Ducking from a wintry downpour into Kilkenny’s St. Canice’s Cathedral feels liminal, like entering a sacred chamber of sound. The imposing stone arches, echoing aisles, and dim, coloured lights create a dramatic yet intimate space – a perfect setting for the emotional candour and rawness that Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill bring to the stage.
The backbone of the evening is the critically acclaimed In the Game, a concept album that charts the tension and passion of a relationship between two musicians. Their voices – Flannery’s gravelly, smouldering drawl and O’Neill’s husky, soulful delivery – intertwine beautifully, forging a powerful synergy.
On stage, their chemistry is quietly potent. There is no compromise between their individual musical identities and the narratives in their shared songs: the Blarney troubadour leans into compelling storytelling, his voice rugged but tender, while O’Neill’s bluesy tone dances between poignant, spine-tingling, and ferocious. When they sing together, their harmonies soar like an old gospel refrain, and suddenly, you could be in the Deep South a half-century ago. It suits the gothic Cathedral’s deep, reverberant acoustics. Their vocals drift across medieval stone, suffusing the cavernous venue.
The emotional cores of their narrative – insecurity, love, and artistic tension – shine in the live setting. Though the characters are fictional, Flannery frequently expresses his own feelings and experiences through figures in song. They lay themselves bare, yet there is always a thread of storytelling, of character, that turns each cinematic track from mere performance to dramatic tableau. Their music is a visceral journey through the human condition, its stubborn flaws and ephemeral triumphs laid bare in an Americana-tinged style.
Musically, the set drifts between minimalism and bombast. The duo covers diverse ground, from rootsy folk to blues rock and soul. The former stonemason has repeatedly reinvented himself, chiselling out a reputation as a cornerstone of contemporary Irish music. From the narrative-driven blues of his debut Evening Train, to the caustic political anger unleashed on I Own You, and the introspective soul-searching of his 2019 self-titled record, Flannery is not an artist content to stand still.
His smoky vocals fuse Buckley and Dylan, while his lyrical craft remains stellar and incisive throughout. His wicked, dry humour only endears him further to the spellbound audience. Flannery’s backing band, led by Christian Best on drums, is superb. The swell of brass shines alongside the vocal performances, with O’Neill equally adept on the trumpet and harmonica as she is on guitar.
A past review of the Cork man’s fourth album, By The Rule, described his work as something to be “admired rather than enjoyed.” This critique missed the mark. There are mournful, minimalist moments, as in “Lonely Wins” and “Ghost”, but also surges of joyful catharsis. The jubilant choruses of songs like “Chain Reaction”, “Love You Like I Love You”, and “Are We Free?” – a highlight – land even more powerfully in the cathedral setting. Their distinctly Irish take on soul is enchanting. While they do weave darkness and fatalism into their music, to dismiss it as dour or austere is an oversimplification.
The pair also share selections from their solo repertoires. Flannery introduces elements of his distinctive, dark Rock & Roll sound in “Light a Fire”, while O’Neill’s “Everyone’s Blind” is reimagined with a riveting rock coda. For the audience, this becomes a moment of almost liturgical communion. The acoustics of this wonderful Marble City venue allow every word, every nuance, to be savoured.
For the encore, Flannery and O’Neill return with joyous covers of John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs”, along with the touching fan favourite “I’ll Be Out Here”. The rapturous reception underscores the duo’s rapport with their devotees.
Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill’s performance in St. Canice’s Cathedral feels like a confessional. It is an evening of storytelling, broken hearts, aching beauty, and music that makes you stop and listen. Their live flair is not just heard, but deeply felt. They are not to be missed.
