CMAT at The Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2026-04-25)

“Unhinged” in the best possible way!

That’s how Dublin singer-songwriter CMAT described the loose, vocal, and ready to be extended members of her backing “Very Sexy CMAT Band” crowd that came out to pack the Granada Theater in downtown Lawrence, in support of her 2025 breakthrough Mercury Prize-nominated album, Euro-Country.

Aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson is toward the tail-end of this current run (wrapping May 16, and which included playing Coachella and an arena stint in support of Florence + The Machine) before the BRIT Award-nominated artist returns to take the UK/EU by storm, already long selling out most Irish dates, and back in large venues, including supporting Lewis Capaldi.

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Before all that, KC-based indie rock stalwarts Kat King more than suitably warmed up the audience for the headliner, in support of their initial EP, Say What You Mean, with a new full-length just starting to come together.

Fronted by the vocalist/multi-instrumentalist of the same name, her own solo guitar/piano career started very young in rural Kansas, resulting in a full-length and three EPs, before a move to KC found her expanding to a full band.

Currrently signed to local fave label, Manor Records, their sound is generally joyous, which offsets some lyrics of learning a self-acceptance, love and loss, and sometime hopelessness. The set did end on a powerful and dance-driven note, as the band revved to end things with a command to “dance ‘til you’re dead” on their hypnotic cover of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll.”

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Irish country pop/rock seems like a bit of an acquired taste, but CMAT makes things the easiest, with her memorable melodies and songs, irresistibly genuine personality, and gleeful backing band, whose collective joy in playing and performing, easily transmitted that happiness, into a communal catharsis of emotional release.

The stage featured a lighted backdrop of the artist’s face in an illuminated oval, adorned with stars and the new album’s name, to complete the design. As the intro music played and the lights dropped to darkness, fans looked about for the singer, only to find her up in the top balcony behind the crowd, in blue-tinted sunglasses and serenading everyone below on the opening track. While a simple opening move, it was an effective one, taking us all immediately inside her world, not just watching it.

That sense of immersion continued, not only from the songs, but from the singer herself (apparently a massive Wizard of Oz fan), to be spending her first time in Kansas with this crowd, on this night. Even two of the band members dressed in makeshift Lollipop Guild gingham overalls, to cheekily carry on the theme.

The defiant “Take a Sexy Picture of Me” turned into a mass singalong with its topics of body image and public scrutiny re-framed, and the singer even took on some of the online comments people have rudely left on social media channels, criticizing her appearance, over any quality of performance (much like with Lola Young).

At the core of the show was the quality and dexterity of her voice, able to move seamlessly from an intimate almost conversational lilt to a booming theatrical level range that retains all the emotional precision needed, to carry the song.

The wit, jokes, reading of signs in the crowd, and even working in a breathy Marilyn Monroe-like “Happy Birthday” to a crowd member (whose actual birthday wasn’t until the next day, but would be current, if ‘Irish GMT Time’ was considered), all made her more the relatable with the personality of a familiar classmate, or friendly neighbor.

The band deserves much credit as well- the musical co-conspirators not only each have considerable skills, but were able to match the energy of their lead, and play together with a palpable camaraderie that is celebratory and not superficial.

She did playfully shoo the band off towards the end of the main set to perform solo, but they would return to fill out the closing “Running/Planning” with an exclamation point, before ducking backstage in the darkness (kudos to the lighting tech for hitting all those cues too).

The encore began with the title track from the latest record then moved into the popular single, “I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!”- so popular that those who bought the canvas totes at the merch table emblazoned with the song’s title, waved them about during the song, like “homer hankies” or “terrible towels” at a revered sporting event.

While mostly lighthearted, CMAT really only got serious at one point, urging people to be who they really are, to continue to stand up to injustice, and had five succinct words – “ICE Out and Free Palestine!”

This may have been something that may have divided another crowd, but not in Lawrence, which is long known to be progressive and also very recently saw firsthand, their town’s citizens being dragged from their cars and workplaces, by nameless authority types.

In the end, this was not a polished pop star, but an honest and unfiltered artist exploring her way to what is now a exponentially growing and worldwide audience, on the precipice of much bigger stages and levels of popularity.

She’s willing to be, and show her true self, and hope you like her and the songs for what they are, not artificially appear to be. For CMAT in Lawrence, the acceptance was unmistakable and unanimous- that we’re all along on this ride with her, and hope she returns soon.

KAT KING

National / International act coming through the Midwest / Kansas City area? Please email details to johnc@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time to be considered for Show Preview and Show Coverage consideration.