Perspectives: The Cruellest Month - Kate Stables (This Is The Kit) + Sam Amidon + Oisin Leech + Ye Vagabonds

A weekend of Irish debuts, collaborations and musical meetings.

Kate Stables (This Is The Kit), Sam Amidon, Oisin Leech & Ye Vagabonds perform solo sets and perhaps collaborate. 
 
Kate Stables’ music places companionship at a premium, so being welcomed into its space feels like an obvious privilege, whether on record or in the concert hall with her band This is the Kit, in her many collaborations with likeminded artists such as The National or in her solo work.  And at this current point in our confusing history, continuing to be here at all, to stand tall and make music to gather to, is a heroic act. Joyful survival as an act of time-wasting. Look to Kate Stables to spend at least one day of your week this year, we can guarantee it will be time well spent.   

Sam Amidon released his new album Salt River in January 2025, his first on River Lea Records. The Vermont native, who is now based in London, has collaborated with saxophonist and producer Sam Gendel to reinterpret and regenerate ten songs that he has gathered together as part of a decades-long quest to recontextualise what it means to sing folk songs or make folk music. Sam has toured Ireland many times over the course of his career which has seen the release of seven previous albums. Sam also recently starred in Michael Keegan-Dolan’s dance and theatre production Nobodaddy, which played as part of this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival.

Irish singer-songwriter Oisin Leech has just released the acclaimed Cold Sea, his critically acclaimed debut album which was described as a “stunning debut” by UNCUT Magazine with MOJO saying that Leech is “in lush, filmic mode on his debut with John Martyn-esque mystery”. Cold Sea was recorded in Donegal by Brooklyn artist Steve Gunn. Leech and Gunn worked for five days out of an old sea-facing schoolhouse which they turned into a working studio for the duration – borrowing equipment from local musicians and treating the recording process like a road-trip.

This weekend sees NCH debuts from the acclaimed French singer-songwriter Mina Tindle and Quatuor Zaïde, the return of the much-loved Sam Amidon and Kate Stables with Bryce Dessner (The National) and Benjamin Lanz contributing. Thomas Bartlett and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh of The Gloaming reconvene their sublime duo. 

Curated by Sounds from a Safe Harbour and Brassland with NCH.