According to my records, it had been seven years since I last saw Ultan perform live… I found that hard to believe, but Ultan assured me it was indeed seven years.
The venue is the Dublin Unitarian Church, just off St. Stephen’s Green. It’s a beautiful space, but notoriously difficult to shoot in. Why? Well, lighting is practically non-existent! Anyway, what can you do except deal with it?
Kicking off a manic run of gigs for me over Christmas, tonight’s show is the Dublin launch of Ultan’s new album, Only. The album is a reworking of Ultan’s first two releases, Bless Your Heart and Songs of Love So Cruel, and also includes the brilliant Penny Sweets. Much like tonight’s gig, Only is a stripped-back acoustic affair — just Ultan and his guitar — and it sounds incredible. It’s warm, touching, and intimate, and the audience soaked it all up as the songs washed over them.
Speaking of Penny Sweets, several packets of Haribo’s finest made their way around the audience during the song. The venue’s no drinking or eating rules were temporarily abandoned as the crowd stuffed their faces with jellies.
Towards the end of the night, the fantastic Daoirí Farrell joined Ultan on stage for a song.
Post-gig, the line at the merch table was huge — it seemed everyone wanted a copy of the album. If you do too, you can find it on Bandcamp.
Anyway, enough waffling — here are some photos.
