Live Report: Pillow Queens transport the Iveagh Gardens crowd with their guttural set

At Iveagh Gardens on Saturday, it took about thirty seconds of watching Irish indie stars Pillow Queens on stage to realise that this set was going to be deeply special.

Opening with the moody and atmospheric ‘February 8th’, hailing directly from their new album Name Your Sorrow, Pillow Queens laid themselves bare in front of us from the very first distorted note.

“Let’s just play some rock’n’roll music,” the track suggests in its first verse – and the band delivered immediately, masterful guitar lines and deep-seated vocals tangling together with every new song, like their sound was the most natural thing in the world.

Pillow Queens at Iveagh Gardens. Copyright Jason Doherty.

There was an effortlessness to Pillow Queen’s performance that can only be achieved, ironically, through a monumental amount of work. Each instrument blended homogeneously together, no note ever overpowering another – perhaps a testament to the girls’ intimate knowledge of each other, after eight years as a band.

The level of care for their craft is evident in their studio recording – and it was all the more impressive to see it resonate within their live show, Pamela Connolly’s vocal performance as gut-wrenching as it was perfectly measured, a new layer of sentimentality added to the mix as you observed the band basked in blue lights.

With this amount of meticulousness put into their music, Pillow Queens didn’t need any flourishes – the setup was simple, just the four of them standing in a classic diamond-shaped formation under minimalistic lighting.

Yet it was impossible to take your eyes off of them even for a second, hypnotised by the how much of themselves lead guitarist Cathy McGuinness and bassist Sarah Corcoran throw into the show, visibly feeling the heaviness of every note - like on the electrifying ‘Suffer’.

Pillow Queens at Iveagh Gardens. Copyright Jason Doherty.

Pillow Queen’s attention to their craft was given back tenfold by their audience and their unwavering energy. Throughout the set, there was a quiet understanding that everyone was there because they deeply loved the band, creating a surprising sense of community through Iveagh Gardens.

“We are Pillow Queens,” Connolly announced after playing ‘Be By Your Side,’ the third track, to an impressively fired up crowd. “And you’re just great, aren’t ya?”

It felt significant to be part of an audience that listened with such profound respect, and yet knew exactly when and how to participate, enthusiastically clapping through the bridge of ‘Heavy Pour’, and singing alongside Connolly like an actual choir: soft, melodious and deliberate.

The beauty of this audience came to a peak when they picked up the bridge of ‘Gone’ by themselves, the musicians quieting down for a moment as the attendees of Iveagh Gardens sang at the top of their lungs – the moment was ethereal, like being transported somewhere otherworldly.

Pillow Queens at Iveagh Gardens. Copyright Jason Doherty.

This magical feeling can’t be entirely attributed to the crowd, though – because if there is one thing that Pillow Queens know how to do, it’s to deliver a guttural sound, both incredibly emotional and powerful.

The feeling was best illustrated by the band’s interpretation of the bewitching ‘Donaghmede’. Opening with a simple, heavily reverbed guitar and voice duet under a shower of white light, the track could only be described as heavenly, stirring deep within your chest as the rhythm picked up and finally exploding in a compelling, longing bridge.

As the show hit its climax on the closing track ‘Liffey’, the audience singing every last word until Pillow Queens were off the stage, you were left with a powerful feeling – and no doubt whatsoever – that this band and their once-in-a-generation sound are something truly unique.