Dublin-raised singer and guitarist Dermot Kennedy built his voice busking and turned it into arena-scale storytelling.
Street Roots, Big Rooms
His sound blends grainy baritone, folk guitar, and hip-hop sized drums, with lyrics about loyalty and distance. After early EP
Doves & Ravens and his debut
Without Fear, he moved into charts without losing the quiet parts.
Songs You Might Hear
Expect a set that swings from hush to roar, likely including
Outnumbered,
Power Over Me,
Giants, and
Kiss Me. The crowd tends to be mixed-age friends and couples, with pockets of solo fans who listen hard and then sing on the last refrain. He often reworks the dance feature
Paradise into a stripped, human version, and some
Sonder cuts started as simple guitar sketches before expanding. Years on the street taught him to drop the band to a whisper so a chorus can bloom, and to let silence do some of the work. For clarity, tonight's likely songs and production flourishes are inferred from prior dates and could shift from city to city.
Quiet Rapture, Warm Crowd: The Dermot Kennedy Scene
Soft Voices, Big Choruses
The room skews mixed-age, with weathered denim, wool coats, and scarves that somehow stay on after the lights drop. You will spot lyric notes on tote bags and a few homemade bracelets stamped with
Sonder titles. Chants are rare; instead, there is a practiced hush before the big chorus and a clean, single-voice singalong when it hits.
Little Signals of Belonging
Irish flags near the rail show quiet pride, and conversations stay soft between songs out of respect for the hush-and-swell pacing. Merch runs simple: black tees with white text, soft hoodies, and a poster series with coastal lines and grayscale skies. Post-show, fans trade favorite lines and talk about where the songs found them, more story swap than volume contest.
Bones of the Song: Dermot Kennedy's Live Craft
Built Around the Voice
The vocal sits at the center, a grainy baritone that can leap to a clear top note without losing shape. Guitar and piano handle most of the color, moving from tight fingerpicking to firm, straight drums that feel like a heart pulse. Arrangements keep intros short so the lyric lands early, then stretch bridges so the room can sing.
Small Choices, Big Lift
A neat detail: the drummer blends acoustic kit with sample pads, thickening choruses without clutter. Keys often double guitar lines an octave up, adding shimmer that frames the voice rather than fighting it. On tour, songs may drop a half or whole step to keep warmth and protect stamina across long runs. Visuals tend to be clean, with cool whites on the lonely numbers and warmer ambers as the set opens up. When the band wants lift without volume, they shift rhythm accents to make the chorus feel like it rises under you.
Compass Points: Kindred Artists for Dermot Kennedy Fans
Neighbor Sounds, Shared Hearts
Fans of
Hozier will recognize the blend of folk soul and gospel-lift crescendos, though these choruses aim straighter and hit quicker.
Where Fans Overlap
Lewis Capaldi draws a similar crowd who want big, plainspoken ballads carried by a weathered voice. If you like earnest pop with acoustic bones,
Dean Lewis is in the same lane, while
Kodaline bring that Irish ache and widescreen lift. Each of these artists keeps the band in service of the vocal, preferring steady builds over solos. Listeners who value clean hooks, clear lyrics, and a patient live arc tend to float across all four.
