Credit: Vicky Best
Live
Dermot Kennedy
02 Academy, Brixton, London
May 8 2019
Words: Izzy Butler
The third night of Dublin’s Dermot Kennedy brings him to a sold out Brixton Academy. It's a long way for the alt-folk singer and his acoustic guitar who started out busking on his hometown streets.
It's been a good run for Kennedy of late, having achieved an abundance of critical acclaim, from featuring in the BBC's ‘Sound of 2019’ shortlist, to being tipped as a key artist to watch in by YouTube Music, MTV and Ticketmaster.
Opening with 'All My Friends' from his 2017 debut EP 'Doves & Ravens', it was somewhat incongruous with its lyrical motif of leaving the good times behind, when the future vistas couldn't be brighter. 'Lost', the song he wrote about "resilience and reliance", and 'Moment’s Passed', both cut to the heart with rawness.
Applause is deafening when he tells the crowd how just a few years ago he had put a gig together himself, "and there were like, 50 people there, tops... and now there's like a hundred times that in here now." He says it not a boastful way, but more one of surprise and gratitude.
With support from a three-piece band, Kennedy delivers a set filled with poetic lyrics and an undoubtedly amazing voice, shot through with understated Irish charm and modesty. Fan favourite, the heart-piercing ballad 'For Island Fires and Family', and 'Dancing Under Red Skies', the title track from his 2013 debut EP, hold the crowd enrapt. Closing on 'Power Over Me', Kennedy clearly demonstrates the current power of the solo artist.
While he may still be finding his feet on these big stages, Dermot Kennedy more than proves that vocally he has found his true home.
No comments:
Post a Comment