MAVERICK SABRE, DUBLIN GOSPEL CHOIR AND OTHERKIN WOW BOW ST. SESSIONS CROWD

Bow St. Sessions, brought to you by Hot Press and Jameson, has become established as the most exciting addition to Dublin’s live music scene in a long time — and last night's event brought the series to brand new heights.

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Kicking things off were Otherkin, the Dublin noisemakers, who’ve won favour at home and abroad with their earwigs of fuzzy, grungey, indie-pop. Energy abounding, they raced through a set, including choice cuts from their acclaimed The 201 EP, proving just why they're knee-deep in festival bookings for the coming summer.

Mind, if they needed guidance on festival etiquette they could do far worse than talking to the Electric Picnic fixture that is Dublin Gospel Choir. The lung-busting collective joined the band for a cover of 'Bittersweet Symphony', as well as a tremendous rendition of the Choice Prize nominated 'Feel It'. The fact that, after the choir's departure, a blistering 'Ay Ay' garnered just as big a reaction from the capacity crowd was a statement in itself: this quartet are destined to go far.

Going far has been a motto for Maverick Sabre for five years now; be it Jamaica, New York or South Africa, he's certainly not short of air miles. His musical scope boasts similar breadth, as the man raised in New Ross introduces hints of reggae, rap, rock and pop into his winning style, so perfectly showcased on last year's Innerstanding.

While it was a track from his debut effort, Lonely Are The Brave's 'I Can Never Be', that kicked off his set, the grounds were quickly established: on this occasion, he was the Soulman. With nothing but an acoustic guitar for accompaniment, he delivered passionate versions of 'Don't Forget', 'Come Fly Away', and the not-released-but-it-bloody-well-should-be 'Sweet Love', a gorgeous song that summoned a simply sensational vocal performance. From there, the only way, it turned out, was up!

Collaboration is the name of the game for Jameson and Hot Press, and so it was on the night. Calling the men and women of Dublin Gospel Choir to the stage once more, Maverick launched into 'Walk Into The Sun’, which exuded sunny positivity, before an extraordinary take on Adele's 'Hello' brought the house down. The crowd couldn't help but explode when a lyrical adjustment was made to give some love to Dublin. While London might have him for now, it was clear that one of our most exciting talents was feeling right at home back on Irish soil.

In 2015, the likes of Hermitage Green, Gavin James, R.S.A.G. and HamsandwicH set the bar high for Bow St. Sessions; if the first instalment of the New Year is anything to go by, we ain't seen nothing yet. A great night of wonderful music...