Dermot Kennedy review: If he can write more songs like Power Over Me, big things await

In the frankly unlikely event of Ed Sheeran and Rag’n’Bone Man having a lovechild, chances are it might sound a lot like Dublin’s Dermot Kennedy.

Armed with an acoustic guitar and a towering voice, the 27-year-old cut his teeth busking on Grafton Street, the locale once frequented articles such as Damien Rice and Glen Hansard. Kennedy’s music has since been streamed more than 300 million times and he came to Brixton as part of a sold-out UK tour. All this without releasing a debut album.

Much of the hype surrounds Kennedy’s voice — a soaring, serrated instrument he showcased thrillingly on The Corner. Behind him, a three-piece band provided subtle hip-hop backing on All My Friends and Glory. Things collapsed a little in the middle. The unrelenting earnestness of Kennedy’s output, coupled with some ponderous stage patter, moved certain sections of the crowd to grow restless.

Armed with a rousing chorus, however, as on set-closer Power Over Me, he was irresistible. If Kennedy can pen more songs like this, he could soon find himself playing where his voice clearly belongs: the arenas.