Concert review: Bryce Dessner, Cashel Day-Lewis and Conor O’Brien among stars at NCH

The Cruellest Month event at the National Concert Hall had links to Sounds From A Safe Harbour in Cork, and featured a similar mix of musicians across several concerts 

Mina Tindle and Conor O'Brien (Villagers) on stage at the National Concert Hall for The Cruellest Month. Picture: Kerrie Sheedy/National Concert Hall

The Cruellest Month, National Concert Hall,  Dublin, ★★★★☆

The National guitarist Bryce Dessner is artist-in-residence at Dublin’s National Concert Hall this year and as part of the hookup, headed a series of concerts and ‘musical meetings’ under the title The Cruellest Month at the venue over the weekend (April 11-13). Curated alongside Sounds from a Safe Harbour and the record label Brassland, the air of collaboration and interweaving musicians does seem reminiscent of the giddiness of SFSH - the Cork festival returns in September, with a lineup announcement due in the next month. One of the Leeside event's curators, Cillian Murphy, was also viewing proceedings at the NCH.