Saint Sister – NCH – Live Review – 06/03/26

This show was part of the National Concert Hall’s Landmarks series, which is a “new occasional series, (where) leading Irish artists perform their landmark album and music from their career.” The series focuses on artists from the last 40 years, with bands/ musicians such as Something Happens, David Kitt, Gemma Hayes, Paddy Casey and The Hothouse Flowers. It’s an interesting concept and gives fans of the bands in question a night to remember. The night for Saint Sisters was also part of the celebration for International Women’s Day (March 8th). The album that was the focus of this night was Saint Sister’s 2021 release, Where I Should End, but there were other tracks, exploring songs from earlier in their career.

Saint Sister are made up of Morgan MacIntyre (from Belfast) and Gemma Doherty (from Derry), who met at Trinity College, Dublin and formed in 2014. The band are known for the vocal harmonies, with Doherty also playing Harp and Piano on many tracks. For this special live performance, the band were joined on stage (for the majority of the night) by a string quartet from The Crash Ensemble. The quartet also played on the album Where I Should End, so it was quite fitting to have them on stage.  The duo were quite emotional about playing at the National Concert Hall, and we were promised tears before the end of the evening.

The opening track of the night was My Brilliant Friend, a haunting piece that is one of their finest songs.

“My Brilliant Friend traces where I should end
And where I should begin”

The song Madrid is the title track of the band’s first release, an EP from 2015, and it brought back memories for Morgan MacIntyre of her time writing the track, living with her Aunt and Uncle in Celbridge and travelling to Dublin to meet Gemma to write and record.

There was also mention of the duo’s manager, who had ‘escaped’ from hospital for the evening to see them on stage. There would surely be nothing better for any patient to see and hear their friends on stage in the National Concert Hall, and we wish them well in their recovery.

The final track of the evening was Any Dreams? which is another of their signature songs. They returned with a two-song encore, which included a version of The Cranberries’ song Dreams and their final upbeat moment, Karaoke Song. There is a fear with a duo that focuses on vocal harmonies that their songs could blend together, but the quality of their writing, along with their differing arrangements mean they remain distinct. It was lovely to see how touched these two singers were by the ovation they received at the end of the evening. With the duo on indefinite hiatus, this night may offer fans hope of them returning to the recording studio at some point. It is clear that there is still a great friendship between the two.

“And just like that, the karaoke’s over
Lights come on we’re standing on the sofa
I wish that I could call you when I’m sober” – Karaoke Song

Setlist

My Brilliant Friend
Dynamite
The Beginning
Causing Trouble
Madrid
Corpses
The Mater
The Place That I Work
Tír Eile
Date Night
Irish Hour
Oh My God Oh Canada
Manchester Air
House 9
Any Dreams?

Encore:
Dreams (The Cranberries cover) (A cappella)
Karaoke Song