Hozier and Pillow Queens impress in Dingle for online outing of Other Voices
Hozier was Wednesday's surprise headline act.
One of the triumphs of the year have been the Other Voices livestreams, which began with Ye Vagabonds in Whelan's in April and culminated on December 2-6 with the annual festivities in Dingle - minus the flowing pints and small, heaving crowds, of course.
Hozier was the surprise headline act on Wednesday, playing Other Voices for the first time since 2013. Backed by the ever-versatile Crash Ensemble, it's a really lovely set, an unexpected cover of 'My Lagan Love' the highlight. He says it's his first time playing with a band since a couple of sold-out shows at the 3Arena a year ago - ending with 'Take Me To Church', Andrew Hozier-Byrne shows he can still command the most intimate of spaces.
While Hozier didn't have any new tunes to reveal, there were plenty over the weekend performing their music for an audience, virtual or otherwise, for the first time.
For Those I Love is one - we've only seen him in the flesh once before, playing the stunning 'I Have a Love' on Later with Jools Holland at the start of November. FTIL is David Balfe, a 29-year-old producer from Dublin whose project is dedicated to his friend, the late Paul Curran.
The self-titled debut album is coming in February and we got a taster of it at the church on Saturday night, Balfe, emotion wretched across his face as he retreats to the shadows, stands with his hands clasped behind his back as he spits truths across Streets-flecked tracks. Latest single 'Top Scheme' is a call to action, Balfe screaming: "Your drugs aren't class, they're upper middle class... and you won't pay the nurses?! Pay the f**king nurses!" Spine-tingling and impossible to ignore.
Pillow Queens have released one of the Irish albums of the year with In Waiting. An exhilarating live band, the imagination runs wild at what could and should have been for them in venues across the world this year. In Pamela Connolly, they have a brilliant frontperson, all howling vocals and stabbing of guitar. After ecstatic versions of 'Handsome Wife' and 'Holy Show' ring around St James's Church, they end on album closer 'Donaghmede'. Building to a joyous crescendo, it hints at even bigger things to come for Pillow Queens.
