The latest show in Three’s City Stages initiative brought acclaimed buskers together over the weekend to deliver crowd-pleasing performances and a blend of original songs and classics, shining a spotlight on the next generation of rising stars.

Six unique acts gave memorable performances at Dublin’s South Anne Street on Saturday, February 11, captivating the crowd with a high bar of honest lyrics and addictive beats. The City Stages initiative, which launched in November 2022 with a lauded performance in Limerick, gives up-and-coming musicians the opportunity to perform an original set and connect with larger audiences. The campaign’s ultimate goal is to elevate the next generation of stars, taking artists from the city streets to Ireland’s biggest stages including 3Olympia Theatre and 3Arena. The initiative is presented by Three and supported by Hot Press, AIM Ireland and Sony Music Ireland.

Saturday’s City Stages show took place at the heart of Dublin city centre, but despite its central location and throngs of passers-by, it still felt like an intimate affair. Buskers shared moving originals and refreshing covers while standing on a Three’s ‘All For Music’ mat, spotlighting them with a unique backdrop of purple and black.

Before the event officially kicked off, dozens of people had already crowded around the impromptu stage watching the first performer warm up. The event’s opening act was Daniel Armstrong, a singer-songwriter from Meath. Showing off his guitar skills, the musician opened with his song ‘Sober’ and delivered chilling vocal cries packed with raw emotion and a smooth falsetto showcasing the singer’s range. Having performed as a busker for around two years, Armstrong knew how to make a real connection with his audience, as he then proved by performing his upcoming single ‘Silence’, which featured heartfelt lyrics invoking love and longing accompanied by an infectiously catchy beat.

Daniel Armstrong at 3City Stages on February 11th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

After asking if the audience was having a good time – the answer being a resounding "yes!" – he encouraged attendees to donate to recovery efforts for victims of the earthquake along the Turkish-Syrian border, which has amassed a staggering death toll. A list of organisations supporting victims of the disaster that are accepting donations can be found here. “I think they deserve the money a lot more,” Armstrong said.

To end his set, the Meath singer performed ‘Laurel Canyon’, which he recorded with the help of youth studio Basement Sounds, and closed with a soothing cover of Paolo Nutini’s ‘Candy’, ending his set with some of his most impressive vocal belts.

Next to walk on was singer-songwriter Conor Marcus. The Co. Down artist performed alongside Roe Byrne at Dublin’s The Sound House last month and previously played on Hot Press’ Y&E Series in 2021. The musician earned early fame and acclaim for reaching the semi-finals on The Voice Kids UK in 2019.

Throughout his set, the young Irish artist captivated the crowd with his vulnerable lyrics and delivery, which resulted in near silence from the audience trying to soak in every word. Opening with his 2020 single ‘Hold Me Close Again’ on guitar, the musician graced the crowd with his soft and soulful voice before diving into another fan favourite, ‘Xs and Os’. Marcus made the crowd bop with his series of echoey “oh oh oh”s, showcasing his signature ethereal sound.

Conor Marcus at 3City Stages on February 11th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

“Everybody meet my best friend,” the singer said while swapping his guitar for a keyboard. “If you came here for happy songs you're in the wrong place,” he then joked before introducing his ballad ‘I Don’t Need To Come Home In The Morning’, which made the already captivated crowd even more invested. Marcus ended by performing ‘All I Want’ by Kodaline, a band he said has given him much inspiration to write music, which received warm applause.

When Marcus’ voice cracked once during his set, he remarked mid-song, “I hate puberty,” earning much laughter.

In a change of tone and pace, a new performer made it to the custom stage: Brinda Irani. At 16-years-old, the artist proved she had already developed a distinctive sound and stage presence, as she wowed the crowd with original songs and covers.

The young singer-songwriter opened with ‘A Shadow’, her debut single released last year, and shared its personal meaning with the audience. “I wrote it about a friend of mine whose boyfriend passed away a couple years ago,” she said before taking the helm at the keyboard.

Within the first few seconds of her singing, Irani had the entire crowd in the palm of her hand as her powerful and angelic voice hit the mic. Many passers-by paused to get a glimpse of the performer wearing the rosy shirt, with many stopping still in their tracks to stay and join the ever growing crowd.

Brinda Irani at 3City Stages on February 11th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

The musician ended the song with unforgettable vocal growls and belts, all while playing the keyboard, and the audience erupted in cheers. Later on she performed another original, ‘Creature’, which she wrote at 13-years-old. “It’s about that feeling when you can’t get over someone after a breakup. We’ve all been there,” she remarked. The song showcased a beautiful blend of personal lyrics (“You left a crater in my soul”) and clever vocal inflections.

