Lissie

The Academy 2, Dublin, Tues 9pm 12 (sold out) 0818-719300; Black Box, Belfast 8pm Wed £10 048-90244400

The Academy 2, Dublin, Tues 9pm 12 (sold out) 0818-719300; Black Box, Belfast 8pm Wed £10 048-90244400

Quickly and wisely slipping out of the straitjacket known as the Next Big Thing, US singer and songwriter Lissie (real name Elizabeth Maurus) is loving Ireland, what with a recent lower-bill appearance at Oxegen, this sold-out gig in Dublin, her appearances in Belfast (as part of the Open House festival), and her UK support slots with The Script.

Lissie's just-released debut album, Catching a Tiger, is what all the fuss is about. This mixture of Katy Perry's pop brio and the downhome roots of Kathleen Edwards has resulted in a singularly appealing batch of tough songs that reference love'n'stuff without going overboard on sticky sentimentality or gooey heart-on-sleeve emoting.

If you can’t make any of these gigs, Lissie will be back in Ireland in early December.

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