All the feels with Dublin-based Irish alternative rock band Kodaline
Music has the ability to remind us of the people we used to be. It allows us to revisit our past selves without any judgment, having grace for that version of us who did not know any better. This can look like embracing emotions we once had for people who helped change the course of our lives. Music elicits forgotten feelings from seasons that tested yet nurtured us.
I remember the naïve version of myself when I discovered Dublin-based Irish alternative rock band Kodaline in 2013. It was my last year of university and I loved love. Naturally, I went through heartbreak—it almost seemed as if I would not be happy again—and Steve Garrigan’s voice soothed my wounds. High Hopes and All I Want from the album In A Perfect World were my anthems for unrequited love and affection. I thought I would never fall in love again until I opened myself to possibilities and let myself fall into it once again. The One, from the album Coming Up For Air, released two years later, would hold so much weight as I saw in every person I allowed myself to get close to the possibility of a lifelong partner.
It’s interesting to look at that point in my life and see how much has changed. There is that deep wisdom, rooted in experience, in discerning who gets to have access to me. I don’t let myself fall too quickly. I also know that I can start over at any given time.
A decade after discovering Kodaline, I finally had the opportunity to watch them live last September 14 at The Filinvest Tent in Muntinlupa. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint. In 2018, they performed for Filipino fans at Wanderland, and they’re elated to return to the Philippines after five years. We did not disappoint either, with Steve repeatedly saying that we’re easily the loudest crowd they’ve experienced in a while.
Did you miss their concert? Here’s what went on at Kodaline in Manila through the lens of photographer and video journalist Iya Forbes:
As the first concert I’ve watched this 2023, with the last one being 88rising’s Head in the Clouds in December, I have beautiful, new memories I will carry with me. Whether that’s one of my best friends and I singing—more like screaming—along to The One or a couple getting engaged right before our eyes while High Hopes was playing in the background (we were teary-eyed).
Kodaline’s energy was electric from start to finish. I found myself so thankful that this is what music could do for us all: It helps us remember things we could easily forget.
Photos Iya Forbes for Karpos Live
Art Macky Arquilla
