Angel Olsen wows Dublin

Getting a sold out room in Dublin to move at half past ten on a Friday night isn't the hardest task in live music. Getting a room to stay still is another thing all together. This was the feat achieved by Angel Olsen in Whelan's last Friday night. Around 22.20 Angel dispensed with the three piece band who had accompanied her throughout the rest of her set and played the last few songs alone.

Once she started singing even the chattiest, tipsy-ist concert goers soon fell silent as she launched into a 12 minute version of 'White Fire' and 'Enemy' – both are lifted from her 2014 breakout album Burn Your Fire For No Witness.

When she's backed by the band the sound is big. 'Forgiven/Forgotten' and 'High & Wild' are particularly impressive with a live band. The alt-rock country hybrid 'Hi-Five' really allows the band to open up and also features one of Olsen's most impressive vocal performances.

While playing with the band works well – there is something about that voice alone with an electric guitar. The intensity goes up once the band leaves. Her break and breathy falsetto shine through in the final few numbers.

She sings the entirety of 'White Fire' with a dead-eyed stare aimed somewhere between the venue's sound-booth and the balcony upstairs. Afterwards she thanks the audience for their patience while the air slowly comes back into the room. One more short tune and it's over. The audience are left shouting for more. After a few minutes the lights come up and the house music starts playing and everyone realises that it's actually over. Olsen seems to be unaware of the finer details of Irish encore etiquette but no one feels short changed.

The gig drives home the album's intensity. It's the type of set that might pass you by at a festival but on a night like this it's really something to savour.

A special mention has to be given to the two support acts. New York's Jaye Bartell delivered a set of intense off-kilter ballads to a highly receptive audience. I'd imagine that his Soundcloud and Bandcamp pages will have had a few extra Irish visitors over the last few days.

The evening began with Connemara native Somerville. She has a unique voice and seems to be crafting her own sound. Her dark and jazz tinged set ended with an electronic flurry that left me curious to hear more.