In The Pit: Soda Blonde

Soda Blonde live at Cyprus Avenue, Cork.

By Sophie Lee . Founder . 17/12/25

I’ve written about Soda Blonde before, but this was my first time seeing them live and it felt long overdue.

Cyprus Avenue feels like the perfect venue for a band like this. It’s intimate without ever feeling claustrophobic, close enough that you feel everything. I told Emma that by the end of the night she’d fall in love with Soda Blonde, and I wasn’t wrong. At the barrier, we met a fan who’d followed the band since their Little Green Cars days, which only reinforced what became increasingly clear as the night went on: this is a band that has grown without losing its grounding. Talented, yes, but also genuinely humble and deeply human.

A special mention has to go to the opener, The Next New Low (Brian Mooney). Exceptional feels like an understatement. Alone on stage with just a guitar and a pedal board, Brian was completely himself, singing from a place that felt rooted in a pure love for music. Hurt People stopped me completely. It’s one of those songs that makes you go still. Writing this now while listening back to it, Emma and I pulled the same face, that frown you make when something is beautiful but heavy. Brian’s music doesn’t feel made for everyone. It feels made because it needed to be. Nothing about his work feels mass-produced. It’s simple, stripped-back, and sincere. Seeing him live was a real privilege.

When Soda Blonde finally took to the stage, all intentions of note-taking disappeared. As much as I wanted to document everything properly, I couldn’t. At the end of the day, I was just a girl watching one of her favourite bands. They opened with I Hear Birdz, which in hindsight was the perfect choice. It was powerful and immediate, pulling the crowd in straight away. Faye O’Rourke has a presence that feels entirely natural, like she was always meant to be on a stage.

What I love most about Soda Blonde is how cohesive they are. They play off each other constantly, exchanging glances, moving together. Faye drifts instinctively towards Adam and Donagh, and nothing ever feels choreographed, it just works.

When Motion started, I nearly lost my mind (no pun intended). It’s my favourite Soda Blonde song, and live it hits much harder. Faye’s dancing is unrestrained and a little chaotic, but it fits the music perfectly. Adam and Donagh never stay still either, clearly having the time of their lives. Dylan’s drumming deserves its own praise. It's striking, steady, grounding everything. Adam’s backing vocals lift Faye’s effortlessly. Motion is an exceptional song, one that resonates deeply with young people. It makes me feel seen.

They also played In the Heat of the Night, which ended up being one of the strongest moments of the entire set. The intro alone pulls you in, that steady, pulsing beat, bodum bodum bodum bodum, before the line “the things we say in the heat of the night” lands and the crowd diverts immediately.

Throughout the night, the band were incredibly interactive with the crowd, creating a constant back-and-forth that made everything feel shared rather than performed. It’s especially impressive when you remember that Soda Blonde are a fully independent band, releasing their music on their own terms. Nothing about it feels small, if anything, it makes their connection with the audience feel even more genuine.

I don’t remember every detail of the setlist, and honestly, that feels fitting. This wasn’t a gig where you mentally ticked off songs, it was one where you felt everything first. One moment that’s stayed with me was Champion of My Time, written about Faye’s mum. The room went quiet. The crowd didn’t just listen — they really listened. There’s something incredibly powerful about that kind of collective stillness. It made me unexpectedly emotional. It’s an incredibly brave song, to be that open with an audience.

They also played Why Die for Danzig and Less Than Nothing from Dream Big, performed live with the National Symphony Orchestra. That project alone speaks volumes about Soda Blonde as artists, involving so many people, yet never feeling self-indulgent or overblown. Even while performing songs born from something so vast, the band remained completely grounded in the music.

That humility carried through to the end of the night. While buying a signed vinyl and CD, they seemed genuinely delighted that people were connecting with their work. Not performatively grateful, just sincerely happy that their art was being appreciated.

Terrible Hands brought a completely different energy. It was pure joy. Adam, Faye, and Donagh came together at the front of the stage, standing shoulder to shoulder, and the atmosphere lifted instantly. Emma and I had so much fun during that one.

They closed the set with Small Talk, and it felt like the perfect ending. During the instrumental, Faye stepped back and gave the lads the stage, allowing their playing to shine. She danced, clearly loving the music, not performing at the crowd, but sharing the moment with them.

It really was an amazing gig. Soda Blonde are a band that deserve to be listened to. Properly, attentively, emotionally. If you give them your time, they give you something back. This night made that undeniable.

Terrible Hands (Excuse my awful singing)