, and I hear he is an incredibly talented guitar player. I have seen quite a few live bands at Chapel Arts venue.

Demi was introduced and was greeted by a very nice round of applause by the audience, and after she introduced herself went straight into the country infused “Sins”, the opening track from Demi’s latest album The Things We Didn’t Say.

Dom Martin is a Belfast-born multi-award winning singer/songwriter / musician who burst onto the music scene with a unique guitar style & voice that captivated audiences everywhere. Dom brought us their debut album Spain To Italy which was described as a truly wonderful piece of music that is amongst the best debut albums from any artist of the year. Dom has 5 European & UK blues awards to his name, caught the attention of Joe Bonamassa and has been invited to play on The Keeping The Blues Alive Mediterranean Cruise. Dom has given us Spain To Italy 2019, Savage Life 2022 & Buried In The Hail 2023, Dom has taken some time to reflect, write some new material, and spend some time with the family and he is now ready to bring us some blistering blues rock and tonight he rolls into Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh. The place is fit to burst as Dom strolls from the dressing room to a thundering round of applause and hits the stage and thanks us for coming out to watch an Irish singer/songwriter do his thing which raises a huge cheer, the place falls silent as Dom picks up his guitar and rocks straight into – The Fall – Dom chats with us and says it’s great being here in this majestic hall as he tunes up his trusty guitar and begins to bring this incredible track to life. The place is silent as Dom lets his fantastic soulful vocals fill every corner of this grand ballroom as his fingers work the fretboard of his trusty guitar as we are instantly transfixed on this fantastic musician as he brings the suspense to Edinburgh tonight. The mesmerising guitar licks flow effortlessly through the venue as we feel the intensity pouring from every word oozing from this charismatic songsmith as he takes us on the journey with him, the place is silent as I said as we just hold our breathe and let this fantastic musician really dig deep and bring us a colossal opener that sets the scene for tonight’s entertainment, we applaud loudly and holler for all we have as Dom thanks us for our kind welcome, we roll into – Jellyroll Baker – The intricate guitar work is plain to see as Dom chats while he works he lets his finger do all the work as we get haunting yet soulful chords that just take us away to another place. The tone is incredible, the music is spellbinding and the vocals match the track as we feel the energy, groove and charisma pour from the stage tonight. The guitar chords work in perfect harmony as Dom’s soulful vocals let this fantastic track come to life with ease as the place is tapping their toes to this real infectious blues track that just grabs your attention from the first note to the last. the place is being treated to something special tonight as we feel the chemistry plough through Auld Reekie tonight, the place is just oozing with sheer joy as we stroll into

This is a great track and immediately showcased Demi’s songwriting and vocal capabilities and I must say I was extremely impressed by the stripped back versions of her songs. This was also followed by other acoustic renditions from her latest album such as “Distorted Desires” and “One Way Conversation” which went down extremely well with the audience.

Demi delivered the songs with a great deal of passion and emotion and they come straight from the heart. Demi is definitely passionate about her music and songwriting and I could picture her playing the Nashville circuit with her country infused and inspired music.

It’s clear Demi puts a lot of work into her songwriting and works a lot with other artists. Her songs have well crafted vocal lines and melodies and definitely stand up on their own even with just Demi and an acoustic guitar. I think Demi will be one to watch in the future and she did an incredible job delivering a strong and confidently performed acoustic set. Well done Demi!

As the lights dimmed and the crowd’s anticipation grew the stage was set for a great night of blues-infused magic with guitarist Dom Martin. Hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Martin has been making waves in the blues-rock scene with his soulful vocals and electrifying guitar prowess and has been compared to “Rory Gallagher” and “Gary Moore”, so I think this will be right up my street. Martin has also won a string of awards for his guitar playing so this should be a great night of music indeed.

