Live at the Marquee: Cork singer Lyra brings all the hits to Leeside
Lyra is a star on the rise and nowhere was that more evident than inside the tent at Live at the Marquee on Sunday evening as the Bandon woman marked her biggest Cork gig to date.
Fresh off the release of her eponymous album (“number one, Beyoncé who?”) and following two sold-out shows at Cork Opera House earlier this year, it is no surprise that Lyra’s Marquee debut was packed to the rafters, though she said she was shocked when she learned the gig was entirely her own: months ago when she got the call she thought she was being invited to support another act.
Instead, the crowd was warmed up by Armagh singer-songwriter Odhran Murphy, who sang original music including his upcoming single ‘I Can’t Get Back Up’ and an upbeat mashup of Christy Moore’s ‘Black Is The Colour’ and ‘Viva la Vida’ by Coldplay before Lyra appeared to whoops and cheers from her beloved fans, or ‘Weird Club’ as she lovingly describes them.
Dressed in silver thigh-high boots and a matching bodysuit as well as a scarlet cloak and hat, she ran through some of her most popular tunes, including ‘Lover’ and ‘Falling’, as well as her dancefloor collaboration with John Gibbons on Stevie Nicks’ classic anthem ‘Edge Of Seventeen’.
But Lyra was not on stage just to sing — the star was also there for the chats. She entertained the crowd with album anecdotes and tales of heartbreak and bullying as well as segues about anything and everything.
It was a joy to hear a strong Cork accent between the tunes and Lyra, 31, recently told Irish Examiner Weekend about the pressure she faced from a major label in her 20s to tone down her Corkness.
Five thousand fans in the Marquee couldn’t have been happier to hear her lilting voice — almost as happy as Lyra was to see them.
“Hello Cork, I’m so happy to be here,” she said. “Can you believe it? I’m singing in the Marquee, lads! Thank you so much for believing in me and showing up.”
She paid tribute to her family and her parents, wishing her dad a happy Father’s Day and thanking her mam for encouraging her to be herself when she was struggling to fit in in school, before singing ‘Mother’.
From her stage presence to her metallic bodysuits and accessories, she reminded this reviewer of Lady Gaga during her Marquee gig in 2009.
Like Gaga, Lyra is an entertainer through and through and when she too is a household name internationally Marquee-goers will fondly recall seeing her in her home county at the cusp of fame. The Weird Club is only going to get bigger.
Live at the Marquee continues on Friday when Mick Flannery and special guest Susan O’Neill take to the stage. The Biggest Disco takes place at the venue on Saturday and ‘Another Love’ singer Tom Odell will close this year’s festival on June 25.
