Matthew and The Atlas with Foreign Fields
The Monarch
Louisville, KY
May 6th, 2025
Matthew and the Atlas, project of British artist Matthew Hegarty, and Wisconsin Folk duo Foreign Fields, comprised of Brian Holl and Eric Hillman, graced the stage at Louisville’s community artist hub The Monarch. The Monarch, a community and member funded space for artists by artists, was the perfect setting for the evening. A warm, intimate, and inviting space that’s small and cozy, the venue was filled with music lovers ready to enjoy a great evening of music. It’s also the kind of setting where the artists had everyone’s complete attention, with a respectful silence filling the spoace while the artists were on stage. Foreign Fields opened the show up this evening, performing a mix some older and newer songs, having recently released their latest album What It Cost. Hillman talked about how he and Holl had been playing music together since they were teenagers and it was apparent that had a great friendship and rapport together on stage. Certain songs saw one or the other singing solo, while some saw them singing together, often times singing with beautiful harmonies. They told stories about their history and about their songs, and at times joked around with each other on stage, causing the audience to laugh on a few occasions. They were a wonderful opening to the evening.
Although Matthew and The Atlas performs with a band at times, Hegarty is performing this tour of North America solo. With just him and an acoustic guitar, he filled the venue with his amazing and powerful voice and showcased his gift as a songwriter. Telling us stories about the recording his latest album and the meaning behind many of his songs, his set was a nice mix of singing and storytelling. For about an hour he had our complete attention as he got lost in his music on stage. It was a really beautiful evening of music.
Foreign Fields
Matthew and The Atlas
