Review: CMAT @ Deer Shed Festival, Thirsk
A brilliantly versatile set of hits and humour that should last for hours on end
Irish singer CMAT closed Deer Shed Festival last night (28 July) with headliner status, playing to a respectably sized crowd of wide-ranging demographics. In festivals past around the world, organizers have been frowned upon when acts who are at such early stages of their career are given monumental slots. Granted, Deer Shed does not have the same magnitude as Glastonbury or Coachella, however CMAT, her band and her show have all the potential in their world to take on such esteemed festivals towards the upper half of the bill.
Kicking off the set with a stripped back, shortened version of Nashville, CMAT makes her presence known instantaneously, conveying a distinctive vocal quality that is hard to come by. What nuances her persona further is her ability to seamlessly merge performative theatrics, musicianship and comedy with an authenticity that causes her show to feel as though you’re watching a friend who just so happens to be a transatlantic superstar.
Having completed a tour in support of her latest album Crazymad, For Me towards the latter stage of 2023, CMAT is currently on this summer’s festival cycle performing a set that features a brilliant range of her catalogue, including her most recent single Aw, Shoot! released earlier this year. Despite having only two studio albums, the first of which being 2021s If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, it’s fascinating to observe what she kept off the setlist as, in my opinion, every song from her catalogue is worthy of a spot.
Though personal favourites Phone Me and Where Are Your Kids Tonight? did not make appearances, I Don’t Really Care for You, 2 Wrecked 2 Care, No More Virgos, and Rent transpired as set highlights, with CMAT regularly offering charming anecdotes or audience interaction between songs. Whether she is telling backstories of songs or talking to younger members of the crowd with a real sense of earnestness, she demonstrates a real sense of thanks for the opportunity.
It was, however, a cover of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights that got every single spectator on board. Witnessing older men within the audience seemingly become a CMAT fan there and then was fascinating, listening as they praised the 28-year-old in tones where they sounded surprised by their own revelation. It is unifying moments like this that make live music experiences so special. When talent prevails, there is no reason why the artist should be pigeonholed to suit one audience. That being said, anyone unappreciative of CMAT’s scarily similar – though not tribute-like – vocal to Bush should expect to be questioned profusely.
Rounding off the set with her signature hit Stay For Something, CMAT expressed her thanks for the opportunity of headlining the festival, an offer she isn’t often granted. Executing the punchline in a way only CMAT could, she expressed this rarity to be “a shame… because we’re fucking good at it.” And after last night’s set, and the previous times I have been lucky enough to see her, I can vouch for this and confirm it to be a solid fact.
Setlist:
Nashville (first verse and chorus only)
California
I Don’t Really Care For You
2 Wrecked 2 Care
Peter Bogdanovich
Whatever’s Inconvenient
Aw, Shoot!
Wuthering Heights (Kate Bush cover)
Have Fun!
No More Virgos
Rent
I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!
Stay For Something
Listen to my favourite CMAT song Rent, here…