Live Report: RuthAnne delivers a heartfelt homecoming at Dublin’s Sugar Club

The Sugar Club was filled early ahead of RuthAnne's hometown gig, the low hum of chatter blending with the clink of glasses as people settled into their seats. It was a relaxed crowd — drinks in hand, ready for an evening of music and stories.

And there will be plenty of stories to tell about RuthAnne's remarkable career. She was just 17 when she flew to LA to co-write her first hit single, Jojo's 'Too Little Too Late'. She went on to write for Britney Spears, Niall Horan, One Direction, Martin Garrix, and Bebe Rexha, among others. RuthAnne released her first single 'The Vow' in 2018 and her debut album Matters of the Heart in 2019.

First to take the stage was Tolü Makay, who lit up the room with her infectious smile. “We’re here to celebrate the Queen herself, RuthAnne!” she declared, earning a cheer from the crowd. Her set, performed unplugged save for her guitarist, glided between soulful harmonies and honest rap. Songs like ‘People Watching’ had the crowd grooving, while ‘War’— inspired by Sinéad O’Connor — silenced the room in reverence.

Next up, Saibh Skelly offered a change of pace with her stripped-back acoustic set. “Most of them are sad,” she admitted of her songs, “some of them aren’t.” With tender honesty, she played ‘First Time’ and ‘How Did You Get So Sly’, her raw vocals perfectly matching the intimacy of the venue.

Then, the lights dimmed and the room erupted. RuthAnne’s band and backing singers filed onstage before the star herself appeared, launching straight into ‘Complete Me.’ Her powerhouse vocals commanded the space, as she welcomed everyone “to the moment” with ‘Through It All.’

“Clap with me!” she urged, and the audience happily obliged. Between songs, RuthAnne’s warmth and humour shone through. “I’m so excited you’re loving the new music,” she said. “I hate when everyone says, ‘Oh, you’re just playing the new stuff!’ Don’t worry, we’re doing the old ones too.”

Her set blended fan favourites with fresh material, moving from the viral wedding ballad ‘Safe Place’ to ‘In the Name of Love’, her co-write with Martin Garrix and Bebe Rexha, followed by a transition into Niall Horan’s ‘Slow Hands.’ The crowd sang every word.

When she introduced ‘The Way I’m Wired’, RuthAnne grew candid. “That one’s like being naked on stage,” she said, reflecting on vulnerability, illness, and two decades in music. The emotional peak came with her tribute to the late Tom Parker of The Wanted. “Close to the sky in the airplane, this is the closest I’ll be to Tom,” she said before singing ‘Heaven Is One Hell of a Lucky Place', her voice floating gently above the delicate plucking of an acoustic guitar.

"I know it feels like the end, I promise it's your beginning," she sings in a hopeful tone — 'Your Beginning' serving as a gentle reminder that even in heartbreak, there’s always room for renewal.

But soon, the mood flipped. “Shit happens!” she sang, cueing a country-tinged anthem that had the whole room chanting the title back to her. Each band member and a couple audience members shared their own “bad thing that happened,” from dead dogs to parking fines, the laughter infectious.

The finale was pure joy. A medley of tracks that influenced her latest album — Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’, Lauryn Hill’s ‘Doo Wop’, Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish’, and Aretha Franklin's ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ — led seamlessly into ‘The Vow.’ Phones lit up as RuthAnne stepped into the crowd for the upbeat ‘Love Again.’

“We laughed, we healed, we grew, we shared,” she said, closing with a heartfelt ballad dedicated to her daughters. And as she walked off stage, arms wide, The Sugar Club knew it had witnessed an artist truly at home — authentic, radiant, and full of heart.