In an interview Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan recently did for Brightonsfinest, she said about her never-to-be opera career, “I just don’t have the volume… even in a small room with people I have to push through to get heard.”

So, it was appropriate that she began the set, on her own, with ‘Little Bird’. “Your heart sings like a kettle / And your words, they boil away like steam,” she began, immediately calming an expectant sold-out crowd and singing as clear as a bell, the lyrics audible thanks to that modern invention, the microphone. Which is weird because her new album At Swim has her voice so multi-tracked that it actually fogs up the words a bit. Frustratingly so, because she is a fine lyricist: a gentle, romantic poetess who, when on her own with just a guitar, is both transfixing to watch and beguiling to hear.

She did the same thing with the second song, ‘Passenger’, this time on mandolin. Again, a beautiful clear and unadorned voice that, aligned to a confident and engaging persona, could annoy only the most cynical and heartless.

Although At Swim is brilliantly produced by Aaron Dessner, it doesn’t always translate well to the live stage. His subtly dense layering has had to be re-imagined for a stripped back band that included a drummer, double bassist, keys and violin, along with an extra guitar/voice in the shape of Heather Woods-Broderick, who also provided support on the night but didn’t join Lisa until well into her set. Perhaps, through a lack of rehearsal time and the fact that this was only the second date of a UK tour with this configuration, the band struggled at times to find a balance. The drums could be too loud in the mix or a little incongruous at times, the vocals sometimes not always meshing like the recorded versions, when you’re simply just double tracking in the studio.

Still, the pretty songs shine through, as does Hannigan’s voice, particularly on ‘Ora’, which also saw her playing a harmonium, the simply beautiful ‘Prayer For The Dying’, and ‘We, The Drowned', which benefits from being stripped back to just her, on piano and backing vocals. The pace is generally gentle and melancholic, but never falls into the maudlin or over-wrought. ‘Undertow’ (a song she explained was co-written with Hove resident and former Snow Patroller Ian Archer) slightly ups the tempo, as does the kooky ‘Knots’. ‘Tender’ is also graceful and moving, Hannigan’s full vocal range in evidence here as she hits the very high notes with ease.

But it’s one of the songs from the encore that cuts to the core of what Hannigan is about and what she is capable of, as she (along with two band members) sings her a cappella version of fellow countryman Seamus Heaney’s poem, ‘Anahorish’. Like the album version it’s stripped back, unadorned and beautifully delivered. Like the best stuff here tonight.
Jeff Hemmings

Website: lisahannigan.ie
Facebook: facebook.com/lisahannigan
Twitter: twitter.com/LisaHannigan