David Kitt – National Concert Hall – 11/04/26 – Live Review

This night marked a celebration 25 years in the making. David Kitt has just released the ‘kittser’s version’ of the 2001 album The Big Romance, due to Warner Music owning the original recording and the difficulties in dealing with them. The release includes several new tracks and has been released in a variety of formats, including a ‘Double Vinyl Pack’ for all you music nerds out there. The songs are recorded much as the original, with subtle differences to Kitt’s voice, which occurred due to 25 years of enjoying life to the full!

This was the second date of Kitt’s two-night residency at the National Concert Hall. The night was broken into two sets from Kitt, with the opening set a collection of songs from his first album, Small Moments (2000), along with some more recent releases. The second set list was the advertised album ‘The Big Romance’ played in full.

The night began in simple fashion with Kitt wandering out on stage and picking up his guitar a little after 8pm. He opened with Robert Wyatt (Along the Way), which included a discussion on the pronunciation of an Icelandic volcano!  ‘Another Love Song’ was a favourite from Kitt’s early live performances, with his 10-year-old brother Robbie providing the backing vocals. This time out, he included different relations as Robbie’s “balls have long since dropped”, with two of his nieces providing the vocals. There was talk of David’s time in Ballinskelligs with the song ‘I walk with Sean Garvey’ and an interaction with a man with a drone! The short set finished with Saturdays, a B-side and a fan favourite from his live performances.

While the first set was a relatively stripped-down affair, the performance of The Big Romance had a different approach, with up to 9 performers on stage, including Katie Kim and Rachael Lavelle. There was a huge roar with the opening notes of Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, N.Y.), with its simple guitar line filling the venue. Several of the songs were extended from the original, with the two female vocalists taking centre stage, with their lush vocals in contrast to David’s. You could tell that it was an emotional night for Kitt, and it must be a brilliant moment to be playing with a full band on The National Concert Hall stage. The night finished with an extended version of Into the Breeze, which sent the partisan crowd home singing…

“Stepping into the breeze, I’m running
Kicking water downstream, I’m running
I can see where it ends, I’m running
Where I can start again, I’m running”

Setlist

Set 1:

Robert Wyatt (Along the Way)
There Are Words
Sleep Comes Tomorrow
Another Love Song
Sound Fades With Distance
Days for Two/ in the Morning
Headphones
I walk with Sean Garvey
All Been Gold
Saturdays

Set 2:
Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
You Know What I Want to Know
Step Outside in the Morning Light
Private Dance
Pale Blue Light
What I Ask
Strange Light in the Evening
Whispers Return the Sun, Rest the Moon
You and the City
Into the Breeze