By the time Matt Maeson entered stage on Monday night, there was a noticeable sense that this gig was several months in the making. Technically, this was not the show Dublin had originally signed up for. Maeson was due to play here on February 2, but just before the European run was due to begin, he broke his hand after an attempted “dunk” of his water bottle into a trash can… a video of the incident made the rounds online. Surgery was required, the entire tour was postponed and the Dublin date was eventually moved to September.
Thankfully, Maeson appeared to have recovered fully by Monday night, and he was more than happy to make light of the whole episode. At one point, while reflecting on the events of February, he alluded to the fact that perhaps he should be a little more careful in future…
More importantly, there was no sense that the delay had diminished the occasion. Maeson has built a career around taking his most complicated feelings and turning them into the most memorable hooks. The songs felt bigger, louder and more alive than they do on record, while his humour and willingness to make himself the punchline kept the evening from ever becoming too heavy.
Opening the night was Steinza, whose connection with Maeson runs deeper than simply sharing a stage. The pair have collaborated together previously and his set provided an appropriately intimate introduction to the evening.
Steinza photos:
Matt Maeson photos:
Photos & Words by Myles Dunne – @MylesDunnePhoto