Gráinne Hunt Setlist

Magnets
Unacceptable
Long Distance
Breathe
Clarity
The Tipping Point
Buachaill ón Eirne (Sung a cappella)
Somewhere I Called Home
Lilacs (in June)
Between the Pines
Making Distance
Take My Hand
Even the Scientist
Water and Air
Home I Will Come
So I Can Leave
Let Go
— Encore —
Hold On Hard

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■ Gráinne Hunt
Gráinne Hunt is a critically acclaimed Irish queer nu-folk singer-songwriter known for her “voice like complex coffee” and raw emotional songwriting. Often called “The Irish Joni” and compared to Tracy Chapman, she is a powerhouse performer and collaborator known for intimate, story-driven songs, having performed with Glen Hansard and U2.

Almost a year ago to the day, I saw Irish singer Gráinne Hunt perform at the Celtic Junction Arts Center in Saint Paul. I ended the review saying it seemed likely that Hunt would be back in the US and, for once, my prognosticating powers were correct. Hunt, alongside bandmate Jules Stewart, were back on a North American tour, once again supported by Culture Ireland (Cultúr Éireann), an organization helping promote Irish artists on the world stage. With the recent, near constant touring, there’s a physical media only live EP, Take the Freeway Tour – Live From the Road from 2025. The duo (vocals/guitar and drums) came out in matching red jump suits and that folk sound was just as much as delight the second time around. Stewart’s harmonies were a great contrast to Hunt’s soaring vocals. Unacceptable was written with a friend who had been declined car insurance for her job as a songwriter and it was a gorgeous number that could easily have been sung by Joni Mitchell (whom Hunt has been compared to). We got a couple of new song (we were told about the first, “we haven’t gotten through this in its entirety yet”). It also didn’t have an official title, but for today was called Long Distance. It was appropriate for Hunt and Stewart’s American-Ireland relationship, but could easily play out for many relationships that are busy, but still on a strong foundation.

Stewart’s drumming was doing some heavy lifting with great use of brushes and she’s the perfect counterpart to Hunt onstage. Hunt’s self deprecating humor was a great introduction for Breathe and that slow guitar intro let Hunt crash over it vocally. Hunt and Stewart’s non-verbal comms were a ton of fun and they way they angled toward each other was cute. A swap of guitar gave us a very different sounding number as Hunt sounded a bit more blues folk. After a solo number sung in Gaelic, they moved into Somewhere I Called Home, the planned title track of the next album. It was all of the strengths of Hunt’s singing and easy guitar complemented by Stewart’s harmonies and drums. We had an intermission, and it was great to see the merch table swamped. I spoke with Cormac Ó Sé, former Board President of Celtic Junction (“I did it for nine years!”) during the break and we talked about his joy for finding and booking acts like Hunt (which he is now focused on), as well as the re-modeling going on in the Celtic Junction Arts Center space. With a new entrance to their largest space (where Hunt & Stewart were playing), to an upcoming planned tech box, Ó Sé was upbeat about the “needed” facelift and how they continue to book lots of unique and interesting things. He noted there had been a Bulgarian dance group that morning, a there was a music class or group playing in a smaller space on the lower floor when I had first arrived. With their ongoing dance, music and Irish language classes. Celtic Junction continues to be a vibrant venue for the St. Paul community.

Back into our seats, Lilacs in June was a perfect open to the second set, as Hunt’s finger picking guitar work and closing “ooh’s” seemed exactly right for the moment. Between the Pines was an exquisite number and a great place to start with Hunt’s music (it’s the opening track on her wonderful 2019 album, This Secret). We had a delightful bit of comedy about accents and Stewart not understanding some lyrics, and rolled directly into another semi-humorous story but a serious song in Making Distance. If you’ve been living in the Twin Cities and going to live music in 2026, you’ve heard artists give their support and empathy to the brutal winter of ICE’s terror. Some have been short and to the point, some have been a bit awkward, but they have all come from a good place. Hear enough of them and you get inured to having a reaction yourself. Hunt sliced through that armor with perhaps one of the most heartfelt statements I’ve heard, and while her next song wasn’t necessarily a protest song, it’s focus on “come and hold my hand” hit hard. Hunt and Stewart are going to have to get to work on that new album, because every new song we heard was fabulous. Water and Air had a very Indigo Girls feel and Hunt and Stewart continued to crush it as they were getting close to the end of the evening. Closing with Let Go, Gráinne Hunt and Jules Stewart had earned their standing ovation, but the pause was only for a moment. An encore had Hunt and Stewart down in the crowd. Hold on Hard was the right choice, just as in 2025, and was a perfect end for a fantastic folk evening.