Kevin Murphy – The Cobblestone, Dublin – Live Review – 17-01-20
by Killian Laher

A cold night in January didn’t deter an eager crowd from a rare solo show from Kevin Murphy, of Slow Moving Clouds and Seti the First.  Support came from Seti the First bandmate Thomas Haugh, who played a strange set of instrumental music using unusual instruments such as a harpsichord, and what could have been a hurdy gurdy, accompanied by weird electric static.  Joined by Murphy on a couple of songs, whatever was in Haugh’s head didn’t quite translate on a somewhat baffling set.

Kevin Murphy ignored Seti the First songs and Slow Moving Clouds material in his set.  Instead, he played a set of solo songs on cello, and his peculiar, otherworldly singing voice.  Playing songs from a forthcoming solo album, The Emperor’s Lung, songs like The Young Aristocrats and the title track impressed.  Mary Barnecutt joined Murphy on cello for Bird Song and Winter’s Parade, contributing a fine vocal on the latter.

It felt like a family and friends affair, even more so when Kevin’s brother Bernard Murphy joined the stage on keyboards for Headless Horseman.  The penultimate song featured both Murphys plus Barnecutt and Haugh producing a powerful sound on What Neptune Did Next, before Kevin Murphy rounded off the set with a solo Swan Song.

An impressive show from one of Dublin’s unheralded musicians.