SexyTadhg brought their biggest headline show to date to The Academy in Dublin on November 21st 2025. Having photographed Tadhg’s performance when he played support for the Mary Whallopers in the summer, I knew this show would be nothing short of a spectacle. Support on the night was two-fold with Calum Agnew and Shobsy providing an excellent introduction into the night. The room was fairly empty when doors opened with a few groups milling about the bar. As the evening drew on the floor filled until you didn’t have a centimetre to breath. I had a feeling this venue would serve this type of show well and I wasn’t wrong.
The Academy is undoubtedly a gorgeous room and the intimacy of it, made this experience feel very personal and we were all very involved from the get go. Fans had packed in right to the barrier and were giving the support acts all their attention, swaying along and shouting their support for Agnew and joining in with Dubliner Shobsy as he glided through the notes, with both sets ending in rapturous applause. The lights dropped as Tadhg was announced to the stage and we were treated to a dramatic entrance that saw the headline artist arrive to stage adorned in a black veil. A dramatic dance solo pair emerged first from the shadows, with silks, building the suspense for the opening.
SexyTadgh is renowned for their theatrics and this show was no different. In terms of production value this show had it all, the lights, the movement, the oomph, everyone on the stage was here for one thing alone, to entertain the heck out of the people who had turned up to see them. Tadhg swept across the stage like a person possessed, if they weren’t here they were there, throwing shapes, masterfully switching between the fiddle and keyboard, all without missing a beat or a word. I was in absolute awe of the talent in front of me, and I know I wasn’t the only one.
My head was spinning trying to keep a track of what was in front of me, in the best way possible. The sheer ability of this person to command an entire room of people, who were fixated on their every move, is nothing short of miraculous. I know I am not the first nor will I be the last to say, in terms of Irish artists, SexyTadhg is in a league of their own, and deserves every ounce of recognition that has come their way thus far. We were promised a night of pure entertainment and we sure got it. Can’t wait to see them on a bigger stage the next time, they most certainly deserve it!
Calum Agnew photos:
Shobsy photos:
SexyTadhg photos:
Photos & Words – Lisa Hamilton @lisahamiltonphotography