Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory at Collins Barracks, Dublin, on Thursday 21st August 2025
No doubt, quite a few people are suffering from sore pockets right now in the wake of Oasis and All Together Now and in anticipation of Electric Picnic, but when one of the greatest contemporary songwriters in the world comes to town you simply have to drag your tired bones up and out the door for one more round.
Katy J Pearson at Wider Than Pictures at Collins Barracks, Dublin 21.8.2025 Copyright Colm Kelly
Armed with a unique lilt, Swindon’s Katy J Pearson and tight band got the night in motion moving from the Wilco-esque, open road Americana of ‘Beautiful Soul’ to the sludge rock of ‘Alligator’ with ease across a seven-song set that acted like a tasting plate for her considerably enjoyable three studio albums. Hat tip to her bassist who was rocking an SG bass – the rarely seen in the wild favoured axe of Spinal Tap’s Derek Smalls. Come back again soon.
An under the weather Angie McMahon gave it her best Ed Sheeran impression with a solo performance that included misbehaving loop pedals and possessed synths. “My voice is elsewhere,” she tells us, pleading for a little leeway with her set from fans – who had been sending in requests via Instagram -as she’s not sure she’ll be able to hit all the notes tonight.
What follows is an endearingly ramshackle performance with McMahon’s dry, self-deprecating sense of humour shining through as much as her songwriting prowess. Seeing her unease, the crowd join in on backing vocals, even singing guitar parts at one point.
Angie McMahon at Wider Than Pictures at Collins Barracks, Dublin 21.8.2025 Copyright Colm Kelly
When it worked it was fabulous and when it went a little awry it was hard not to be impressed by McMahon’s ability to find workarounds on the fly. She even found herself fighting the noise of the Garda helicopter at one point.
For this and many other reasons It was a far more rock ‘n’ roll performance than many a drainpipe trouser touting Dublin post punk band could ever dream of producing. We look forward to seeing Angie McMahon with a full band in Dublin when she’s touring her next album as the new material on display tonight was quite intriguing.
When Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory finally strode onstage Collins Barracks was quickly transformed into a gothic disco as if Nile Rogers had met Robert Smith in a Berlin nightclub instead of David Bowie and discovered the perfect blend of austere and elation and distilled it into song allowing us to celebrate our sadness without ever getting consumed by it.
Having produced one of the best albums of 2025, Van Etten and The Attachment Theory never stray too far from it. The opening salvo of ‘Life Forever’ with its expressway bass, Numan-esque synth pattern and spectral vocals and the haunting ‘Afterlife’ and post-punk shuffle of ‘Idiot box’ are immaculate, showcasing Sharon Van Etten and the band’s talents in equal measure. They are clearly more invested having been upgraded from hired guns to equal partners and this partnership has clearly had a freeing effect on Sharon, who stalks the stage like Brett Anderson – minus the lasso tricks.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory at Wider Than Pictures at Collins Barracks, Dublin 21.8.2025 Copyright Colm Kelly
“Here in our vulnerability we share with you those first few tracks,” offers Van Etten after explaining how the band came to be purely by accident following an impromptu jam session, before launching into ‘I Can’t Imagine Why (We Feel This Way)’, and following this goth disco throwdown and ‘Something Ain’t Right’, replete with Joy Division style bassline, it’s easy to see why she was tempted into creating this group in the first place. In fact, you’d have to be crazy to pass up the opportunity to explore this vein of songwriting.
While this show was clearly a celebration of the Attachment Theory, there was plenty of room to explore Sharon Van Etten’s solo career with suitable moments cherry-picked from her songbook. ‘Comeback Kid’ from 2019’s ‘Remind Me of Tomorrow’ exploded into life in a hail of synths, synching perfectly with the current iteration.
‘No One’s Easy To Love’ was delivered with the ostentatiousness you’d more normally associate with Suede, while ‘Seventeen’ with its ‘80s Hollywood doomsday movie soundtrack sheen delivered the guttural hands in the air moment every show needs.
In a thoroughly wholesome moment, Sharon’s parents who arrived by surprise ahead of the show get a special mention ahead of the heartland swirl of ‘Anything’ from 2022’s We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, while ‘Tarifa’ from 2014’s Are We There, dedicated to the late great David Lynch, added a moment of brevity.
The show draws to a compelling close with the six-minute slow burn ‘I Want You’, which explodes into life midway, but it’s Van Etten’s showstopping vocals that once again steal the show. Angie McMahon joins them for the encore as the group make an unexpected dip back to 2010 for’ Love More’, the closing track from Sharon’s second album ‘Epic’.
And epic is a good description of what we just witnessed; a world class songwriter at the peak of her powers, riding the wave of her best album and delivering it with the kind of gusto that warrants nothing but plaudits.
