Kodaline at Omeara

Every now and then, a set of live music creates little pieces of reverberating magic. Sometimes, much of this is attributed to the perfect set up. The hottest ticket in town was at the Omeara, a quaint and truly intimate venue with a capacity of just 350, and for one night only the setting for the smallest gig Kodaline have played in a while. There is something special about artists who have made it “big” returning to a stage so comparatively small – and this was a feeling shared by the lucky ticket-holders who sang and swayed to a collection of Kodaline’s biggest hits and new music.

This simplicity made the show feel effortless and the size of the room allowed the pounding anthems and ballads to fill every corner. Since shooting to mainstream fame with tracks like High Hopes in 2013, the Irish band have released two albums with a third shortly on the way. The concert provided a platform to perform new music such as a rockier Ready to Change and brand new release Brother, which was instantly recognised and received a roaring welcome. The glimpses of the third record sound promising, with the distinctive Kodaline stamp of harmonies and emotion packed with big build ups and honest lyrics. Half the lyrics may or may not be “woah”, but if this is formulaic then surely it is a formula that works. A highlight of the evening came with new song I Wouldn’t Be, which pays tribute to family and friends and was sung mostly a cappella by lead singer Steve Garrigan. After laughing about “asking a London crowd to be quiet”, you could hear a pin drop as the audience hushed and soaked up the raw rendition.

Kodaline fans were happy with a setlist that included a harmonica-filled Love Like This, High Hopes, and solo performance of The One, however the band’s 2015 lead single Honest was a noticeable omission. Speech and crowd interaction was also limited to the occasional fan Facetime, but the evening was a chance to really appreciate the musicality and music up close and personal, be it Garrigan’s falsetto or guitarist Mark Prendergast’s impressive riffs. Usually, we’d know what to expect at a Kodaline concert, but opportunities to see the songs performed like this don’t come around often. By the time the show closed with a rousing All I Want (though the audience was nearly fooled to believe the last song was Perfect World), all they probably wanted was to replay the evening all over again.

Bev Lung
Photos: Guifre de Peray

For further information and future events visit the Kodaline website here.

Watch the video for Brother here: