Irish indie folk trio Kingfishr took to the stage of the iconic Albert Hall in Manchester for the third night of the UK leg of the 'Halcyon' tour. 

Returning from their travels across Europe, the band have embarked on a series of shows slightly closer to home ahead of their return to Ireland later next month, closing their incredible 2025 run of shows.

Opening the show with Jack Cullen, a former professional rugby player, now a singer-songwriter. His music takes us on a journey, focusing on emotional storytelling where his songs feel authentic and well-lived rather than forced - and this is no different in his live performance. In the words of the adoring crowd, we may have the British/Irish version of Noah Kahan on our hands here - listen to him yourself and see if you agree!

The perfect opener to a night of beautifully curated music, Cullen made the sold-out 1,800 capacity venue feel like the most intimate room. Introducing the crowd to his music with his puns about his sports career and personal anecdotes, particularly to do with the marathons he ran for charity, with hit song ‘12’ being dedicated to these. Cullen also delighted the crowd with his own rendition of the Incredibly popular Olivia Dean track ‘Man I Need’ - which had all fans, new and old, singing along. Cullen immersed the crowd in his incredible songwriting and lyricism, and it's safe to say they were left dazzled as his beautiful performance came to a close. 

Kingfishr then took the stage, with Eoghan and Eoin taking the stage before lead singer Eddie appeared, dancing and clapping along to the intro music of ‘I Cried, I Wept’. The crowd went absolutely wild, dancing along to this upbeat hit, the perfect way to open the show. 

‘The Saviour’ then played aloud before feeding into the sounds of ‘Shadow’. Eddie then jokes,“we all have that friend we shouldn't be friends with”, before proceeding to play ‘My Friend Mac’ dedicated to his friend. The whole show continued with this sense of personal family connection as they paid homage to the history of the band before taking to the centre of the jam-packed room to perform ‘Shot in the dark’. The whole of the dark room was soon lit alight by the torches of adoring fans who watched the band perform the track, another moment which really brought this feeling of comfort. 

The band then paid homage to their Irish heritage, as much of their music does, asking if we had any Irish people in the house. It's safe to say lots of the crowd had this thing in common, even members from other places were welcomed into this community and as Eddie said himself - everyone in that room was Irish that night. The night continued as a gorgeous showcase of the band's work over the years. Playing new song ‘The Blade’ before flowing to the fan favourite ‘Gloria’ being met with a singing crowd from the very first note. 

The crowd this night certainly didn't let down, from the people at the barrier to those at the back of the balcony. The diverse crowd of all ages brought together something rather special, with such a beautifully fitting venue only adding to the perfect night. This took us to the beginning of a perfect end to the night, with the band thanking the crowd for spending their time and money to join them regarding how they “never thought nights like this would happen to people like them”. Their gratitude radiated through the room as they introduced top-track ‘Killeagh’. Being personally dedicated to a hometown hurling team they expressed the true root of the song being about community, being a part of something bigger than yourself - and that is the most perfect way to summarise the show itself. 

The way the crowd sang along to every track like it ran through their veins really was the standout of the night and the three-song encore was also no different. Closing the night with ‘Banjolude’, ‘Eyes Don't Lie’ and one of their oldest and most loved tracks, ‘Caroline’, the band brought the night to the most perfect close. 

Jenna Laband 

@jenna.lab 

Images: Jenna Laband 

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