Martin wasted no time in launching into his set, kicking things off with an incredible rendition of “The Fall” from 2023’s Buried in the Hail album. This really is a masterclass in acoustic guitar playing and this song is beautifully complimented by Martin’s haunting vocal lines. This track has an amazingly intricate guitar part and must have been exceptionally hard to play let alone sing at the same time. The vocal and guitar lines flow from Martin and literally come straight from the soul. It’s clear to me that he is an incredibly talented musician.

Then came “Jelly Roll Baker” and “Haunted”, a new song that had a beautifully played instrumental first half which was then accompanied by Martin’s soulful vocal lines. He has a very distinctive voice especially in the lower register. Martin’s fingers danced effortlessly across the fretboard, weaving intricate melodies and soulful solos that send shivers down the spine. His guitar seemed like an extension of himself, each note filled with emotion and raw energy.

In fact Martin’s rhythm work on the guitar is incredible to watch and I could sit and watch him play for hours on end. His blues infused playing draws influences from a lot of different guitarists in my opinion and I could hear a lot of “Eric Clapton” in his playing too, which was also coupled with the odd venture into more traditional classical guitar lines from time to time.

Then came “No Easy Way Out” and the mighty “Belfast Blues”. His deeply voiced vocal lines add something quite unique to these songs. I particularly love the long spells of guitar work on these tracks.

But it wasn’t just Martin’s technical skill that impressed; it was his ability to connect with the audience on a deeper level too. Between songs, he shared stories and anecdotes, inviting the crowd into his world. Whether he was talking about the inspiration behind a particular song or sharing a humorous anecdote from the road, Martin’s warmth and authenticity shone through.

Dom Martin has clearly been through some difficult times and challenges in his life and he channels all of that emotion into his guitar playing.

Other highlights of the evening also included “Mercy” and “Here Comes The River”” where Martin’s vocals soar to new heights, and his bass player “Ben Graham” joins him onstage for the rest of the evening. Then came “Leave Me Alone” and “Dog Eat Dog” where Martin changes guitars and finishes the night with his green resonator guitar.

It’s apparent Martin can play some mean blues slide guitar too. Both Dom and Ben deliver the music with confidence and indeed are having a great deal of fun together.

They definitely have a connection and musical chemistry onstage. The audience have become immersed in the music and everyone is having a wonderful time listening to these fantastic and well executed songs.

As the final notes echoed through the venue and the crowd erupted into applause, it was clear that Dom Martin had delivered a stellar performance. He invites “Elles Bailey” and “Demi Marriner” back onstage and they all finish the night together with “Daylight I will find”.

Martin’s soulful voice and phenomenal guitar work captivating the hearts and minds of this audience, leaving everyone in attendance wanting more.

This was an educational experience for me and Dom Martin is definitely one of the best blues/rock guitar players around and if you ever have the chance to catch him live in concert, do yourself a favour and don’t miss it. It’s not only great to hear the amazing guitar work or course, but also some wonderfully crafted and well written songs too.

Easy Way Out –  Dom brings this magical track to life with some well-versed slide guitar licks that really let us feel the groove from this awesome musician. The intro guitar tones whisk us away to another place as he really settles in with mesmerising vocals that have depth, harmonies and real soul that just catch our attention, we are closing our eyes and just flowing along with this musician as he really gets into our heads and just allows the track to wash over us and let us feel true emotions. The place is silent and we are holding our breathe as we just watch in wonder as this seasoned musician digs deep and pulls out all the stops to let this magical bluesy piece work on us and work on us it does, the crowd appreciate the track and clap loudly as Dom thanks us for being so kind and making him feel welcome to our fine city, as he sips his non-alcoholic beer and tunes his guitar he lets his mind wander and chats again about his childhood, his father and taking him back to his roots and this catches our attention for sure, we flow into –
Belfast Blues – A real uptempo rollercoaster track that gives us a real heart-beating chest feel as Dom cuts loose and lets his emotions blow the roof off of this grand old place tonight. The crowd are getting into this lad as he sets out his stall and just delivers a faultless masterclass of guitarwork that is letting us feel the energy pouring from this colossal musician tonight. The whole place is punching the air and feeling the groove as Dom cuts loose and really brings the gritty blues to Edinburgh tonight and lets us know that he is back and ready to give it to us. His vocals are a real gravelly tone that fits the sublime guitar work to the ground as we roll into the ever-popular –
Haunted – This is a new track that will transport us to another place as we get inside the mind of this fantastic musician as he strums lightly on his trusty guitar and really brings the blues to us tonight. The tone is just delicious as we really feel the emotion pouring from his guitar tonight as this colossal new track rises from the ashes and just whisks us away to somewhere new and lets the tone wash over us. The groove is a real toe-tapping blues eruption that stops us in our tracks as we watch with sheer joy as Dom lets his husky, gravel-soaked vocals take this track up another level as the place is silent and lets this guy do his thing and let the tone grab us and let the arrangement pull us along for the ride let me tell you, the place is buzzing with excitement as we stroll into another classy offering

