You know how sometimes all it takes is the first listen to a great new song by an artist you’ve never heard before, and you’re in? That’s how it was for me the first time I heard Dermot Kennedy’s “Power Over Me.” Not long ago, I was in my kitchen cooking dinner, with a music station playing on my TV. Before the lyrics of the song could even register in my brain, Kennedy’s haunting voice had drawn me in. I remember literally stopping what I was doing and turning around to gape at the screen so I could make a note of the artist. And then the lyrics hit me: “you’ve got that power over me… my, my… everything I hold dear resides in those eyes… you’ve got that power over me…” I’ve been obsessed with the song ever since. As soon as I could, I took a deep dive through Kennedy’s music, and accordingly made a note to catch him live as soon as possible. Last night, my chance came as Kennedy graced the stage at Fox Theatre in Oakland for the very first time. To say it was mildly earth-shattering is: an oxymoron, a little hyperbole, and also still somehow true.
Luca Fogale began the evening, and he had a lovely voice. Toward the end of his set, Fogale sat down at his keyboard and brought out his pretty falsetto. “That made me shut up!” was the comment by my guest for the evening, and I couldn’t have said it better myself. Admittedly, I wasn’t really giving Mr. Fogale my full attention, but I was still enjoying the mood he set for the night. I would have loved for him to throw in a cover of a well-known song; I think he could have had the crowd eating out of his hand. Even so, he was enjoyable, and then before I knew it, there was nothing left to do but wait for the lights to go back down and for Dermot Kennedy to appear.
As the moments passed, I took a quick inventory of the crowd, and was surprised to notice how many men there were. I don’t mean to stereotype, but often the audiences of the singer-songwriter types tend to skew towards the ladies. In the case of Dermot Kennedy, this proved false, much to my surprise. Another happy surprise was the level of applause when Kennedy materialized. This wasn’t the typical, ‘yay, the show is starting!’ polite applause; it was, ‘yay, this guy I love is here and it’s happening! I finally get to see him play live!” It was in line with exactly how I felt, too. Kennedy is the epitome of unassuming in person: he wore jeans and a t-shirt, and simply stood in front of the microphone or with acoustic guitar in hand, singing like his life depended on it. Clearly, he’s not interested in flashy stage costumes or dance moves, but he also doesn’t need them.
Kennedy kicked off the set with “All My Friends,” which immediately sealed his status as a real, raw talent. The very best artists don’t sound just like they do on their records – they sound better. Kennedy is one of these. Live versions of his songs, like “Lost,” which came next and was an early highlight, sound almost just the same as the recorded versions, but there’s something really tough to describe that Kennedy gives you when you’re in the room with him. Whatever this je ne sais quoi is, it’s fantastic. There’s a brilliant one-two punch of Kennedy’s beautiful lyrics coupled with his lovely, unique voice (and excellent range to boot), and as I stood in a crowded room eating up every second of it, I knew he would be the next big thing. (And hell, maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think so.)
Finally, Kennedy addressed the crowd for the first time, simply asking “How’s it going? You good?” before adding that it was “very, very crazy to be here” and calling the Fox “such a special room.” For those keeping score, we’ve now added sincerity and gratitude to the growing list of Kennedy’s positive attributes. During the next song, “Young & Free,” I made a prediction in the notes on my phone: “you can tell by the way he performs, there won’t be an ounce of energy or anything else left at the end of the night. It’ll all be left out there on the stage.” This man truly gives everything he has, and seems happy to be able to do so.
Kennedy described the process of going through songs he’s written over the past decade or so, indicating that some of them were “born and finished in the space of a day,” and that he’d been gather songs since he was 17 that would eventually be considered for his debut self-titled album, which was just released in January. These “last few months I’ve been in the studio trying to figure out which ones belong on the project and which ones should stay away,” Kennedy explained, before adding that the next song “kind of became important to me very quickly.” The song was a new one called “The Corner,” and was followed by “Couldn’t Tell,” which is another stand-out. There’s a power in Kennedy’s voice that is not only natural, but effortless. At the same time, he doesn’t overuse or abuse it. This is the kind of voice that could really blow you away; the volume, depth, and intensity of his vocals made me jump more than once, but always in a good way.
“Moments Passed” began with a remix intro, which was really cool. Before the next song, Kennedy told the story of having written it a long time ago, “but it actually only got properly released quite recently.” He went on to say that he “kind of held on to it for quite a long time” because it was “personal” and “very precious” and he wanted to release it at the right time. The song is about those moments we go through that are rough, when we need someone. “That place you would run to… I feel like everyone’s got one…” Kennedy said as he played the intro to a crowd favorite, “For Island Fires and Family.” When he hit the chorus, I heard the crowd singing with him. I couldn’t see Kennedy react at all, but I swear, somehow I felt the joy this gave him. Maybe it was just mine.
Around this time I noticed that even when they weren’t playing, Kennedy’s backing band remained on stage. They all sat or stood at their places on stage, silent and almost reverent. It was clear that they have significant respect for Kennedy and what he’s about, as they should. “Dancing Under Red Skies” came next, followed by “An Evening I Will Not Forget,” with the swoon-worthy line “you kinda struggle not to shine.” As I typed the song’s title into my notes, I added “me too” to it, because I knew I wouldn’t soon forget the first time I saw Dermot Kennedy live.
“Malay” was next, and then Kennedy paused again to check on the crowd. “You still good? You alright?” The next one they were going to play was “one of the very first songs I brought out about three years ago,” which he added he “wrote about longing for somebody that you can’t have at that time… and then in the end everything works out the way you wanted it to.” Kennedy laughed as he admitted the last part of this reveal before beginning of “Shelter,” whose loveliness is best summed up by a few of its lines: “Wouldn’t that be cool? To kill the guards, open the gates, for feelings unbound… But I’ve been keeping hope… And I’ve got a fairy tale in my heart, I can cope…”
During “Glory,” I couldn’t tell if Kennedy was speaking the lines in a low voice at one point, or just singing them so low that it sounded like his speaking voice. Either way, it was really cool, and was a nice juxtaposition for the heavy-hitting “glory!” in the chorus. This song is so powerfully song, and has such a great melody; it was definitely another highlight in a night that proved to have quite a few. Kennedy then stopped to introduce the members of the band before requesting “if you know this one, please do sing along with me” as he began his current single, “Power Over Me.” The addition of the crowd singing with him on the choruses put this night over the top for me; it was all I could have asked for and more.
“I’m sorry to say that this next one’s the last one we’ve got,” Kennedy admitted to the sound of disappointment from the audience. “I know. I’m afraid so, but I would really, really, really love it and appreciate it if we could sing it together.” Kennedy went on to explain that he “wrote it about those people in your life who make it easier for you to have hope and to be hopeful,” for “when things aren’t going so well, these are the “certain people you surround yourselves with to make it a little easier.” The song, which was indeed the final song of the evening, was “After Rain.” Toward its close, Kennedy again thanked the crowd. It’s so obvious by his soft-spoken, man-of-few-words demeanor that his gratitude is sincere, and that he is truly humble. I don’t know why this matters to me, but it does. “Thank you for buying a ticket, for traveling, for whatever it took to get here… thank you for making my first time in this room very, very special. I really hope to see you again.” So do I, my friend, so do I.
This was truly an amazing night with a wonderful talent, and one I feel is truly destined for greatness. Even better, I don’t think Dermot Kennedy is “the next…” anybody, because there isn’t anyone I know of that does what he does quite like he does. But I really believed I was in the presence last night of a huge future star. I believe we can expect great big things from this guy, and I for one can’t wait for much, much more!
