By Christina Murphy
Singer, songwriter, and Gen-Z sensation sombr took his The Late Nights and Young Romance Tour all the way to Dublin, the night before St. Patrick’s Day. Previously, sombr has played the Academy in Ireland as of May last year. Compared to The Academy being able to hold just over 1,000 people, the 3Arena was a massive upgrade for his next headline show. The venue was sold out, housing 13,000 fans in total.
He released his debut single, “Nothing Left to Say”, in 2021, and finally broke the internet in 2025 with his debut studio album, I Barely Know Her, that included well-known hits “Back to Friends” and “Undressed”. He took the internet by storm. He was a relatable artist for teenagers and young adults, being only 19 years old himself, at the time. He is now 20 years old, and has since been nominated for Best New Artist at the 68th Grammy Awards and 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.
The tour started way back in May of 2025, before closing the European leg of the tour on March 16th 2026. He took the stage just a little bit past nine o’clock, dressed in a green blouse, and an Irish flag-coloured scarf tied around his waist. Considering the national holiday that was right around the corner, his outfit fit the atmosphere of his eager audience.
The show lasted a little more than an hour, with a mixture of songs from his album I Barely Know Her, popular hits, and a surprise song. To everyone ‘s shock, sombr brought out The Cranberries legends Mike and Noel Hogan to perform their song “Linger”. The song was released in 1993, and quickly became one of the band’s best-selling songs. The single recently reached number 14 in Today FM’s 100 Greatest Irish Songs list, just in time for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
Keeping with the St. Patrick’s theme, half way through the show, sombr decided to play into the classic tradition of bringing out a pint of Guinness during the show, and attempting the American tradition of “splitting the G”. Although drinking has become a ritual for many performances in Ireland, sombr’s audience is made predominantly of teenagers and pre-teens. Even if it is “a bit of fun”, and not actually alcoholic beer, the act of drinking on stage promotes alcohol consumption to the audience.
As well as this, it also plays into the classic Irish stereotype of alcoholism. Other artists who have participated in this drinking ritual include Ed Sheeran and Liam Gallagher. Other artists have talked about their pleasant experiences of consuming the Irish beer, including Sabrina Carpenter and Dua Lipa. Especially with Ireland’s national holiday the next day, which predominantly features a lot of drinking, playing into this stereotype on stage, and in front of an underage and impressionable artist, damages Ireland’s reputation as a country, as well as the artist’s image. Sombr is no exception to this.
Other than surprise guests and drinking shenanigans, there was also an attempted fan-project during the show. Similar to when Gracie Abrams played the 3Arena last year, fans took it upon themselves to try and paint the venue in colours of the Irish flag. Across the seated area, fans held up the colours green, white, and orange, on their phones in their respective sections. On the floor, fans held up the colour pink, creating a dazzling and very romantic image of Ireland’s nationality being celebrated alongside the artist.
Overall, the concert was good. Sombr knows how to hold an audience, and how to get them to jump up and clap for him. His singing skills are undeniable, and his discography offers a wide range of emotions, all tying back to that heart-breaking teenage love. The audience laughed and cried alongside the music. He transformed the venue into a non-judgmental and carefree area, where his fans were free to express themselves through screaming the lyrics to his songs at the top of their lungs.