There are few things more electric than an Irish crowd at a live gig – except maybe an enthusiastic crowd predominantly made up of people from Cork. That is exactly what the artists who played intimate venues across Cork city had to look forward to as part of Heineken Greenlight, which took place over the June bank holiday weekend. The cool initiative is a new concept, first trialled in Dublin, that aims to bring big artists who would normally be playing to crowds of thousands
to smaller, local venues. Across four nights in the rebel county, artists like Inhaler, Florence Road, Men I Trust, Cliffords, Jazzy, and more brought their sound to stages at the Savoy, Cyprus Avenue, and The South Gate Complex, where they performed sets for hundreds of adoring Cork fans. I was lucky enough to see both Inhaler and Florence Road perform over the weekend, and I left both shows with one overarching thought that drowned out the other amped up ones: Cork needs MORE of this!
Live music is thriving; people just need the opportunity to experience it locally. In case you missed out on Heineken Greenlight, here is a snapshot of what the two gigs I attended were like. It has been a while since the young rock band stepped foot on a Cork stage. If you were lucky enough to see them in Cyprus Avenue a few years ago, still cutting their teeth and figuring out their indie sound, it might take you a second to recognise how much
they have grown, both as a collective unit and as talented individuals. The lads, who are now all 26 years old, confidently take to the sunny South Gate Complex stage right on schedule, and immediately launch into one of their most popular and recognisable songs, Dublin in Ecstasy. The crowd goes absolutely wild and starts enthusiastically bouncing as soon as magnetic frontman Elijah Hewson sings the track’s opening line, “What are you thinking, my love?” His casual look and long hair bring to mind an
air of Jeff Buckley, whose 29th anniversary happened to fall on the day of the gig, May 29th. Elijah is backed on both sides by bandmates Josh Jenkinson, who plays a mean guitar, and Robert Keating, who expertly multitasks on bass while singing backup vocals. Behind them, Ryan McMahon is going hard on the drums, beating an addictive rhythm. These four young men have been sharing the stage together for over 10 years, and their compatibility is immediately noticeable. They have travelled the world together,
playing to thousands of fans from America to Japan, and yet they still give it their all as they play to a crowd of a couple of hundred good-natured people in Cork on a gorgeous summer’s evening. Their twelve-song setlist covers the band’s three albums, It Won’t Always Be Like This, Cuts & Bruises, and Open Wide – the latter of which was released last year, and the crowd knows them all, shouting the lyrics to tunes that got radio play, such as My Honest
Face and Your House, to older tracks like Totally and Who’s Your Money On? If you were unsure about the band before catching them live, it is likely your opinion will change after seeing them on stage. Their passion for what they do is evident, and I am sure if you were to sit down with them for a chat, they would have a long list of musical inspirations that they would be more than happy to share. Even after they close out their set
that lasted nearly an hour, some fans stay long after the stage is empty and the sky grows dark, holding out hope for a cheeky encore that sadly doesn’t come. The band has been largely absent from the public eye so far this year, performing only a handful of times, making this low-key appearance all the more special. I am not a betting person, but I would think that they are working on a new record behind the scenes, one that could bring them on
another tour, and perhaps back to Cork – maybe as a summer act at Virgin Media Park. Cyprus Avenue was filled to the brim with Florence Road fans on Saturday. It was the first time the young four-piece band performed in Cork, and the iconic venue was the perfect place to be introduced to them. The popular group, which got its start after going viral on social media for covers, has shared the stage with many big names so far. They have opened for Olivia
Rodrigo, Sombr, The Last Dinner Party, and most recently Addison Rae, and are freshly home after their own headline tour across Europe. While they have yet to release an album, their two EPs and a couple of unreleased songs prove to be plenty for a satisfying setlist, which I will get to in a moment. The opening act on the night was KhakiKid, an Irish-Libyan rapper from Dublin who has also had great success building an audience in part through social media. An interesting choice
to open for Florence Road, his catchy discography was greeted with plenty of enthusiasm from the crowd, and without a doubt, did what it was supposed to: hype everyone up. At one point, he jumps into the audience and starts racing up and down, splitting the jostling crowd in the middle for his most popular song, Date Nite. When he returns to the stage, he is joined by friends and collaborators as he rocks out and closes his set to a rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s
Since U Been Gone – another hit with the buzzed audience. It isn’t too long before the main attraction, Florence Road, finally takes to the stage. Lily Aron, the lead singer, sweeps in with a guitar in hand and immediately starts playing. She is joined by childhood friends, Emma Brandon on guitar, Ailbhe Barry, who plays bass, and Hannah Kelly, drumming away in the background. The four members are all in their early twenties, and the command they have over their surroundings is impressive. They
almost seem at home performing in front of five hundred people – perhaps a less intimidating number to the group after playing the likes of a sold-out Marlay Park, where they were tasked with warming up the crowd for pop star Olivia Rodrigo. Their setlist is filled with fan favourites from EPs Fall Back and Spring Forward, such as Storm Warnings, Rabbits Can Swim, Break the Girl, and Goodnight, and has no shortage of fresh material new to many fans who were not at previous
shows. The group’s addictive live sound, which is as close as possible to their recorded tracks, will be ringing in your ears long after leaving the sold-out venue. A very special moment happens during the gig before the viral hit Hanging Out To Dry begins. Lily teases the crowd that there might be a surprise in store, and a few moments later, she brings out KhakiKid, who performs a freestyle to the band’s new single. It is an awesome sight to see a stage full
of young Irish artists who are only growing more in popularity each passing day, and it served as a lovely reminder of the new talent that is constantly coming out of Ireland – something that is being highlighted, and will hopefully continue to be so, by Heineken Greenlight. Want to see more of the stories you love from RSVP ? To add RSVP as a preferred source of news on Google, simply click here
Heineken Greenlight, Inhaler, Florence Road, KhakiKid, Cork live music, South Gate Complex, Cyprus Avenue, Savoy, Men I Trust, Cliffords, Jazzy