DERMOT KENNEDY // ST LUKE'S, GLASGOW
SINGER SONGWRITER DERMOT KENNEDY BRINGS HIS HEADLINE TOUR TO GLASGOW
DERMOT KENNEDY PERFORMING AT ST LUKE'S, GLASGOW - 20.02.2018
PICTURE: STEPHEN WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY
★★★★☆
Irish singer songwriter Dermot Kennedy arrived in Glasgow on Tuesday night to bring his show to St Lukes, a stone’s throw from iconic Glaswegian venue The Barrowlands Ballroom.
London-based songwriter Jack Vallier opened for the Irishman, his acoustic set welcomed by the crowd. With background music you could sit and listen to in any bar, Vallier has a style not unlike Ed Sheeran: one man and his guitar, with a story to tell through his music and lyrics. A gentle warm up for the main act.
Dermot Kennedy and his band took to the stage around 9pm. Opening with ‘An Evening I Will Not Forget’, his set was full of songs of meaning, telling tales of life experiences and feelings which the audience could relate to. The acoustics of this relatively new venue were perfect for an artist such as Kennedy, and the silence of the crowd during the songs highlighted their appreciation of his musical and vocal talents. Every song meant something to him and this came across in his playing style.
The 1 hour set comprised songs from the 2017 EP ‘Doves and Ravens’, including ‘Glory’, ‘A Closeness’, ‘All My Friends’, and ‘Boston’. Other tracks played in the short set included ‘Young & Free’, ‘Island Fires’, ‘Malay’, ‘Moments Passed’, and closing track on the evening ‘After Rain’. Every note of every song was absorbed by the enthralled crowd, the total silence while Kennedy was playing showed how much he had impressed on the Glasgow audience until he asked them to join in with singing on the final song of the evening.
Kennedy has a calm and cool approach to his music: he won’t be found jumping around the stage, rather just emphasising his music, his playing style, his voice and himself. One man and a guitar with a tune and a lyric, and you don’t need much more. Every song seems personal to him, and this comes across each and every time. He was aided on stage by his band and at times you’d hardly notice they were there, such was the talent of the man.
Dermot Kennedy is a man with a vision, a talent, and a big future ahead of him. He is definitely one to keep tabs on. His continues around the world, also including festival appearances at LIVE AT LEEDS on 5th May and Scotland's newest festival 'TRNSMT Fest on Sunday 1st July playing on King Tut's Stage powered by Utilita alongside... Sigrid, The Magic Gang, Island and Headliners 'ARCTIC MONKEYS' on the main-stage. Tickets can be purchased here: www.TRNSMTfest.com
DERMOT KENNEDY SETLIST: ST LUKE'S, GLASGOW - 20th February 2018
An Evening I Will Not Forget
A Closeness
All My Friends
Young and Free
For Island Fires and Family
Boston
Malay
Moments Passed
Glory
After Rain