The Pub as a Concert Venue

Sam Chalcraft

Golden Harp Landstraße, Wien, Austria 20200221

The Golden Harp Irish Pub can be found at several places at the capital Vienna. For example one is on the Meidlinger Haupstraße, like the Café Nahid and another in Josefstadt. And the one in the third district invited a very special musician to play live this Friday.

Of course there would be other concerts as well like Unearth and Prong, Boogie Hammer, The Devil’s Rejects, Diabolical and Deichkind. But to comfortably have a drink, be able to chat and enjoy good music, this is the perfect choice. Sam Chalcraft is playing a lot, he is one of the U-Bahn-Stars, supported Joey Cape, is regular guest at the biggest festival and soon will be out to present his debut LP “From Busk Till Dawn” released via One Week Records at e.g. the SixtyTwenty and the Tunnel.

Close to Arenbergpark and Rochusmarkt, the Golden Harp is on a house block corner. Already from the outside, you can see and hear Sam. Like other acoustic rock bands like Wir & Jetzt or the Acoustic Project, he has prepared a lot of covers for this occasion. One of them, that always works, is “Englishman in New York” and also “Redemption Song”. More own songs like “What Have You Done” would be nice, but as Sam admits at the end, the audience is too loud for songs like “Jeff”. He continues with “Time After Time” and the questionable hit “Country Roads”, that few love to sing with. “Dancing In The Moonlight” and “Don’t Stop Believin’” are at the end of the first set.

During the break, the friendly guy from the UK takes a round with a hat. As he returns, he comes up with “Mr. Brightside” and “Down Under”. That someone recognizes “Good Riddance” in the first second obviously surprises the musician. “Hotel California” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love” are more classics, rounded up by “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. In the end Sam even has to play some encores, but with “I’m Yours” he finally ends his set of nice hits and originals.