Hell For You / Mercy – Dom chats to us and tells us a little about this track and what it means to many people and he wants us to understand the lyrics, and harmonies as he tunes his guitar to finally ready himself. The guitar strings burst into life as we get a real haunting blues groove that when you close your eyes you will be instantly taken to somewhere new, the tone is dark, mesmerising and just incredible as Dom sets out his stall and brings us mellow, dark chords that work. Dom lets his gravelly melodic vocals roll through this fantastic arrangement as he allows us to feel the depth of this colossal track that just pulls you in and lets us wander freely through the mind of this fantastic musician as his dusky blues-soaked vocals let this fantastic track do it’s thing, next up is – The River – This is a real show-stopping track that brings depth, soul and a real sense of belonging as Dom lets his dark mellow vocals run freely through this dark blues-filled track. The tone is just incredible as he stands tall and brings a real mesmerising guitar lick that reaches everyone in the room tonight as the groove just wraps itself around us and won’t let go, the place is transfixed on the stage and he just lets the emotion fill the air with this real thought provoking monster that just delivers in spades to let us feel the groove and welcome the colossal guitarwork that Dom is showing us tonight, the place is just bursting at the seams with real admiration for this fantastic musician as he takes us with him on this journey, up next is – Dog Eat Dog – This is a swell arrangement as Dom plucks on his trusty guitar and brings Ben along for the ride as this intense track breaks through the air tonight. The colossal dark vocals really wrap themselves around this epic track as we just close our eyes and feel the emotion pouring from the stage tonight as the boys drop the hammer and bring us a real deep south-inspired blues track that has everything you need from a sweet, cool guitar-driven number that just ticks all the boxes for sure. The dark mellow vocals fit this arrangement perfectly as we just watch and feel the depth of this epic track, we are nearing the end of this fantastic night of blues-soaked americana and walk right into – Daylight – A funky foot-stomping beat oozes from the stage as Dom & Ben bring the groove with this dark americana ditty that brings life to Voodoo Rooms tonight. The track has a real sludgy groove that just lets these epic vocals flow freely through the venue as we just allow ourselves to be taken off to somewhere new in this fantastic arrangement that grabs our attention, the place is clapping along and getting into the punchy groove that the boys are bringing to us right now. The venue has witnessed something special tonight as we have seen/heard an invigorated bluesman rise up a notch or two as we get this guy and what he brings to the party, we come to the final track of the night and it’s the doozie – Dealer – Haunting mellow guitar licks are wandering into the venue as this final track brings to a close a real emotion-filled night of blues / americana with added stories that hit you hard as some will have dealt with the things that were brought to us tonight. The funky guitar riffs are just mesmerising as the dark meaty bassline drops in and wraps itself around this foot-tapping blues eruption as we ready ourselves for a real funky foot-stamping end to tonight’s entertainment that was just incredible. The boys have done well and entertained us with stories, life lessons, jokes and banter that we will chat about for a long time to come.

What a great night and an incredible performance and I hope to see Dom Martin back this way very soon!