His common themes draw upon religious imagery, the passing of time, and the regrets that come from that. ‘If I Were Thy Demons’ has a gentle, rustic Americana feel to it, while ‘We Are Leaving’ showcases his ability to bring emotion and resonance without theatrics. His “hit” ‘Hello Death My Old Friend’ has a reaper’s march of a rhythm, summoning up the likes of Mark Lanegan and Johnny Cash, with themes of loss and regret, but without a bitter taste to the bitterness.



As with Robyn, Lanterns On The Lake don’t go in for theatrics, rather relying on the power of the quiet and the delicate. ‘Lungs Quicken’ sets out the stall early, gentle folk inflected organic electronica in the vein of Sigur Ros, copying their trick and bravery in letting a song drop to near silence before swelling up. The downplayed subtlety and female vocals recall the likes of PJ Harvey and Bat For Lashes at their most reflective, however this is balanced by the occasional burst of vitality, with ‘A Kingdom’ going off in the directions of Broken Social Scene or Arcade Fire – an impression added to by their habit of changing instruments.



‘If I’ve Been Unkind’ has gorgeous slide guitar, but this mournful tone is offset by the revelation that, contrary to appearances, they are in fact a bunch of rock and roll animals who believe they’re now banned from Dublin following last night’s post show party. This stage presence is at odds with their music though, which maintains its delicacy throughout. This forces the crowd to maintain their respect and concentration (bar a couple of drunken idiots), and at times it is possible to hear a pin drop. However, it is to applause that they finish their set, being dragged back for an encore of ‘Keep On Trying’ and ‘Not Going Back To The Harbour’, the latter proving a defiant and uplifting but still restrained ending to one of the best sets this reviewer has seen in a long time.



William Johnston