There's something mean and misshapen about Gary Moore, both physically and musically. With a scarred face (apparently the result of a pint glass rammed in his face at an early age) and a meaty physique that seems too big for his bones, the guitar legend, who plays his first gigs here in 20 years this month, is not the prettiest showman out there. Also, his career has a jittery, unsettled quality, zigzagging between rock, heavy-metal, jazz fusion, blues and even punk, with a variety of collaborations and solo efforts.
But the good thing about having a long career is that a lot of the confusing ephemera get lost or forgotten along the way, allowing a distinctive musical personality to emerge and in the case of Moore, the end product is a thing of beauty.
Born in Belfast in 1952, Moore was on the younger end of that great generation of British rock guitarists, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Peter Green, who were heavily influenced by the blues. Green, guitarist with Fleetwood Mac before having a famous mental breakdown in the early 1970s, was something of a mentor to Moore, encountering the then-teenage prodigy in Dublin rock group Skid Row, an outfit that briefly included Phil Lynott. Lynott went on to lead Thin Lizzy, Ireland's most famous musical export before U2, and a band that Moore sporadically played in.