The thing that strikes you most about Glen Hansard and Marékta Irglová – aka The Swell Season – is how absolutely adorable they look together.

They also happen to sound pretty fantastic.

At Friday’s sold out Toad’s Place gig, the duo, along with four musicians from Hansard’s other band, The Frames, recreated the simple chemistry that made their movie, “Once,” so effortlessly charming by performing songs from the soundtrack with the same underlying tenderness.

Hansard is obviously the extrovert of the two, but his chattiness between songs would have been much better appreciated if the throng of people behind the soundboard at Toad’s remembered that they were there to see a concert, not to loudly recap their day at the office to anyone within 20 feet.

The Swell Season’s music is gentle in structure, but even when the soft-spoken Irglová swapped place with Hansard – she heading center stage with a guitar and he taking over piano duties – for “If You Want Me,” a ballad of tortured longing, it was infused with the passion these two apply to everything.

Though the rest of the band, notably fiddler Colm MacConlomaire, were adept in their ability to quietly anchor these Irish-flavored folk-rock songs, the audience was always more engaged when Hansard and Irglová were sharing their sweet, soaring harmonies.

A generous five-song encore included The Frames song “Star Star,” along with an appropriate cover of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” Hansard has the type of appealingly gruff voice to tackle Van Morrison, an admitted idol of his, but it sounded as if the group was slowly petering out as the encore continued.

About 40 minutes after the show, Hansard was lingering around the upstairs of Toad’s, chatting with a couple of fans, signing autographs for them and posing for an interminable number of photos.

With a bottle of Corona (what, no Smithwicks or even a Boddingtons?) on the ledge next to him, the low-key musician and accidental movie star related that the band was soon going to pull out for Saturday’s show in Baltimore, so no trips to Siné or Rosie Connolly’s before the next gig.

It sounded as if this whirlwind tour has been tougher on Irglová, who Hansard said had been fighting a scratchy throat the past several weeks. Almost on cue, a door leading outside slammed loudly. Hansard smiled tiredly and said, “That’s probably Mar. I think that means it’s time to get on the bus.”

Posted by Melissa Ruggieri in • Entertainment • Music
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