Tindersticks – 3Olympia – Live Review – 15/03/25
by Killian Laher

Tindersticks – Live at the 3Olympia, Dublin on Saturday 15th March 2025

A fairly swift return for Tindersticks to Dublin, less than three years after their last visit.  The band has evolved from their former tortured selves to a more genial, measured form of gloom, having largely left behind their 1990s material.  There was high-calibre support in the shape of Oisin Leech and Graham Heaney.  Playing mostly selections from last year’s excellent Cold Sea album, songs like One Hill Further and October Sun (“my hit in Navan, north Navan”) were enhanced by Leech’s harmonica playing.  With the songs shorn of electric guitar, the likes of Empire and Malin Gales seem to channel Nick Drake.  Oisin Leech’s guitar playing in the coda of the latter sounded particularly fine.  With an intriguing instrumental and a new song Tremone going down well, someone in the audience cried out “Oisin Fucking Leech!” as Leech introduced Colour of the Rain.  When the dust settles on this album and tour it will be interesting to see where he goes next.

Tindersticks were next up, coming on stage with several musicians and a string section for the appropriate opener How He Entered.  Despite the multitude of people on stage, the sound was still relatively sparse on A Night So Still and Willow, and the string section was used sparingly, allowing the songs to breathe.  Stuart Staples took centre stage on vocals and occasional guitar on the likes of Trees Fall.

The band is made up of equal parts, brooding majesty and soaring soul.  The former was exemplified by a bleak as fuck rendition of The Bough Bends, with Neil Fraser’s growling guitar sounding impressive.  On the other hand the likes of Lady With The Braid and Don’t Walk, Run felt like a warm hug.  The string section was used to full effect on Both Sides of the Blade and Always A Stranger, with the trumpet having a great impact on the latter.  Later the band were joined by Gina Foster for New World before the set finished with the exquisitely moody Soon To Be April.

The encore saw the band giving a fine rendition of the 30-year-old Travelling Light, Staples duetting with Foster on this and Show Me Everything before rounding off the night with For The Beauty.  While as a band they are unlikely to recruit many new fans, they do what they do excellently, and few in the audience can have been disappointed.