Live Report: Mahalia captivates Vicar Street

On Friday, October 13, one of the first really cold nights of the season, fans scurried into the cosy Vicar Street in Dublin. After the release of IRL, the crowd were ready for warm, smooth, R&B vocals from British singer/songwriter Mahalia.

As the audience trickled in they were met by the support act, Cuban/Irish artist Qbanaa. The singer danced around the stage as she graced us with songs like 'Mundo En Mis Man's/World in My Hands' and 'Truth and Desire' where she sang in both Irish and Spanish. The crowd were moving with her as she performed. A great way to start the night.

The audience continued to grow until it was finally time for the main event. As Mahalia ran out on stage full of energy it would have been impossible to know that the singer was not feeling well. After opening with 'Ready' and 'Simmer' she explained: "I'm annoyingly under the weather, I don't know what happened, I had this amazing chicken sandwich in Manchester and then got here and was vomiting but I don't think it's salmonella cause I feel like I would know, you know?" The crowd burst into laughter as the artist spoke to them as if everyone in the room were her best friends.

The singer also expressed how she felt about being back in Dublin, "this f***ing city yeah, every time I'm here I just feel..." she paused to think for a moment and a fan yells from the crowd, "At home." "Yes, at home!" Mahalia agreed as though the audience member took the words right out of her mouth.

Before launching into 'Plastic Plants' the singer gave some background for the song: "I've always been looking for love that feels real." An older song of hers but fans were more than happy to sing along to the 2020 track from her Isolation Tapes release.

Doing her most recent album justice the singer performed most of the songs from IRL, including 'Cheat,' 'In My Bag,' and 'Lose Lose.'

"I'm definitely not doing that thing where artists put an album out and then do a show and only play the album. I am going to play some oldy goldies," Mahalia assured fans as they erupted into applause and cheers. With songs like 'Grateful' and 'Letter To Ur Ex' older fans of the R&B singer were in their element.

Mahalia was extremely comfortable on the stage as she danced and moved along with her fans. She is a true performer and it's clear that she appreciates each and every person that came to see her.

The 25-year-old got a stool from the side of the stage and sat at the centre of the stage as she told her band that they could take a little break. She then explained that she wanted to take requests from the audience and sing snippets from them a cappella as she hadn't been to Dublin in so long. Fans got to hear 'Square 1,' 'Mani-Pedi,' '17' and 'Pretty' at their request.

After wowing the crowd with 'What You Did' she and her band ran off stage. It wasn't long before fans erupted into the classic 'One More Tune' chant. Mahalia and the band arrived back on the stage to leave fans with three fan favourites, 'Hide Out,' 'Terms and Conditions' and finally from her LOVE AND COMPROMISE album, the anthem, "I Wish I Missed My Ex."

Mahalia sure knows how to put on a show. How she can be so talented and professional on the stage while keeping things so relaxed and being one with the crowd is beyond me. She took the stage with such grace and it was clear that she cherished her fans and was extremely grateful to be on stage at Dublin's Vicar Street. If you ever get the chance to see Mahalia live, count yourself lucky.