Gemma Hayes played her first gig of her current Irish tour in Cyprus Avenue on the 22nd of April. We were told by Gemma that we were the guinea pigs, as she and her band had only just finished practicing the day before. The gig on the 22nd was an extra gig that was put on when the gig on the 23rd sold out very quickly. Gemma obviously has lots of fans in Cork. I think it is the first time that I’ve seen so many guys at a gig willing to stand in the first row of the audience. Gemma played a mix of favourites from her first and second albums and also played some new songs. For someone that is so petite she really knows how to go mental on a guitar. She was also really good at talking to the crowd and even told us a story about when she was nine years old and a guy in her class came over and kissed her on the cheek. All her classmates made fun of her so after school she waited for him then she pushed him over and emptied the contents of his schoolbag into a puddle. She was really surprised when he approached her the following week with a marathon bar (now known as snickers) and a Michael Jackson tape! All in all it was a great gig and I’d definitely recommend going to see Gemma the next time she plays in your area.