CMAT3Arena, Dublin\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n
On the windy north quays of the Liffey, freshly pelted with rain, Stay for Something, one of CMAT\u2019s<\/a> transcendent torch songs, blares from a passing car. It\u2019s Friday night, the frenetic energy of December fritzes through the city\u2019s veins and \u2013 danger here \u2013 it\u2019s a full moon. <\/p>\n Inside 3Arena<\/a>, CMAT, Ireland\u2019s own, and one of the stars of the year globally, is missing from the stage. Her band is present, and then the spotlight angles towards a balcony. CMAT leans over and begins one of the best gigs of the year. <\/p>\n Star of Glastonbury, partly responsible for Bertie Ahern not entering the presidential race<\/a>, and creator of an album of the year in Euro-Country<\/a>, CMAT is at this stage less a pop star (although she is that) than a phenomenon. <\/p>\n A giant euro-coin-style screen hangs in front of a stage backdrop of a cloud-punctured blue sky. Yellow star lights line up below. The staging and lighting design are perfect. <\/p>\n CMAT launches into The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station, she and her fantastic band delivering a muscular, frantic, blistering rendition of one of the finest tracks on her third album. <\/p>\n She reminisces about her final pre-Covid gig, playing to seven people in her Bewley\u2019s uniform. Now, thousands roar; the swaying to I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! \u2013 an early hit \u2013 is a spectacle. They\u2019re also in full voice for Take a Sexy Picture of Me. She acknowledges the participation in the song\u2019s dance craze: \u201cThe thing about Irish people is we love an organised dance.\u201d<\/p>\n This is high camp and higher talent, a pop pinnacle for shows in the capital this year. CMAT having conquered an arena, the immediate feeling is that a stadium awaits. <\/p>\n Everyone knows she writes brilliant songs. But the craft, structure and melody remain underrated. She is one of the best around. On Friday, in a two-hour show that never dips, her prowess as a writer shines. <\/p>\n There are two gorgeous duets. Her support act Fancy Hagood returns for a wonderful version of When a Good Man Cries. Where Are Your Kids Tonight?, originally recorded with John Grant, is performed with the band\u2019s captivating keyboardist Colm Conlan.<\/p>\n