In Photos: Laura Marling + Louise and The Pins @ Vicar Street, Dublin (23.06.11)

It was a case of third time lucky for Laura Marling at Vicar Street last Thursday night. The 21 year-old's previous two attempts at playing to Irish audiences had both been hampered by illness (this was in fact a rescheduled gig, the singer having been forced to cancel her Irish tour last December due to flu), so it was a relief to see her in fine form last week - and toting a selection of new songs to boot.
 
Details of Marling's Ethan Johns-produced third album had had surfaced online midweek, and the Vicar Street crowd were duly treated to run-throughs of several new numbers, including standouts 'Don't Ask Me Why' and 'Night After Night'. Of course, there was still plenty of time for older crowd-pleasers like 'Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)' and 'Ghosts', the bulk of which - we must remind ourselves - were written while she was still in her teens. A night that proved well worth the wait, in other words, with retro all-girl folk trio Louise and The Pins (who've collaborated with Marling in the past) filling the undercard. Click on any of the images below to load a slideshow of Colm Kelly's photos: