Julie Feeney

National Concert Hall, Dublin Tomorrow 8pm 35/30/20 01-4170000

What a curious, fanciful trip it has been for Galway’s Julie Feeney. Five years ago, she was a little cottage industry all of her own, but then along came her Choice Music Prize win (for her debut album, 13 Songs), a shift in commercial emphasis from cottage to penthouse (well, Sony Music), and then a shift back to independent status with the release of last year’s wonderful, eminently flickable Pages (which was once again nominated for the Choice Music Prize).

In the interim period, Feeney has earned something of a reputation for being the kooky kid on the block – weird dress sense, lover of strange, impractical hats – to the point that some might not take her seriously at all. Image is one thing, music quite another, and if Feeney is to be fulsomely thanked for nothing else then it should be her song compositions, which brim over with inventiveness and smarts, utter idiosyncrasy and melodic charm.

She’s a one-off, that’s for sure – yep, definitely a mould breaker.

Can’t See That? Catch This

Crowded House, Saturday, Mayo; Sunday, Dublin