Joe Butler played Up-stairs Whelan’s on Saturday night and it was one of those gigs where you walk in, and within five minutes, you just know it’s going to be a great night. The crowd was buzzing and there was a fun, almost mischievous atmosphere.
The place was packed—his family, friends, and plenty of fans were in the crowd, along with a few people I spoke to who had flown in from as far as the Netherlands just to be there. Support on the night came from Carsten2x and Marti Perramon, who got things rolling before Joe came out to a massive reaction.
Joe may be very young, but you’d never guess it from the way he carries himself as an artist. He’s already got some serious numbers behind him—his track “Sleepy” with Carsten2x is close to 200,000 streams on Spotify, and he’s played the stage of 3Olympia with KhakiKid when he supported 49th & Main. Speaking of which, Khakikid was in the crowd last night and even jumped on stage to perform a few tracks with Joe, including their tune “Suckin’ Diesel”, which is closing in on 60,000 streams. That was a proper moment—the crowd knew every word and both guys were in and out of the crowd soaking in the moment.
Joe ran through all his big tracks. What makes him so exciting is how he refuses to stick to just one sound. There was hip-hop, there was acoustic, there were moments where fans were arm in arm swaying—there was even a bit of folk/country blended into hip hop with his newly penned track “county ball”. Joe switches between styles like it’s nothing. Some artists spend years trying to figure out their thing, but Joe already has multiple, and he’s great at all of them.
It’s not an exaggeration to say he’s one of the best things happening in Irish music right now. He’s got the talent, the work rate, and the kind of confidence that makes you believe he could go anywhere from here. Whatever sound he decides to go for next—or maybe all of them at once—he’ll definitely be able to pull it off.
If you’re not keeping up with Joe Butler yet, now’s the time.
Marti Perramon photos:
Carsten2x photos:
Joe Butler photos:
Photos & Words – Alan Robinson @alan_robinson_photography