Irish Trio Amble Light Up Albert Hall in a Night of Unity and Emotion

L J HUBBARD
9 hours ago
3 min read

THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – 23RD NOVEMBER 2025

WORDS AND IMAGES L J HUBBARD

Irish Trio Amble Light Up Albert Hall in a Night of Unity and Emotion — Photo Credit L J Hubbard

Irish folk trio, Amble, played their 150th show to a sold-out Albert Hall on Sunday night, with queues snaking around Manchester’s back streets packed with excited fans eager to experience Amble’s first show in the city since their debut album’s release earlier this year.

The first thing I noticed as I got inside was the intricacies and pure charm of the venue, a former chapel, and how incredibly fitting it seemed for a night of Irish folk music. The crowd poured in from the damp streets of Manchester, singing along to the Dubliners’ ‘Dirty Old Town’ whilst they waited for the first act to take the stage. This made for a friendly environment full of good craic, memories and friendships – truly the best kind of crowd.

The venue filled up with speed, in time for the opening act, Maicín (pronounced Mock-een) - a five-piece from Cork City. They were one of the very best opening acts I’ve seen in a long time, harnessing a sort of organised chaos and enjoying every second of their fantastic set, very effectively getting the crowd moving and warmed up and ready for Amble. They were so at ease up on the stage, cracking jokes about being the ‘preamble’, interacting with the crowd and filling the chapel with their upbeat, folky, post-punk sound.

Then came Amble, entering the stage one by one to an eruption of cheers and whistles. The trio took their positions in a line at the front of the stage, with their backing band on a platform behind them, forming a stage setup that was really pleasing to the eye. The three-piece opened with their 2024 tune, ‘Shallow River Run’, a lovely acoustic folk track with a really catchy, strong chorus. The crowd were singing along from the get-go, voices echoing around the hall, complimenting the resonant, soulful vocals of Robbie Cunningham, the band’s lead vocalist.

Their setlist had a perfect balance of slow ballads and songs welcoming the audience to have a dance. A memorable moment for me, and I’m sure many of the crowd members, was their performance of ‘Mary’s Pub’, a heartbreaking song about falling in love, longing and regret. This stood out as a moment where the audience felt even more as one, embracing each other, swaying to the song and raising their glasses. At some points, the crowd’s collective voice was even louder than Cunningham’s – this was a significant and unforgettable mid-point for a show.

As the evening continued, the crowd’s energy increased tenfold, chanting ‘Olé, Olé, Olé!’ between songs, the floors shaking under the heavy stomps of their feet as they sang along with passion.

Towards the close of the night, I found myself at the back of the standing area, surrounded by vast groups of friends and families linking arms and dancing around one another, all having the time of their lives and enjoying the band’s music without a care in the world.

Seconds after Amble took their bows and departed the stage, the crowd began collectively roaring and stamping for an encore, which was not something they merely wanted, but something they needed: a couple of songs to top off such a brilliant evening of joy and cherished moments.

The band shortly returned, performing two very well-loved songs, ‘Mariner Boy’ and ‘Swan Song’. Both relaxed, emotional tunes, completing the evening with a flourish, getting the whole crowd on their feet to join in for the last time of the night. Another thing I wanted to note was my appreciation for the band’s kind words about the individuals who helped to make the show happen – thanking the lighting, sound and stage technicians is not something you get at every gig – a well-deserved homage to the people who helped put on such a phenomenal show.

Amble really outshone my expectations, leaving the crowd with beaming smiles on their faces and memories to last a lifetime. They truly have a unique sound, thoughtful lyrics and musicians who really care about what they do and those who appreciate their words and music.

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