Photos: Remy Connolly
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Info: Last night Dublin-based band FIELDS took to the main stage in Whelan's as headliners for the first time with support from Ivan Nicolas & Nimbu§. Unsurprisingly the joint was packed from front of stage all the way back to the sound-desk. Nimbu§, a collaborative music project led by songwriter Daithí Glas opened proceedings with a mellow yet upbeat set, joined on stage for songs by Waterford artist Tadhg Williams and FIELDS' Seán O'Brien. Ivan Nicolas and band were up next, I'd only previously seen Nicolas once before just over a year ago at Hard Working Class Heroes in The Tara Buildings, and last nights performance was just as good if not better. There's an aura about him, somewhere in between rock star and folk-rock balladeer, not that it's necessarily of much relevance in the grander scheme of things, but there's also a noted humility to Nicolas, no pointless braggadocio, yet a quiet confidence.
For FIELDS themselves, they probably couldn't have asked for a better night, a full house, audience members joining in more than a few times for sing-a-longs (always good when people know your lyrics!), and they themselves striking a perfect balance between rising energetic stompers and slowing down the set at points to create a pretty emotive atmosphere. FIELDS are the type of Irish band that deserve success, they can write the tunes for sure, and evidently have a fanbase that is growing, add to that a memorable live performance and all we can do now is watch and wait.
