Wider Than Pictures: Amie Blu, SPRINTS & Faye Webster Review
By Wider Than Pictures delivers another memorable night in Dublin
If the first two nights of Wider Than Pictures came roaring out of the blocks, tonight begins with something altogether less explosive — although the weather clearly didn’t get the memo. Pouring rain turned Collins Barracks into something resembling an outdoor swimming pool, a sight we’re probably more accustomed to than we’d like here in Ireland. Enter Amie Blu, whose understated, soulful sound provides a welcome counterpoint to the relentless downpour. It’s hardly the most forgiving introduction to the evening, but the miserable conditions somehow make her arrival feel all the more intimate — a moment of calm before the night inevitably gets louder.
The SPRINTS, on the other hand, come out with a roar. Their punk-garage attack immediately ignites the crowd, with frontwoman Karla Chubb’s rock’n’roll vocals bellowing around the historic courtyard of Collins Barracks. If the rain has dampened anything, it certainly isn’t the atmosphere.
The Dublin four-piece have the crowd up and bouncing in no time, their raw, guitar-driven sound cutting through the relentless downpour. ‘Little Fix’ remains one of my all-time favourite SPRINTS songs, but one of the night’s standout moments comes when Chubb steps down from the stage and casually walks through the crowd, bringing the band’s already raucous performance even closer to the action. It’s an absolutely brilliant set from a band who know exactly how to command a room — even when that room happens to be getting soaked.
Finally, the moment the crowd had been waiting for: Faye Webster takes the stage to a huge wall of noise, only to immediately shift the mood into something altogether more subdued. Guitar in hand, she appears almost as a silhouette through the sheets of rain, barely visible beneath the stage lights as the downpour continues to fall. After the riotous energy of SPRINTS, Webster’s arrival feels almost dreamlike — a striking change of pace, and one the crowd seem more than happy to embrace.
This is a set that’s easy to settle into, with Faye’s warm, understated voice bringing some welcome comfort to an otherwise wet and miserable Dublin evening. I’ve always had a soft spot for songs like ‘Feeling Good Today’ and ‘Right Side Of My Neck’, and hearing Webster’s voice live only reinforces what makes her such a compelling artist. There’s no need for theatrics here — she simply lets the songs breathe, proving herself to be a wonderfully captivating performer.
Overall, the weather may have tried its best to stifle the evening, but quality entertainment will always find a way through. From the raw energy of SPRINTS to the understated beauty of Faye Webster, the music ultimately won out. Collins Barracks may have been soaked, but the night was anything but a washout.