/”Concert Review: CMAT
Location: Fairview Park, Dublin
★★★★★
CMAT’s concerts are celebrated for their engaging and unique type of audience interaction, where fans don’t merely express love but each one gives a personalized touch. An example of such would be signs reading “I sold you cheese in Blanch”, something you definitely wouldn’t see in a Taylor Swift concert. “Around a decade back, I was part of an open mic night at the Bleeding Horse”, announces the artist, also known as Ciara Mary Alice Thompson. “Now, I perform for 8000 people inside a huge tent”, she adds with an element of surprise.
She completely deserves this. CMAT is an exceptional songwriter with lyrics that are smart, humorous, and penetrating, complemented with unique melodies, and music that is creative and fulfilling. The opening verse of California, “What could I expect from a devout Catholic filled with joy except some wine and the belief in God?” shows her lyrical prowess. Her appearance on stage in a custom tiered Dublin GAA outfit paired with strappy leopard print heels, was as captivating as her emotionally charged performance— the kind that most artists save for their finale numbers.
CMAT is a magnificent entertainer, striking funny faces, passionately playing the guitar while also displaying impressive dancing skills along with a bandmate. All her band members donned striped tops, neckerchiefs, and shorts. The majority of the front row was composed of young girls in their teens and twenties – and they couldn’t have hoped for a better inspiration.”/
As an excerpt from ‘Whatever’s Inconvenient,’ one of her most outstanding tracks on her recent album, she soulfully presents, “I’d make you torso of the week/ If I still bought the celebrity gossip publication ‘Heat magazine’.” However, beyond the smart and often humorous quips, the feeling is always genuine, particularly when she serenades the crowd with the stunning and rhythmically fluid chorus, “Why do I persistently fall in and out of love? A needle nestled under my skin.” The audience enthusiastically participates, and one must be devoid of emotional depth not to join in. Dressed in a cowboy shirt, John Grant accompanies her in their performace of, ‘Where Are your Kids Tonight’, an elaborate and beautiful track which they perform together in a synchronised dance. Additionally, CMAT pays tribute to her birthplace, Dungarvan, Waterford. Claiming her heritage to be solely Dungarvan, she jokes, “We might have intermarried. But guess who else originates genetically from Dungarvan?” and just then, a splendid cover of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights starts to play echoing through the air.
CMAT continues to gain popularity in the UK, crediting her increasing fame. Her ballad homaging freedom, ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby,’ is pledged to a liberated Palestine, and is met with momentous applause. She concludes the performance with a similarly passionate tune ‘Stay for Something,’ akin to the sounds of Fleetwood Mac, the song crescendos with the sincere and emotional lyrics, “They recommend I despise you/Say you’ve caused me pain/Lord, I am aware I did once/ But I’m incapable now.” Every individual in the vicinity joins in, singing at full volume.
Last year, CMAT revealed in an interview with The Guardian, that she creates her music for those on the outskirts, “such as the LGBTQ+ community or isolated 14-year old girls with peculiar interests.” Perhaps this inclusivity contributes to why her gigs exude such elation. The audience shares a sense of togetherness and mutual appreciation of the privilege to witness an artist truly growing in her craft. It will be unlikely for many of us to experience a better gig this year.