Kingfishr - How Lonely
Review: Folk Made for Singing Together
2026 has already been a seriously busy year for Kingfishr - and there’s still plenty of road left to run.
Alongside a relentless touring schedule, the Irish folk trio have kept the new music coming, delivering The Blade
, The Sun Will Never Settle
and For The Boys. And, because apparently that wasn’t enough, they’ve also found time to put their own stamp on The Pogues’ The Sunnyside of the Street, recorded for an upcoming tribute album celebrating the late Shane MacGowan.
With early plans for a new record currently pointing towards 2027, and the band getting their first taste of stadium-sized shows, Kingfishr’s remarkable word-of-mouth rise shows little sign of slowing down.
Next up is How Lonely, a song that might be a new release, but one that will already feel very familiar to anyone who has caught Kingfishr live this year.
How Lonely
Has Already Found Its Audience
Kingfishr have been quietly dropping How Lonely
into their live sets for much of 2026, where it has been greeted with the kind of jubilant response that suggests this one was destined to become a fan favourite long before its official release.
It’s not difficult to understand why.
How Lonely
opens simply, with a strummed acoustic guitar before subtle Celtic-toned notes begin creeping into the arrangement. There’s a familiarity to it - something unmistakably rooted in Irish folk - but Kingfishr gradually build around those foundations with layers of atmospheric sound that pull the song firmly into the modern indie-folk world.
The tempo starts pushing beneath the verse and, before long, everything locks into a soaring rhythmic march.
For a song centred around unrequited love, How Lonely
feels remarkably uplifting.
Rather than wallowing in heartbreak, Kingfishr turn it into something cathartic - the sort of song where the emotion is released by singing it back at the band alongside a few thousand other people.
Final Verdict
How Lonely
doesn’t try to reinvent Kingfishr. Instead, it leans into exactly what the Irish trio do best: heartfelt storytelling, folk-rooted instrumentation and choruses that feel designed to be sung by thousands.
Kingfishr’s stages might be getting bigger, but the emotions at the centre of their songs remain reassuringly human.
Kingfishr Live (2026/2027):
16th November – Grosse Freiheit 36, Hamburg – SOLD OUT
17th November – Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin
18th November - Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin
20th November – Zoom Frankfurt, Frankfurt – SOLD OUT
21st November – Fabrique, Milan – SOLD OUT
22nd November – Kaufleuten, Zurich – SOLD OUT
24th November – Sala Apolo, Barcelona – SOLD OUT
25th November – Wagon, Madrid - SOLD OUT
28th November – Effenaar, Eindhoven - SOLD OUT
29th November – Carlswerk Victoria, Köln - SOLD OUT
1st December – De Roma, Antwerp - SOLD OUT
2nd December – De Roma, Antwerp - SOLD OUT
3rd December – Gashouder, Amsterdam - SOLD OUT
5th December – De Oosterpoort, Groningen - SOLD OUT
6th December – De Oosterpoort, Groningen - SOLD OUT
7th December – Tivolivredenburg, Utrecht - SOLD OUT
11th June 2027 – Belsonic, Belfast (festival headline) - SOLD OUT
19th June 2027 – Marlay Park, Dublin - SOLD OUT
9th July 2027 – Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick
10th July 2027 – Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick - SOLD OUT
The single, How Lonely, is available through all streaming platforms.
Photo Credit: Casey King
