If anyone understands the sorcery that is involved in an intimate Irish music pub session, it's Emma Langford. The Limerick-based singer-songwriter is among the stars featured in the upcoming Live at the Local: Naas concert film, alongside the acclaimed singer-songwriter Sive and poet and spoken word performer, FeliSpeaks.

The film – a collaboration between Darn Skippy Productions and CS Promotions, with direction, cinematography and editing by Richard Lennon – is a celebration of what a live show in a local Irish venue can achieve at its best, with a creative challenge at the heart of the artistic adventure. It is set to premiere on the Hot Press Youtube channel at 7pm today (Thursday, June 30, 2002).

Emma recently released a unique collaborative cover of the Luke Kelly classic 'The Unquiet Grave' alongside Shoresheh. She has another track on the way this week, the cumulative effect being that the concert film dovetails perfectly with an exceptionally busy time for her. It is just what the doctor ordered, after Covid!

"It was a time of devastation and destruction," Emma says of the near two-year hiatus forced by the pandemic, "but also a time of re-evaluation. It was a great reset for me, in a way. I had to re-evaluate the pace I was living at, what I was prioritising and how I was spending my time. I came out of it realising just how much I was trying to do all the time – and how much I was trying to prove to other people that I deserved to be here."

The Live at the local: Naas film was shot earlier this month in The Random Inn, situated inside Lawlor’s of Naas.

"It was a gorgeous opportunity," she reflects, "because I don't get a chance to sit with other musicians – that aren't in my band – very often. I don't get a chance to sit with other songwriters, to talk about our process, and what we're doing – and to try and work together. I'd really love to do more of this, so getting the chance to do it was great."

Emma already knew Sive and was a great admirer of FeliSpeaks' work. It'll be fascinating to see how their different personalities interact and come though in the film...

"I've done gigs with Sive," Emma explains, "but we haven't written together before. So that was deadly.

"On the other hand, I've never had the opportunity to work with Felicia before. I've seen her work and I have admired her work from afar for a really long time. Working with someone who is a spoken word artist, as opposed to a musical artist, was so fascinating. It turns out that the way they compose, and the way they think about rhythm and flow, is similar to how musicians operate."

It was important to the feel of Live at the Local: Naas, that everyone involved got on so well, a characteristic that will be reflected throughout the film.

"I half expect it to be bullshit when people say something like this – but we all really buzzed off each other. There was a very genuine sense that we were all really enjoying working together. We created three unique, original pieces of work together – and what's encouraging is that they are all very different

"Even though we're all packing similar pains and issues, people will see in the film that we individually wanted to take it off in very different directions, and allow each piece to sound like the voice of the person who was leading the collaboration. We only had two days to put this together. And there we were, in front of an audience, being recorded. That was a very daunting, crazy experience. I think it really serves the work – and the audience."

Which is exactly what we want to hear, as we move into the final countdown. Make no mistake, it's gonna be a good one...

Watch Live at the Local: Naas on the Hot Press YouTube Channel – going live at 7pm on Thursday, June 30.