All Together Now review: CMAT steals the show on Saturday night

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

CMAT's show perfect for All Together Now
Nobody exits a CMAT show thinking she hasn't left it all on the stage. She's a capital-P pop Performer, regularly seen dramatically fainting to her knees or playing coy pantomime with the crowd. On her Saturday night show at All Together Now, Co Meath's finest surveys the huge crowd in front of her and confidently estimates it must indeed be more than the population of said town.
There are no special guests, such as John Grant, who wrapped his own show 30 minutes earlier, for a reprise of their duet, Where are Your Kids Tonight? There are also no costume changes or reveals a la her triumphant outing on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. After a summer of heavy touring ahead of the release of third album in four years Euro-country, she and the self-descrihed Sexy CMAT band aka "the greatest Irish country rock and roll band" are all the screaming masses want.
And boy do they get it. Eleven songs in about 75 minutes, it's not only the show of the weekend (sorry Fontaines DC) but probably the best gig in six years of All Together Now.
She revels as frontwoman, stomping across the stage, waving her butt, joking "no school tomorrow" as she cracks open a can. She finishes, as usual, with Stay for Something, jumping into the moshpit for a bop.
The set began with five old songs; it could easily be CMAT karaoke such is the fervour with which they're roared by the crowd. But it's the new songs that will take CMAT's star higher. Take a Sexy Picture of Me enjoyed a viral dance moment earlier this year. "Thank you so much, that was amazing," she says afterwards.
The Bandstand Arena at All Together Now. Picture: Shannon Sweeney
Jamie Oliver Petrol Station is such an oddball of a song - not a diss track - and all the better for it. Penultimate song and latest single Euro-country is performed live for the first time - she was saving it for us, prefacing it by explaining how she's not a political songwriter, "because I don't think I'm that smart at it. And I didn't ever want to do it. But on this record I felt like I had no choice."
She mentions emigration and various other social ills, pinning it on the government of "20-25 years ago. And I can't explain to you the politic of what happened back then, all I can explain is my memories of growing up as a kid during the crash that we all experienced and it was a horrible, horrible time for the country. And I believe that people in their 20s and 30s have been really adversely affected by it and the personal, emotional affect of it is something that I am interested in as a songwriter because I think we can learn from it."
The song is brilliant, detailing "all the Berties, all the envelopes who really hurt me" and how "I was 12 when the das starting killing themselves all around me". With her support for trans rights and cries of "free free Palestine", CMAT, like Fontaines DC and Kneecap, is not afraid to use her voice to speak out. It all adds up to one of the great festival performances.
Irish acts
The headline performance by CMAT is the capper on a great day for Irish acts across the ATN site. During the afternoon, the queue to get into The Last City area is about a dozen deep, with DJ Rory Sweeney hosting a series of rappers as part of the Irish Hash Mafia Cypher. Enniscorthy rapper Lil Skag has built a connection with the young audience, just a "regular man doing regular activities".
Morgana on stage at All Together Now 2025.
Trapattoni, referencing the former Ireland soccer manager, is a smart track that marks Skag out as one to keep an eye on. Over at Something Kind of Wonderful, it's a rare outing for traditional Irish music foursome Landless, whose voices weave together majestically. The crowd is sitting and lying down letting the sound wave over them. Just over two years on since her death, they finish with a beautiful cover of a Sinéad O'Connor song, In This Heart, which they dedicate to the people of Palestine.
Meanwhile, at Lovely Days, Morgana, formerly half of Saint Sister, is revelling in her new disco-pop direction. Wearing a beautiful floor-length red dress, she's perfect to soundtrack the sunny afternoon - the cover of the Corrs' Summer Sunshine helps with this, "the song of the summer every summer", says Morgana.
She's beaming through the whole set, jumping down to the front row - and then unsure how to get back on stage - for an uproarious song with the apt chorus "you can look at me that way all you want, I'm not going anywhere". From rap to pop to trad, there was something for everyone on Saturday afternoon.
Good vibes
We mentioned how on Friday it felt busier than previous years at All Together Now 2025. But the vibe of the festival has not changed at all. Everyone is friendly and drinking it all in, enjoying themselves. It's a beautiful atmosphere - helped perhaps by the nice bank holiday weather.
The Arcadia dance area at All Together Now.
It also comprises age groups from young - fair play to the dad pulling his two kids up a hill with all his might during the afternoon - to savvy veterans with camping seats at hand.
John Grant
The aforementioned John Grant is hard to explain. It's 15 years since his debut album Queen of Denmark and while lyrically the 57-year-old is as deep as ever, musically it's gotten weirder: Squelch-pop? Electro-squelch? Either way, chances are it might not win him many new fans - there is a bit of diminishing returns with his last couple albums too - but it's fun for the fans.
Featuring Irish musician Cormac Curran, often seen playing with Grant's friend and collaborator Connor O'Brien aka Villagers, Grant has also got himself a keytar which he seems to be loving. The double hit of the title track of the debut album and GMF is brilliant, inducing a devoted singalong. Queen of Denmark is dedicated to Sinéad O'Connor: "This one is always for Sinéad." Lines like "you put me in this cage and threw away the key" hit that bit harder as a result.