Up on a smoke covered stage in her long black shirt and diamond trimmed camisole, Lucy McWilliams smiled out to her adoring crowd.

Backed by her four bandmates,f McWilliams gripped the mic, gazing out at the sea of people. Blue and purple lights lit the stage from behind and the audience stood still, entranced by her song.

Her heavenly melody filled the room, bolstered by the ethereal chords of the violin. Her gold hoops gleamed in the light as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. On the tips of her toes, McWilliams leaned into the mic, arms stretched out to the, hands shaking like the wings about to take flight.

Moving over to the keyboard, the crowd hushed when she took her seat. As she started to play, the dreamy tune to ‘Fair Play’ filled the tented venue.

Lucy McWilliams at The Grand Social, Photo Credit: Hannah Bocian

The listeners swayed back and forth, in sync with one another like the waves move in calm waters after a storm, their senses filled by McWilliams echoey voice and charming stage presence.

Returning to the mic stand, McWilliams greeted her audience with a warm smile and many thanks to everyone in attendance. Almost as a gift to those who came, McWilliams performed an unreleased track that she had “just finished last week,” entitled ‘Thinking About You’.

Her bassist opened the song with a deep, playful chord that was almost drowned out by the excited cheers coming from downstage. People were whipping out their phones, desperate to be one of the firsts to get her unreleased track on video so they would be able to immortalise that moment in their camera roll forever.

During ‘The Woman In Me’, McWilliams controlled the stage once again. Just her and her piano captivated everyone, including her bandmates who stared at her smiling as she performed.

Her breathy singing style firmly places her music in the bedroom pop genre with delicate chords and pensive lyrics. Even though the EP was only released a week ago, songs like ‘Plastic’, which was the first single from the record, have quickly become a fan favourite. With its crescendoing guitar riffs and contentious lyrics, McWilliams was met with uproarious applause by the time she sang the last note.

Lucy McWilliams at The Grand Social, Photo Credit: Hannah Bocian

Before she sang her next track, ‘To Be Loved’, McWilliams described it as “when you’re with someone and everything is perfect, and you wake up one day and think ‘oh fuck, if this person leaves then I’m fucked.’ It’s the feeling to be loved and to love is so much greater than any pain that could come if they did leave.”

McWilliam’s aura dominated the stage. She told the crowd how “I used to not sing in front of anyone. I used to not sing if I thought anyone was in the house.” Any timidness she had before was gone during this performance, helped by the fact that each time she ended a song, she was greeted with belting calls of "we love you Lucy!"

Before her last song, McWilliams thanked everyone once again for coming out to see her. She thanked her mum who was in the audience for supporting her and her career, as well as all the friends that came out to watch.

Fiona O'Connell supporting Lucy McWilliams at The Grand Social, Photo Credit: Hannah Bocian

She also thanked her opener, Fiona O’Connell, another rising Irish singer-songwriter. O’Connell has taken the stage first with nothing but her voice and acoustic guitar. Sitting on a stool in her white T-shirt, green plaid flannel and light wash jeans, she played her set with the confidence of a seasoned performer.

Having only officially released two tracks, ‘Easily’ and ‘In The End’, O’Connell sang some of her unreleased lo-fi indie music that perfectly prepared the spectators for McWilliam’s set.

For her last song, McWilliams chose her 2022 single, ‘Bumblebees and Blue Skies’. This piece's dainty opening and nostalgia assonance are what built the dreamlike atmosphere of her music and feeling in The Grand Social. With each clash of the cymbals, the crowd rocked back and forth, spellbound.

By the end, the onlookers were chanting for “one more tune” which McWilliams sheepishly replied to by saying “thank you all for coming, but no more tunes.” With her hands on the shoulders of her guitarist, McWilliams and her band made their way through the crowd and out the stage door surrounded by the cheers and love from her fans.

Check out Lucy McWilliams EP Third Second Chance below: