Live Report: Somebody's Child at the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' Y&E Series

Dublin-based band Somebody's Child, centred around lead vocalist and songwriter Cian Godfrey, continue to forge ahead as one of the most thrilled emerging acts in the country. Poised for major international success, they recently announced their first headline tour of Ireland and the UK for 2021.

With family portraits in the background, band leader Cian performed a stirring set on the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' Y&E Series on Saturday evening.

Kicking off with the band's third single 'Distance', the acoustic version of Somebody's Child's indie-rock anthem sounded better than ever.

Moving on to the group's second single 'Toes', the 2019 track complemented the vocalist's gravelly but enrapturing sound to perfection.

A fan requested acoustic version of 'Jungle' arrived next, a song that deals with isolation, hurt and loneliness. Cian performed 'Because It's You' on the piano to slow down the tempo, mentioning that the track is the oldest song he's written that he still plays with Somebody's Child.

When queried on his favourite song off the recently released, critically-acclaimed '20-Something' EP, the artist said:

"It's a throw-up between 'We Could Start a War' and 'Hold Me Like You Wanna'. They're both quite different stylistically, and it's nice to have that balance on the EP I suppose."

The musician made sure to thank the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht before launching into 'Hold Me Like You Wanna', the brilliant indie-pop lead single off the EP.

Choosing to end on the powerful track 'We Could Start a War', Cian reflected on the song's new-found relevance in the current political climate.

"This song has developed a lot of meaning in the last few months with the Black Lives Matter movement, so I think it's kind of resonated in me in a way that wasn't there before. That's what I love about song-writing, the song can come from somewhere in you and develop meaning over time as new things happen."

Check out the full Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' Y&E Series performance from Somebody's Child below:

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With the immediate future of the live music industry remaining uncertain in the face of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Y&E Series aims to support Ireland's remarkable new generation of artists by delivering 40 paid gigs to 40 acts over 40 days.

Take a look at the exciting upcoming acts on the Y&E Series below:

Tuesday, September 1: LUCY MCWILLIAMS
Following a stunning guest appearance on Malaki's 'Fair Play', Lucy McWilliams continues to prove herself as one of the country's most powerful emerging voices with the recent release of her solo single 'RUNAWAY'. Having already clocked up over 150,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, its clear the 20-year-old singer-songwriter is poised for major success.

Wednesday, September 2: ELINA FILICE
Growing up between Singapore and Canada before relocating to Dublin, Elina Filice has rapidly established herself as one fo the most thrilling talents on the Irish scene, with a string of lauded releases, including her latest single 'Thinking Of You'.

Thursday, September 3: SOPHIE DOYLE RYDER
Rapidly rising Dublin star Sophie Doyle Ryder has been writing songs since the age of 10 – drawing inspiration from the likes of Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and Playboi Carti. Over the last two years, she's been busy building up a unique sound of her own.

Friday, September 4: MALAKI
Following the success of his stunning Butterfly Boy EP and his collaborative Cocoon series, Malaki has emerged as one of the most compellingly original new voices in the Irish hip-hop boom.

Saturday, September 5: STEO WALL
Having been praised by the legendary likes of Damien Dempsey, Luka Bloom and Christy Moore, Dublin singer-songwriter Steo Wall has established himself as one fo the country's most thrilling talents – drawing from both Irish folk and Dublin hip-hop. He recently returned with his powerful new single 'My People'.

Sunday, September 6: NNIC
Blending neo-soul with electronic influences, Nnic has built up an impressive live profile with a series of lauded headliners and support slots for the likes of Hozier and Wyvern Lingo. She recently teamed up with Uly and R.Kitt on 'Not Too Late', in support of the Irish Refugee Council.

Each performance streams live on the Hot Press Instagram (@hotpressmagazine) at 8.30pm every night.