Kingfishr, O2 Institute Birmingham, 30.11.25

Sitting on a subdued train from London Euston on a Sunday evening—as the hectic, boisterous weekend in the city draws to a close—I begin to imagine the walls of O2 Institute Birmingham slowly filling for Kingfishr's sold out winter show.

As the overwhelming landscape of London's busy city quickly fades into the warmth of the Midlands, I think about all the times Kingfishr's melodies had become the soundtrack to fond memories in my life.

The O2 Institute is just a short walk from Birmingham New Street station, and already the queues are stretching around the corner of the venue, ahead of doors.

The Night Cafe opened the show with a soulful pulse of youthful indie-rock, infecting the room with their upbeat, modern tracks, and engaging the crowd in excitement for the main act to come.

The Irish folk trio Kingfishr eventually take the stage, opening with tracks from their newly released album Halcyon, including 'I Cried, I wept' and 'Shadow'. Their performance delivers an evening of powerful folk that showcase the band at their most human. The three musicians playing their hearts out to a room ready to receive every note. 

The band’s trademark blend of rich harmonies, textured acoustic layers, and rugged lyricism translated beautifully in the space—voices and strings weaving together.

As the band played an audience-favourite 'Shot in the Dark', lead vocalist Eddie, bassist Eion, and Banjo player Eoghan climb into the centre of the crowd to sing shoulder-to-shoulder with eager fans.

Between songs, they spoke about their Irish roots and the stories behind newer songs off the 2025 album. When the crowd wasn't ready enough for the night to end, Kingfishr close their Sunday show to leave an evening where intimacy amplified impact, before the start of a new week.