An evening with The Swell Season in Carré

Last Tuesday I was in one of the most beautiful halls in the Netherlands: Carré! I was there for The Swell Season - Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová were on stage together again after years. And it was magical.

From the first song you felt it, this is not a reunion for form, this is a reunion full of love for music and for each other. The chemistry between Glen and Markéta is really beautiful to see. They look at each other, laugh, tell stories, and above all: they sing as only they can together - vulnerable and crystal clear.

Of course they played classics from Once , like “Falling Slowly” (which the audience collectively gasped at) and “When Your Mind's Made Up”. But perhaps the best part was how well the new material fitted in between. Because yes, there is a new album coming: 'Forward' , which will be released in June. And believe me, if what we heard in Carré is a foretaste, then that will be an album to frame.

The Swell Season started out as a project between an Irish singer-songwriter (Glen Hansard, then best known from The Frames) and a young Czech pianist (Markéta Irglová). What followed was the unexpected success of the film Once and an Oscar for “Falling Slowly”. But as sometimes happens with intense collaborations, they went their own way in 2009 after the album Strict Joy . Glen made solo albums, Markéta moved to Iceland and had children. And now, after all this time, they are back – not to repeat the past, but to move on. Hence the title of the new album: Forward .

The new songs, like “Stuck in Reverse” and “People We Used to Be,” are warm, melancholic, and mature. No grand gestures, no bombast—just two people making music the way they love to do it. With an acoustic guitar, a piano, and a lot of feeling. My personal favorite of the songs played was “Factory Street Bells,” a song Glen wrote for his son.

Carré was silent for most of the concert, and that says it all. It was an evening that came home. No spectacle, but pure beauty.

I'm already looking forward to Forward on vinyl . I tried to score a signed copy after the concert (because they already had the not yet officially released new record!), but the line was long and by the time I was halfway to the merch stand the LPs were already sold out. So I'll just have to wait for the official release date, which is June 13, 2025. And if you ever get the chance to see The Swell Season live: do it! These are the nights that stay with you.