Limerick’s favourite indie/folk trio Kingfishr played a SOLD OUT show at the legendary King Tuts in Glasgow as one of the many sold out dates on the ‘The Prologue Tour Part II’. The band showcased how a debut Scottish show can be done.
Benjamin Steer was supporting Kingfishr tonight. A young guy with huge talent. Ben told the story of how TikTok has helped him excel with his music career and land this tour slot with Kingfishr. Considering all the recent issues with TikTok and musicians it was truly humbling to hear a positive story.
Ben was so down to earth and honest, connecting with the audience and showing his vulnerability. This was his first live show and what a way to kick start a career with a sold-out show at King Tuts and a tour with Kingfishr. Everyone in the audience gave an almighty Scottish applaud for this talented young guy. Benjamin reminds me of a young Ed Sheeran; that indie/folk vibe with use of backing tracks and loops. He played his original material; breathe which featured a really cool rap style middle 8, Street lights which was one of the more upbeat in his set as he exclaimed “no more of this sad sh*t!”. This particular track seemed heavily influenced by Gotye. Ben finished his set with his latest single Give Me More which you can pre-save now.
Kingfishr took to the stage with an almighty applaud from the crowd and the bands faces just beemed with excitement. You could tell everyone was here for a good time and great music. People always comment on how great a Glasgow crowd is and tonight I feel there was a real sense of unity in the air.
The band met at university and have been working hard together since graduating and have had some pretty incredible gigs to date; supportingThe Boss Bruce Springsteen, touring with George Ezra and Dermot Kennedy. Eddie (Vocals & Guitar), Mcgoo (Banjo), Fitz (bass) have shown you need more than the luck of the Irish to achieve, it’s mostly about the love of the art and the passion for the music.
Unfortunatly they didn’t have the easiest drive up to Scotland, after suffering an accident in their van they had to find help to make it to Glasgow it seems their motto really was the show must go on, aren’t we so glad that it did?
Kingfishr come with an abundance of energy, passion and charisma, mixing traditional Irish folk with indie and pop influences. They endeavour to achieve poetic song writing, telling tales of their life back home in Limerick. Opening up their set with Heart In The Water it was evident that the crowd were ready to belt it out and show the Scottish love for Kingfishr’s first Scottish appearance.
Eddie shared stories throughout the set about the songs back stories and how they developed and I feel this gives a real personalised experience to the crowd and helps the band and audience connect. Shot in the dark; the song tells the tale of the band announcing to their families that they were giving up their day jobs to persue music full time. This particular song is already beautiful but the band created a very intimate moment as they joined the gig goers on the dance floor to perform this track under torch light, the crowd soon joined in. An enchanted moment of connection, it couldn’t have been a more raw performance if they tried.
Whereas Vancouver tells the story of meeting your ex girlfriend in the airport whilst her bags are packed for the trip you were going to adventure on together but it wasn’t meant to be.
The crowd was as much Irish fans as Scots, as chants of “Olé, Olé, Olé“echoed round the room as the band joined in. The atmosphere was electric and there was so much buzz in that wee room.
Kingfishr just seem the most excited guys. Humbled to be on a new journey and pursuing something they truly love. I could see the grins from all the band members from the back of the room and it was evident that this really meant the world to them all.
I’m unsure I’ve been at a debut gig that can be matched Kingfishr truly pulled it out of the bag tonight – the crowd were respectful throughout, ‘ssshhh’ing’ the noiser crowd during the quiet sections and belting it out with gusto when appropriate.
I feel so fortunate to have seen this band before they are too big for a venue the size of King Tuts. There’s something incredibly significant about catching a band at this point, a special moment of realisation that one day these songs will likely be played in places 5x the size with a very different meaning and atmosphere (not necessarily in a bad way).
Kingfishr are a wonderful example of enchanting song lyrics, beautiful melodies and powerful vocals.
