Live Report: Polly Barrett charms her Y&E Series audience

Live from her home near Schull, West Cork, singer-songwriter Polly Barrett is no new name in the Irish folk scene. With two studio records already to her name, her newest album Sapling be… takes the listener for an introspective journey, exploring the love of a mother, loss, and the life cycle of nature itself.

Barrett recently shared the stage with the likes of the Coronas, Wallis Bird and a host of renowned Irish acts at the Milwaukee Irish Fest. Entering a new era with the release of her physical-only album, available on Bandcamp, Barrett gave listeners a look into her dynamic creative process on last night’s Y&E Series set.

“Oh my god we’re live on Instagram for Hot Press,” Barrett sang as her audience tuned in, “with their forty-five thousand followers!” In high spirits, the singer’s infectiously pure energy radiated through the screen, all the way from her home on The Mizen Peninsula.

As she set up the pedals and tuned her guitar for the first track, Barrett shared of her song-writing process, “I’m inspired a lot by nature, love and relationships. Mostly nature, because I live in West Cork so it’s very nature-orientated.”

Her opening tune ’Standing By The Sea’ — “That I wrote about standing by the sea,” she laughed — kicked off with a bodhrán loop, setting a steady rhythm. Barrett instantly began to dance and sway to the instrumentals, tapping a second loop on the xylophone, and finally coming into the song with her vocals and a heartfelt, acoustic guitar melody.

Her vocals were siren-like, simultaneously evoking a haunting and sincere quality to her sound. Barrett's effortlessly travelled up and down in her airy range, creating an atmospheric effect with the contraption of her voice.

Another tune from her freshly released album Sapling be…, Barrett introduced her next track, ‘Mysteries,’ and took a moment to show off her album vinyl — available exclusively on Bandcamp. She tuned her guitar and shared more of her songwriting inspiration, saying, “I like to write about things that are a bit magical, a bit unknown, a bit intriguing. I’m really interested in a lot of those things, and nature. That’s a big part of it.”

‘Mysteries’ began with a deftly fingerpicked guitar arrangement. “They’re mothers too, just like me, but I pass them off like bad TV, oh, life’s full of mysteries like these,” Barrett sang over a dreamy lullaby of acoustic strings, before her voice took flight on the chorus. Her writing holds a microscope to the tiny details of the world around us, encouraging listeners to consider the smaller joys we too often overlook.

“Thanks everyone for sticking around and listening to my songs,” she smiled, adding, “It’s amazing to have opportunities like this, especially people like me who are far away from everything down here. I’m close to Schull in West Cork, which is a beautiful part of the world but my God, it’s isolated.

“So it’s great to be able to play to people like this, in my own home, where I don’t have to drive to Dublin or Limerick or wherever.”

The next song was none other than the title track of her album, ‘Sapling Be…,’ written about, Barrett revealed, her seven-year-old son Arthur. “He is the sapling, and this is a song about all the things I want for him in the future,” she shared.

The xylophone steered steadily into the intro of the tune, as Barrett recorded looped vocals to create a harmonious, layered choir. She picked things up in pace after the first verse, tapping a thunderous beat with the bodhrán.

Barrett is evidently her own one-woman band, utilising every aspect of sound. She snapped the brush tippers together on the chorus, danced and beamed with joy on the instrumental parts, and sang such tender and devoted lines as, “Sapling, grow to heights I’ll never know, roots in the ground, down in the underground.”

The singer-songwriter’s finale was one of love — the only love song on her album, ‘Huge Mistake.’

“Don’t be fooled,” she laughed after introducing the title, “it’s definitely a love song.”

Tuning her guitar into open D, she continued to walk her audience through the steps it takes her to achieve each unique sound. Beginning with the bodhrán, Barrett tapped a heartbeat rhythm, looping that before moving back to her guitar.

The song, about Barrett's partner of five years, narrated through metaphors and devotions how it feels to find one’s soulmate. A heartfelt melody looped behind softly fingerpicked strings, creating a soft, warm environment for Barrett's crooning vocals. “What I mean is it’s not the first time we’ve been intertwined,” she sang, “I found you again, I found you.”

“That’s it, guys,” Barrett sadly announced. Finishing off her set for the evening, Barrett thanked Hot Press and The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for the umpteenth time, glowing with the same genuine joy and gratitude that her performance affected her audience with.

Watch Polly Barrett's full Y&E Series performance below, and find her new album Sapling Be… available for purchase on Bandcamp.

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Watch the Hot Press Y&E Series - supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media - live on the Hot Press Instagram (@hotpressmagazine) at 7pm each night.

Here's looking forward to more amazing artists coming up the lineup in the coming days, including Chris Kabs, EVIE, Garron Noone, F3miii, and Plantain Papi!