The artist ended her set with ‘Faded’ by Alan Walker, which she told the crowd was one of her favourite songs to perform. She then led the crowd in clapping the beat in unison as she wrapped up her time.

Brinda Irani at 3City Stages on February 11th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Nigerian-born, Cork-raised conceptual artist Salamay took the stage next. The rapper commanded with authentic lyrics and delivery, making eye contact with audience members throughout as he rapped about love and learning to love yourself. The rapper brought the event down to a more intimate level with his 2021 single ‘Rochelle’, at one point sitting on the ‘All For Music’ mat as he rapped heartfelt verses with a sentimental backing track.

“The song is about a girl I was interested in but she’s not interested in rappers at all,” he explained before regaling the crowd with intensely relatable lyrics of love and loss:

Thank your parents I'm just happy that they had you

Look for what it's worth, I put a bow on the earth for you

Crawl through the snow and the dirt for you

And still be the same when I be with the guys

Know you holding back, I can see it in your eyes

Start with a conversation, be my liberation

I didn't say it's love but it's gone beyond infatuation

The musician then had some fun with the audience by leading a call and response. “Sala”, the musician said to which the crowd passionately called back, “May!” Then performing his new single ‘Never Leave Me’, Salamay engaged the audience with his casual style of delivery, at one point leaning on a speaker and then moving across the mat that he had made his stage. He performed his next song, ‘Never Know’, completely a capella and further captivated the audience with his lyrical poetry. “If anybody wants to do something in life and they feel like they can’t because of what other people think or it’s too hard or whatever the case is, I think you should go for it,” he remarked to cheers before starting the song.

Salamay at 3City Stages on February 11th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Ending with his single ‘Stress Out My Mind’, the artist led another fun call and response, rapping, “I’m just tryna get the,” to which audience members eagerly replied, “stress out my mind”.

The next act to perform was the Dublin-based duo Zeztra, comprised of sisters Lorna and Avril Meade. Opening with their unreleased track ‘Lovely Love’, Lorna showed off her guitar skills and the duo delivered soulful vocals and soothing harmonies, while their sisterly love shined through as their energy and positivity bounced off one another. The pair told the crowd they would be playing a series of unreleased tracks and wanted audience feedback on them after their set. “We want to kind of see what everyone thinks of them I suppose. But only if it’s good news,” Lorna joked.

The duo later performed ‘Phil’, a track about someone who they no longer let linger in their lives, that made a particularly captivating performance with a chilling melody and an addictive beat. The sisters then asked the crowd if anyone was freezing. “It’s alright today. We do like talking about the weather in Ireland for some reason,” she remarked.

The dynamic duo’s last song was another original called ‘Dancing Freely’. “We basically wrote it about coming to terms with who you are, whatever it may be, if you feel different in the world, and just letting yourself go and being free with who you are because it feels so much better,” Lorna explained. The pair ended their set by leading the audience in singing an uplifting phrase: “It’s always gonna get better”.

Zeztra at 3City Stages on February 11th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

The final performer was special guest Brad Heidi who received a hero's welcome from a packed South Anne Street. Having travelled all over Ireland busking, the Galway singer’s debut EP The First went No. 2 on the official Irish independent album charts in 2021.

“If you’re on Grafton Street, come this direction. There’s free donuts,” the musician joked as he invited the audience to come closer. Armed with his signature acoustic guitar, the artist performed his opening track, ‘I’m a Sinner’, showcasing his folk sound and breathtaking vocal belts that the audience immediately started singing along to.

Heidi later performed his new single ‘We Are’, putting his entire heart and soul into every word, while playing an equally addictive beat that had every adult and child in the audience bopping along. The Galway artist then performed his fan favourite ‘Dancing In My Head’, which brought the audience to tears by eloquently capturing the feeling of nostalgia for warm memories with poignant lyrics and raw vocal power. His ending performance also showed off his remarkable falsetto and guitar prowess.

Brad Heidi and Salamay at 3City Stages on February 11th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Just as the crowd thought the show was over, Salamay and Heidi returned to the stage for an impromptu duet. Heidi’s guitar work brilliantly complimented Salamay’s rap and true artistic sparks flew as the two rising stars concluded the event. Also dropping by to lend their support were stars Erica Cody and Lea Heart who, like the massive South Anne Street crowd, loved what they saw and heard.

Are you interested in performing at an upcoming City Stages event? Applications are now open at 3.ie/citystages.