Live: Sarah Kinsley in Dublin 2024
I’ve been eagerly awaiting Sarah Kinsley’s concert in Dublin for years, and when she finally announced a Dublin stop, of course I had to go. I was so excited that I bought my tickets in presale on the way from the airport in Austria haha
Sarah Kinsley is from New York and has been making music for a few years now. I came across her on Instagram, where she was showing how she composed the music for the song Over + Under. I was intrigued by the whole process and especially the music itself – a mix of modern and classical. That was almost 4 years ago and I have been listening to her music ever since.
This September she released her first debut album Escaper and also went on a tour of the USA and Europe. She has played in Europe in the past, but not much and not in Dublin, so I was really happy. The Dublin concert took place on November 8th at Whelan’s, where I have only been twice in the past – for Alice Merton and Wallis Bird.
I had to leave for Dublin earlier than usual because the later bus was sold out. So I used the time I had to catch Pokemon and grab a bite to eat at my favorite Asian restaurant. The restaurant is right across from the club, so I went there after dinner. Well, as for stage times – they were originally supposed to open at 7:30, but they moved it up to 8:00. Ugh. It wasn’t cold, but it was drizzling and there was nowhere to hide. Oh well. But I was one of the first in line and they didn’t even check our bags, so I got into the club quickly. It was also the first time I’d been up on the balcony, which I hadn’t known about before (which was a shame for Wallis, where there were only drunks around us).
I stood in the middle and had an unobstructed view of the stage. The opening act was Linn Koch-Emmery from Sweden, whom I would also recommend. I heard her for the first time that evening and I enjoyed her a lot. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait that long for Sarah after her set. In addition to songs from the new album, she also played some of her older hits. She even has a section in her setlist where she lets the audience vote on which song they want to hear – we were given the choice between What was Mine and Hills of Fire. I love HoF and I wanted to hear it live, but unfortunately WwM won (well, not entirely unfortunately, it’s also a great song, but you get the idea). Well, my wish was finally granted when during the encore there were technical difficulties with the last song of the evening, Oh no Darling!, and Sarah ended up singing Hills of Fire and I got to hear my favorite song live (rip Oh no Darling, it must be really good live too). In addition to her great songs, Sarah also covered Dreams by The Cranberries, which got the venue even more excited. And during the new song Sublime, she introduced a special microphone that gave her voice even more echo.
And what can I say? Sarah is even more divine live than in the studio. I love euphoric songs with a female voice and Sarah just does them. Add elements of classical music, or at least piano and strings, and I’m home. The concert was amazingly energetic and everyone enjoyed it (I was surprised how many people came and knew the lyrics).
As always, I’ll go again next time. And now you go and listen to Sarah’s Escaper at least.
