CMAT | Sarah Crean
O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
17th May 2024
Dublin’s country popstress CMAT hurtled into London from the States en route to Europe, leaving a sold out Forum breathless and bathed in sparkles and cowboy hats. Naomi Dryden-Smith was there to take photos whilst attempting to line dance.
Warming up the slowly gathering crowd tonight is Sarah Crean – as she tells us, “That’s cream…with an n” – also hailing from the Fair City. Her set is simple – seven or eight songs delivered in duet with Adam O’Leary, her producer, on electric guitar. With one song going viral on TikTok last year, having been about to give up completely, plus an EP under her arm – Death By Laundry – she’s here to soothe our senses with her unmistakably Irish indie sound, paving the way for the hectic arrival of the main attraction.
It’s starting to feel like anyone who goes to a CMAT concert right now might one day have the chance to say “I was there when it all started…”. Have to wonder whether she herself feels like life is moving very quickly, but from this standpoint it seems that every CMAT show is just that little bit larger, more crowded, songs better known. And with two seriously strong albums under her belt in the space of just two years, the latest being the must-have Crazymad, For Me, it feels unstoppable.
But what is it about this Irish redhead that makes her so alluring? Is it her songwriting, superficially catchy, a sparky blend of pop and country that shouts out Dolly Parton and Kate Bush, amongst others, as muses? Is it her endearing, self-deprecating sense of humour and seeming refusal to take life, or herself, too seriously that permeates through her cleverly crafted videos with multitude of costume changes, and her live performances? Is it her mesmerising stage presence, where she manages to look self-assured, naïve, sexy, clumsy and completely in control all at the same time? Or else her lyrics, that manage to be both ironic and incredibly, honestly vulnerable? Or maybe just her warm, girl-next-door, inviting nature that leaves you wondering how great it would be to chat over dinner and a bottle of wine?
And besides everything else, this girl can really sing.
You only have to watch her videos to see what a visionary she is (highly recommend all of them…). And how much fun. Her recent Brit Awards outfit (demure black frock from the front, full bum-reveal cut out panel at the back) showed just how few damns she really gives.
Returning from an American tour that culminated in a New York show at the Bowery Ballroom, she’s brought her California Or Bust Tour to a sold out Forum in Kentish Town – and even she seems amazed at just how full it is. Awash as it is with pink cowboy hats…
We’re treated to a couple of tour debuts (Mayday and Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)), no doubt destined to join the ranks of CMAT’s best tracks. Other highlights include a wonderful cover of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights (let’s face it, not many people can take that on), with full audience arm-waving participation, plus a special appearance from John Grant for their duet Where Are Your Kids Tonight? – another firm step towards filling a small corner of the shoes of late legend Sinead O’Connor, who famously sang with him many times.
Speaking of best tracks, CMAT has such strong songs that working out a decent setlist must be either very difficult or extremely easy – just bung them anywhere. As it is, California and I Don’t Really Care For You make an early appearance, leaving us wondering where things can possibly go from here. But forwards they go, and into Whatever’s Inconvenient, whose video is a perfect blend of farcical chasing of donkey combined with a spine-tingling passion-drenched crescendo that leaves you exhausted and spent. And then wanting to hear it all over again.
And they keep coming – the perfect country pop of latest single Aw Shoot!, the scathing Spoon-like funk of Have Fun!, and the cowboy disco No More Virgos, all of which threaten to take root in your head and never leave. And all served up in a series of high kicks, face pulling, exuberance and general refusal to take herself too seriously.
For the encore, the pace slows for ballads Geography Teacher and Rent, before we’re swept up and away with line-dancing show stopper I Want To Be A Cowboy Baby! – and, finally, the glorious and cathartic Stay For Something, about the despair of staying in a dying relationship, with its call-to-arms “I just can’t do it”s and candid and complete laying of heart on the floor.
So what is it about CMAT? Honestly, everything’s pointing to her being the Real Deal, creatively talented in all directions with so much going for her, on an upwards trajectory. Have to hope that the record business trajectory isn’t so steep that she loses herself in it because what she is, right now, is a bit special – a breath of genuine fresh air. With spurs.
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All words and photos by Naomi Dryden-Smith. Louder Than War | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | portfolio
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