KINGFISHR BRING THE LUCK OF THE IRISH TO MANCHESTER

LIVE REVIEW | KINGFISHR | O2 VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, Manchester | 23rd May 2026 by Jenna Laband

Renowned Irish folk band Kingfishr took to Manchester once again, touring their debut album Haclyon which landed last summer. Since the release of the album, the band have toured across the globe, with their first ever shows in Australia only a few months ago. Fresh off two nights at O2 Academy Brixton the band now take on Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse for another sold out night of Irish craic.

Following the bands bassist Eoin ‘Fitz’ Fitzgibbon and guitarist Eoghan ‘McGoo’ McGrath, leading man Eddie Keogh took to the centre of the stage, kicking off the show with fan favourite track, ‘Shadow’. Met with a roaring crowd, the band were a picture of pure joy, laughing and interacting with fans as they performed ‘Hold Me Down’ and‘21’. Eddie then took a second to take in the audience in-front of him, from the front to the balcony, this room was packed out and ready to sing and dance. 

Telling the crowd the story of how Kingfishr came to be, the band then asked if they could take to the centre of the crowd to perform an acoustic version of ‘Shot in the Dark’. This has almost become a form of tradition at a Kingfishr gig, even doing this during their support slots with Tom Walker back in 2024. This moment is always a true masterpiece of connection – and tonight was no different. As the band took to the centre of the sold out venue, it lit up, but not with the house lights, with an array of fans torches highlighting the band in the centre. The band sang an acoustic version of the track, with the audience as backing vocals. 

Whilst the show acts as a celebration of their debut album, the band couldn’t wait to share some new music with the crowd. The set included two unreleased tracks, ‘How Lonely’ and ‘The Sun Will Never Settle’ – which is set to be released on Tuesday! 

Some tunes from the band’s discography also made a return to the setlist, such as ‘Coward’ from their 2024 EP ‘Shadow’. Eddie mentioned how they think they have by played this song live once, so it was a real treat for fans to have this moment to reflect back on the bands journey. 

After checking up on the crowd, the band then performed ‘Next to Me’, ‘Gloria’ and other hits from the Haclyon album. 

Drawing the night to a close, fan favourite ‘Killeagh’ paid tribute to the band’s hometown and Irish heritage, once again uniting the crowd in a shared sense of community. ‘Anyway’ was then announced as the last song, with Kingfishr departing the stage shortly after. 

This wasn’t the end though; shortly after, the band then returned to the stage for an encore. Welcomed back to the room with open arms, the trio performed highlights from their discography – ‘Man on the Moon’, ‘Diamonds and Roses’ and ‘Caroline’. 

As Eddie thanked the crowd for joining the band that night, the community feel in that room couldn’t be stronger. The diverse audience had a powerful glow about it as the crowd sang the last words with all their heart and cheered on the band as they departed the stage once again.

The band aren’t stopping there, check out their upcoming tour dates and latest releases here.

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Jenna Laband

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