Dermot Kennedy @ Y Plas (15/10/18)
Words and Photos by Hannah Nicholson-Tottle
Usually, silence at a gig is a bad thing. But in 26-year-old Irish singer Dermot Kennedy’s case, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
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Cardiff University Student Union’s Y Plas filled slowly but surely with a couple based audience that initially led me to think that this concert would be a quiet one. Far from it. The crowd erupted as Kennedy and his band took to the stage, quickly dying away to a mass silence as he lifted his guitar, the audience hanging on his every movement in anticipation.
He started quietly, his signature soulful rasp filling the room and drawing the audience in, instantly transforming the large venue to an intimate one. Kennedy’s not bowing to the growing trend seeing artists not acknowledging their audience. He takes the time to explain the origin of his songs with striking sincerity, introducing an unreleased “For Island Fires and Family” song like so:
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“If you’re ever going through a rough patch, or things aren’t so good there’s always that one person you want to be with, or somewhere you want to be that would make things even the slightest bit easier. We all have that one thing, I think everybody has one. For me, it’s a place.”
Expertly blending contemporary folk, electronic elements, and storytelling, he proved song after song to be an incredibly talented musician with a huge respect for his craft, as did his bandmates. Understated, evocative and eloquent, the whole gig was a masterclass in balance. From the lighting to the energy between the bandmates, not one element overpowered or overcomplicated the others, allowing the authenticity of the music they were creating to shine through.
This wasn’t just a concert, it was a hauntingly beautiful experience that will stay with me for a long time.
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