Entering the Dreamland Ballroom, you feel as if you’re being let in on a secret. It's like a pocket of history little known to the present. The lights are dim and the spaces, minus crowds, feel vast; it’s the type of empty that fills you with a sense of potential energy.

If, on a similar weekend night as this, you stood here 60 years ago, you’d likely find yourself among vast young crowds of late teens, twenty-somethings, and folk that were older again, searching for dance partners. Soundtracked by the enthusiastic sonics of one showband or another, boys and girls stood apart, facing each other with their backs to the walls. Every so often, a stout-hearted lad would break from the wallflowers and make that daring walk across the floor to ask a girl for a dance.

Standing here, nearly six decades later, this impression remains, but the air is different. Across that passage of time, gender expectations became more balanced. In some respects, they just about dissolved. But as we all know too, there is still a lot of work to be done on the road to equality. So with today’s event being part of Brigid 2025, it feels fitting to bring He For She: An Evening For Equality to Athy’s iconic music venue.

Will standing on what was hallowed ground for an earlier generation lend an aura of gravity to performances by the artists invited to participate by Hot Press: Bob Geldof, Danny O’Reilly, Amble, Jack L, Robert Grace and MOA’s? Before a note is struck, it feels like it might just be a very special night indeed...

MOA are a local 8-piece outfit made up of teenagers who are being mentored by leading lights of the Made of Athy project, including Jack L – who is side-stage as they play, encouraging them through what is undoubtedly a seminal performance. They open the night with 'Jeane', a classic from The Smiths that was penned by local legend Johnny Marr whose parents lived down the road. A soul-stirring rhythm section kicks into high gear, creating a sound so rousing that it brings the crowd to their feet. It’s a killer note to start the night on.

He For She: An Evening For Equality, Brigid 2025 at Dreamland Ballroom. Photo Credit Jason Doherty.

The iconic tracks keep on coming. Next up is Primal Scream’s ‘Movin’ On Up’; they do a rocking version of Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen in Love’, building the momentum, as different singers take turns at the mic. And they close with an homage to their mentor, Jack L, covering his powerful hit song ‘The King of Soho’. With a dazzling finish to their set, an awed intensity brings the crowd to their feet again, for a standing ovation that fills the room with thunderous applause and whistles.

Next to take the stage is Robert Grace, the TikTok sensation from Co. Kilkenny, made famous and enormously relevant by deftly-penned tracks about mental health that are also simply great pop songs. He released his official debut album, Happy Sad Songs, in May 2024, crystallising his approach with eleven tracks, nine of which clock in at under three minutes. Tonight, the strummed magnificence of ‘Reasons’ is followed by the glorious anthem ‘Euphoria’ – and the crowd sing along with gusto.

Robert Grace at He For She: An Evening For Equality, Brigid 2025 at Dreamland Ballroom. Photo Credit Jason Doherty.

But Grace could hardly end his set without featuring the song that started it all, ‘Fake Fine’. The single became a viral hit, kickstarting Grace’s career in a big way. From the first note, the crowd is roaring with jubilation, and belt out the lyrics as he kicks into the irresistibly catchy chorus: “Bad luck if you're someone like me / Got your head above water but you still can't even breathe ”. Yet another standing ovation follows Grace as he leaves the stage, bowing towards the crowd gracefully.

Niall Stokes – the Hot Press editor taking on MC duties for the occasion – introduces the next act to deafening applause, as Athy native Jack L saunters on-stage. The singer opens his hair-raising set with ‘Shaman Lounge (Let’s Get Lost In The Sound)’, from his 2022 album Echo On. Even the security guards, the bar-staff, and dance-averse punters are on their feet by now, galvanised by an electrifying rhythm section which would not take no for an answer.

Jack L at He For She: An Evening For Equality, Brigid 2025 at Dreamland Ballroom. Photo Credit Jason Doherty.

A rollicking performance of Jack's hit single ‘Georgie Boy’ is a real stand-out. The singer-songwriter’s jaw-dropping vocals are on full display here, as he shifts between deep baritone resonance and aching falsettos with glorious ease. He closes his set with a cover of Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, a song which must’ve graced this room when Cash performed this very same venue some 62 years ago. It was a towering performance.

Next up is The Coronas frontman Danny O’Reilly, who leaps onstage to ear-piercing cheers, before folding his lanky, six foot-plus frame into a piano bench. He kicks off with ‘The Long Way’, a beautiful song which feels like a love letter to the audience as he croons: ”I'm glad that you were here tonight / You showed up at the perfect time”. From the outset, O’Reilly showcases his soaring vocals, reminding us of why The Coronas have been such a huge band in Ireland these past 20 years or so.

