We got the pleasure of witnessing a diamond in the rough develop into a rising star last Saturday night at the Grand Social Dublin where the bubbly Áine Cahill had her first sold out Dublin show.
Megan-Kate Doolan greeted the crowd with her warm mellow vocals and smooth soothing tracks. The Wexford youngster showcased her flavour of alternative folk, sprinkled with a bit of soul and glazed with gentle creamy vocals and a slight rasp giving a fantastically unique rich texture to her tracks. With beautiful melodies presented simply with just her and her decorated guitar Megan-Kate Doolan looked delicate and elegant but when performing her songs she draws you in and touches your soul.
David Keenan follows with an intense set of strong lyrics and dynamic vocals. Belting out tracks about places he has been and people he has met on his travels. He possesses the art of story telling in
true Irish manner. With proficient guitar playing that is organic and raw strengthened with powerful vocals that are attention grabbing with the odd lilt almost half yodel at times. Keenan shows the red-blooded gritty side to music reminiscent of the Irish songs of old.
Once Keenan finished his set the crowd flooded forward awaiting the entrance of Áine Cahill. The room became clammy and sticky as the people packed to the front. I began to realise just how popular Cahill had become as I was being pushed back from the people in front of me, who made no apologises of their crude assault on my shoes while leaving me with little to no personal space. One gets worried when you are so close to someone that you can almost breath in their hair. Cahill begins her set with a captivating a cappella version of ‘Bang Bang’ which completely absorbs the crowd in a frenzy of awe and admiration. This starlet shatters any doubt anyone can have as she performs a soulful rendition of this classic with all the emotion and suave only 
Cahill possesses. Crooning her way into ‘Puppet’ followed by a passionate and soulful ‘Dangerous Woman’ which gets everyone swaying and loosening up their hips. Track after track showcasing her talent effortlessly. Cahill displays she is a born performer. Exuding sass and likeability she holds the entire audience in the palm of her hand while she banters back and forth with them. ‘Blood Diamond’ is a catchy cheeky little dig at the “bitches ” who always get what they want. Portrayed with a characterisation of class and an attitude of high class splendour while also delicately giving the middle finger Cahill once again pulls the crowd into a “girl power” anthem that has everyone shouting out the lyrics as they are reminded of someone they know who fits the description of the lyrics. The famous ‘Black Dahlia’ had everyone singing and swaying. It is obvious that Áine Cahill is set for great things from the roaring for “one more song” and from the massive amount of people bombarding her for autographs and selfies after the show. Watch out for Áine Cahill she has a big career ahead of her.
You can catch Áine Cahill live at
Fri 23 Sep The Waiting Room, London
Fri 04 Nov Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin
