Lisa Hannigan at Beaulieu House, Drogheda 17/12/16

Saturday night saw Lisa Hannigan take to the stage at Beaulieu House in Drogheda in front of a sold out crowd. It was evident from the moment you entered the gates that this gig would be something special, you could tell it would be unlike other gigs. From the walk through the lit up forest to get to the house, the mulled wine reception, the bonfire outside and the tent which housed a rather spectacular stage decked out with cool lighting and a couple of trees. The Vantastival gang really did a great job with the whole venue. It was like a mini secret festival in the woods.

Lisa and band took to the stage around 9pm and quickly warmed the freezing cold audience. They performed a number of songs from the new album “At Swim” including the fantastic “Fall”, “Snow”, “Lo” and “Ora” The adoring crowd were also treated to songs from Lisa’s previous albums including “Pistashio”, “What’ll I Do”, “Knots” and crowd favourite “Passenger”. As this was a festive celebration, the audience was treated to a beautiful rendition of “Silent Night”.

There was a large number of people who for some reason thought it was fine to talk loudly during every song including the really quiet slow songs and even an a capella song during the encore. At one point Lisa Hannigan rather politely suggested that they should go outside and avail of the mulled wine so that the people that want to listen could do so uninterrupted. The talking continued and a crowd member suggested that Lisa should “fuck them up”. It doesn’t seem in her nature but she seemed receptive to the idea.

There were also a couple of newlyweds who had gotten married that day and drove down from Belfast just to see Lisa perform. She played a song especially for them which I’m sure was a pretty cool wedding gift.

Lisa Hannigan has a way of captivating the audience and taking them on a journey. This was achieved by performing a mixture of songs that range from upbeat dance songs to sombre songs taking in haunting and melancholy on the way. She also seemed to be enjoying herself immensely which rubs off on the crowd and enhances their enjoyment.

This gig had it all but if it had to summed up in one word, that word would be enchanting.

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