Danny O'Reilly at He For She: An Evening For Equality, Brigid 2025 at Dreamland Ballroom. Photo Credit Jason Doherty.

The audience is mesmerised as he continues to hit incredible high notes – the kind that most of us could only ever dream about. O’Reilly does a version of The Coronas’ ‘All The Others’, which shows just how powerful the band's music is in its raw form. That's followed by a startling, stripped-down rendition of the Creole folk ballad ‘The Lakes of Pontchartrain’, made popular in Ireland variously by Planxty, Paul Brady, Christy Moore in his solo guise, Hothouse Flowers and dozens more – including, of course, The Coronas. The classic 'Heroes or Ghosts' – into which he inserts a verse as Gaeilge – proves the perfect way to end the set. Incredibly, the crowd echo back every lyric, even in fluent Irish, highlighting a profound connection between the singer and the audience.

Danny had asked of Jack L: "How do you follow that?" Now it was Amble's turn to ask the same question.

The answer? Be yourselves! Without ever looking under pressure, the 3 piece – Ross McNerney, Robbie Cunningham and Oisín McCaffrey – deliver a heartwarming and intimate set of folk-inspired ballads about love, the wonders of the everyday and the natural world. They take their mandolin and guitar-laden sound to stratospheric heights with a stirring performance of ‘Thoughts Flood Back to You’, which inspires a group of fans to dance across the floor, swaying hand in hand. A rendition of ‘Mary’s Pub’, a nod to the pub off Grafton Street, effectively steals the hearts of the crowd. The track involves a story, known to many I’m sure, about hitting it off with someone only to find out, far into conversation, that they are already in a relationship. Ross’ incredible mandolin chops just about tear the roof off the place, while Robbie and Oisín's guitar and vocal harmonies ground the sound beautifully. You can tell why Irish audiences have taken these guys to their hearts so completely.

Amble at He For She: An Evening For Equality, Brigid 2025 at Dreamland Ballroom. Photo Credit Jason Doherty.

Bob Geldof strides onstage to close out the He For She concert to rapturous applause. Joined for the occasion by Jack L's musical cohorts, Duncan Maitland and Ger Eaton, the legend opens his set with a classic from The Boomtown Rats back catalogue. And what a classic! The first ever Irish rock band No.1 in the UK, ‘Rat Trap’ brings the room to fever pitch – the first of many such vaulting moments throughout Geldof’s set. Local trad virtuoso Joe Byrne is on fiddle for the next peak, ‘A Rose at Night’, the flavours of Geldof’s ‘90s solo sound leaping to the fore: hard-boiled lyrics underscored by a spread of fresh, rock balladry flavoured with a folk influence.

Bob Geldof at He For She: An Evening For Equality, Brigid 2025 at Dreamland Ballroom. Photo Credit Jason Doherty.

The frontman follows with the Rats’ chart-topper ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’, a raucous new-wave supernova that shimmers beautifully in a live setting like this, the crowd singing along with emphasis on the chorus.

Ger Eaton at He For She: An Evening For Equality, Brigid 2025 at Dreamland Ballroom. Photo Credit Jason Doherty.

Jack L joins Geldof and the band for ‘The Great Song of Indifference’, which suffuses insouciance with flourishes of bluegrass and folk-adjacent insistence. It has a great singalong chorus, and the crowd joins in with fresh gusto.

Bob Geldof brings He For She to a close with the Nick Lowe song – originally made famous by Elvis Costello – '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding'. First, he reads the lyrics: “As I walk through this wicked world/ My spirit gets so down-hearted sometimes… / What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding? It’s not funny at all.” This focussed, spoken word piece is a standout moment, bringing the message of Brigid 2025 front and centre.

Bob Geldof at He For She: An Evening For Equality, Brigid 2025 at Dreamland Ballroom. Photo Credit Jason Doherty.

The spirit of positivity and inclusivity that runs throughout the Brigid Festival 2025, floods the room as the lights go up. There is wild chatter, good humour, a sense that we have all witnessed something very special.

Think about it.

A slew of male artists, leading lights from more or less every generation over the past 50 years, had stepped forward to celebrate the United Nations He For She initiative, and to take a stand supporting gender equality. Thus, the concert triumphantly brought a new dimension to the Brigid’s Day proceedings, with men sharing the festival, and amplifying its core message, of female empowerment.

It made for an incredible, soul-stirring night of solidarity and unforgettable musical performances. And now it was time to bid farewell to the Dreamland – until the next time...

• Bob Geldof played a Gibson J-45. Big thanks to XMusic, Red Cow Retail Centre, Ballymount, Dublin 22, Ireland's biggest Gibson dealer!