Arriving at the St. Pancras Old Church feels a bit like midnight mass, all very shush and quiet as you walk in, until you're greeted by a man serving cider and beer. A first for me!, in a church that is. I arrive at the end of the opener Maria Byrne's set. I feel slightly out of place as the rest of the very attentive and quiet crowd have been coerced into a sing/hum along which I have to sit out.
Next the far more engaging Lisa O'Neil, stamping the floor and singing initially acappella, her rich Irish tones fill the room and remind me of beautiful Irish places that I've sadly never been too. The listenability of good folk music for me is the clear history and geographical identity of the songs passed through generations. O'Neil adds to this with her insightful storytelling and charming banter. Making everyone pull out their phones and Google how many days old they are after explaining she did exactly that after seeing the new Nick Cave Documentary '20,000 days on earth'.
Finally eagerly awaited headliners 'The Lost Brothers' arrive and immediately thank everyone in the crowd for making the effort and selling out the venue. Lead singer Oisin Leech quips that he thought just his Mum would be there. Again the boys charm the crowd with beautiful harmonies and incredible duel guitars, the highlight of the set for me being a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Corrina, Corrina'. Not being much of a Dylan fan I'm always amazed how covers always sound so great to me, they made me go home and instantly listen to their version. By the end of the show the crowd were left warmed and uplifted by the Brothers heart-warming tones and beautiful arrangements.
The gig marked the end of their current tour of New Album 'New Songs of Dawn and Dust'.
Thomas Cavanagh
