Alex G, or Alex Giannascoli, played at Vicar Street last Thursday as a part of his tour for his ninth studio album God Save the Animals.

A review of the recently released album found that the enigmatic indie artist has been exploring the emotions behind helplessness and faith in his dynamic and beloved music. On stage, that exploration became transformative, taking the audience along for the ride in a night few will forget.

Opened by rising American rock band Momma, the St. Patrick's Eve show was kicked off with a casual and forward "What's up, we've never been to Dublin before." The honest opening statement was met with a whistling cheer and a welcoming crowd.

Starting the set's vocals was Momma's Allegra Weingarten before switching off with the other vocalist, Etta Friedman, during the performance. A small interlude saw that the Californian band's members had a small surprise for Etta, Allegra calling out to the crowd for their support delivering an important message.

"It's Etta's birthday today, so on a count of three let's all say 'Happy birthday Etta!'"

Momma supporting Alex G at Vicar Street on March 16th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Soon enough, though, Momma finished their set and Alex G's touring band began piling on stage. They started the night off with 'S.D.O.S,' although the star of the show didn't appear until the concert's second song 'Runner,' sprinting on stage dressed in a long white sleeve shirt with a skull on the back.

Backed by the resounding cheers of people looking for a good time, Alex G took Vicar Street by storm.

The show didn't just feature new music, though. Going strong on stage and beloved by fans worldwide since 2010, the 30-year-old's had a plethora of favourites built into his set list from over the years. Devoted fans in the pit were boisterous, an uncontained centre for the indie artist's energy as he introduced 'Hope' from the 2019 album House of Sugar.

Alex G at Vicar Street on March 16th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Followed by 'No Bitterness' and 'After Ur Gone' from DSU, the indie artist thanked his supporting band before playing 'Judge.' Members of the audience took their chances to call out song names and words of encouragement

"Thanks to Momma for playing the show with us!"

Next up was 'Ain't It Easy' and 'Mission.' With an ambience found only at the rambunctious campfires of carefree summers, the show was a night of dancing in tight spaces where elbows in your side was just the price to pay for living in the moment.

After some insane guitar playing throughout 'Kicker,' 'Brick,' and 'Horse,' the American indie artist's song 'Blessing' was met with a small burst of confetti from the ceiling.

Alex G at Vicar Street on March 16th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

"Thanks for coming. Hope you guys are enjoying yourselves," Alex said, after 'Bad Man.' Humorously narrating the cue for the next song, 'Immunity,' he added,  "We've got to do an organic fade-in."

'Early Morning Waiting,' and 'After All,' were followed by 'Cross the Sea' and 'Gretel,' although the surreal show was quickly forced to face reality. To the disappointment of the crowd, Alex warned that the song after 'Miracles' was going to be "our last one," taking the time to thank the band playing with him on stage.

"John Heywood, playing the bass. Tom Kelly, playing the drums. And Sam Acchione, playing the guitar. This wouldn't have happened without these guys so appreciate them."

Of course, the encore that followed 'Sarah' and 'Forgive' lasted nearly half an hour long, so fans weren't left wanting. It featured 'Animals,' 'Southern Sky,' and a reprise of 'Sarah.'

Alex G at Vicar Street on March 16th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

After 'Snot,' Alex also took the time to thank a few hands behind the scenes, without whom the show would not be possible.

"I especially want to thank Mick, for doing our monitors for us. It sounds great up here, thank you so much. I also want to thank Brian in the back who is running the lights right now for us. Thank you. Earlier in the show it was Cal who was doing the lights. He's also running merch for us."

"In the back there too is Harry, he’s our front of house engineer, doing the sound for us. Also special thanks Ash, he's our tour manager. You probably saw him running up here fixing equipment and stuff. Thank you Ash."

Afterwards, Alex G moved on to the last song of the night, finishing out his Vicar Street performance 'Mary,' a hit from the 2012 album Trick. Like with most songs, the audience sang along, seizing the moment and keeping true to the hopeful, lively tone of Alex G's recent music.

Listen to Alex G's new album God Save the Animals, here: