Live at the Marquee: Lyra delivers on her home promise

THE princess of Cork pop, the enigmatic showstopper Lyra took to the stage of Live At The Marquee on Sunday night to the deafening roars of her adoring audience.

Opening with ‘Chess’, one of the standout tracks from her eponymous debut album, Lyra gave every indication this was going to be a special night.

Almost inevitably dressed in the Cork colours, she set the tone of the evening by asking the crowd “are you ready to have a great night and make some memories?”

As the evening wore on, the singer regaled the enraptured crowd with tales of her many adventures between songs, always looking at the bright side and encouraging her fans, young and old to do the same.

At one stage she candidly admitted her surprise when asked to play the Marquee, initially thinking she was going to be a support act.

“I was like, sweet Jesus, I’m gonna bring It! So thank you so much for believing in me and showing up again for the show,” she said.

She also took the time to wish the dads in the audience, including her own father a happy Father’s Day.

While talking to fans is clearly something Lyra loves, the impressive setlist spoke for itself as she rattled off song after song including ‘Mother’ (which she dedicated to her own mam), ‘We Are Beautiful’, the anthemic ‘Falling’ before bringing the evening to a climactic finish with her stunning rendition of Stevie Nicks ‘Edge of Seventeen’.

From the slowest tempo tracks to those that set pulses at the Marquee racing, Lyra showed just why she is regarded as being one of the greatest upcoming acts on the vibrant Irish music scene, holding the audience in the palms of her hands throughout. Lyra promised the audience a great night with plenty of memories, and boy did she deliver.