On a beautiful balmy Sunday evening in the surrounds of the historic Collins Barracks, Northern Ireland’s very own Soak took to the stage to kick off a fantastic evenings entertainment as support to Father John Misty. They apologised for wearing sunglasses and hoped they didn’t come across as rude, but from the reaction of the crowd, the sunglasses were not an issue! Their sweet tone captivated those present, and led us through a beautiful set that was over all too soon. They truly are an amazing talent, and if you get a chance to see them live, do yourself a favour and do just that! You wont be disappointed!
Second on stage last Sunday evening at Collins Barracks was the America Singer-Songwriter Cass McCombs. Cass took up where Soak left off, and provided us with a set of soulful, thought provoking songs that were enthusiastically received by the large crowd. Cass has a voice that makes you listen, that conveys the emotion and story that he tells through his songs.
From the soft and easy opening song “County Line” from the Wits End album, through to the more upbeat “Home At Last”, and finishing with “Peace”, Cass didn’t disappoint. A fantastic addition to our evenings entertainment, and set us right up for the headline act of the night!
Eclectic, Enigmatic, Soulful Genius. If you know of Father John Misty, then you might just know where I’m coming from.
From the moment he walked on stage at Collins Barracks to a backdrop of “Sugar Baby Love” he had that aura that promised the audience that they were going to have a special night, all without saying a word. And boy did he deliver!
The opening track “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All” set the tone to get the crowd going, and once he had them, he held on to them. You couldn’t but be drawn in by his infectious stage presence and crowd interaction.
And so he and his band brought us on a magical mystery tour of simply beautiful soulful music. From “Being You” to “Goodbye Mr. Blue” to the stirring “Mental Health”, a song introduced as “a beautiful ballad about getting gaslit repeatedly by capitalism!”
When Misty sings, you listen.. not just with your ears, but with your heart. No song summed this up more than the finale to the main set..”Mahashmashana”. The whole song feels like a slowly building crescendo, which then crescendos itself! What a way to finish a main set! Had there been no encore, I wouldn’t have been disappointed, because that song in itself was worthy of being the final word of the night.
But an encore we had. Misty played “I Love You, Honeybear” alone on the acoustic guitar, before moving on to “Holy Shit”, starting alone before being joined by his band for the ending. Our night was brought to an end with “Real Love Baby”. “Let’s forget who we are for one night” sang Misty, and yes, for the duration of that amazing evening, we put our cares aside, and forgot them, if only for a little while.
Soak photos:
Cass McCombs photos & set-list:
Set-list:
County Line
Priestess
Home At Last
Missionary Bell
Van Wyck Expressway
Bum Bum Bum
Not The Way
Peace
Father John Misty photos & set-list:
Set-list:
I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All
Josh Tillman And The Accidental Dose
The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt.
Being You
Mr. Tillman
Total Entertainment Forever
Goodbye Mr. Blue
Nancy From Now On
Chateau Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins)
Mental Health
Ballad Of The Dying Man
Date Night
Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
She Cleans Up
Screamland
Summers Gone
Mahashmashana
Photos & Words – Lar Gilmartin @larsoffthebeatphotography