Leaving the photo pit at Boston’s House of Blues on Friday night, I could barely move. That told me most of what I needed to know about Amble’s Boston stop. I’ve been to plenty of shows billed as sold out where there’s still room to breathe once the headliner starts. This one was sold out in the truest sense, packed across all three levels, with the Irish folk trio’s fans filling every inch of the room. Which is especially impressive when you consider it had been pouring rain all day and through the night.
Vincent Lima opened the night, and his set was a quiet showstopper. It was just Lima on guitar (and later piano) with a cellist alongside him. He played only five songs (“The Fire,” “The Big Tree,” “Orpheus,” “Dance Here Slowly” and “Atlas”), but they stretched across a full 35 minutes, giving each one space to build. “Orpheus” was the highlight for me.
I caught Amble at Newport Folk Festival this summer and loved their performance, but I didn’t realize they were “sell out House of Blues” big. And maybe just a few months ago they weren’t. But after opening for some pretty big names including Hozier, and a stop at the historic Newport Folk Festival, they seem in the midst of a breakout. This was also a much larger show than I expected. Behind the core three of the band stood a drummer, pipes, fiddle, bass, a backup guitar and keys, and Robbie Cunningham (lead vocals, guitar) mentioned that it was the first time on this tour that they had the entire full band on stage together. They opened with “Schoolyard Days” and “The Swell,” and the full lineup gave everything a big, rich sound.
The highlight of the night for me was “Mary’s Pub.” The band stripped it back, and the entire sold-out crowd sang along to every word. Boston has a big Irish community, and it showed. The band seemed to feel it too. They remarked a few times on how wild it was that they used to open in smaller venues than this one, and their rise still seems to be a shock to them. The band started in 2022 as a pub covers duo playing for free drinks, which makes the distance they’ve traveled feel even bigger from where I was standing.
The new material landed just as well. “The Swell” and “Last Rites,” both from their upcoming album Love and All Its Wares (out Jan. 29, 2027), drew an excited response, and the crowd seemed just as eager for the songs they hadn’t heard yet. Lima returned to join the band for a cover of John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery,” and the night closed with “Lonely Island” and then “Into a Dream,” another song from the album that nobody in the room could have heard yet. Ending on a new song isn’t always the approach a band takes, and it shows how excited they are about the next chapter.
Nathan Smith is a Providence-based music photographer and journalist focusing on capturing the special moments and unfiltered magic of live performances. Whether he’s shooting established artists at sold-out TD Garden shows or documenting the rise of emerging local bands, his goal is the same: to pull viewers directly into the heart of the moment.
His writing spotlights rising artists and local scenes, with a focus on telling the stories that often get overlooked. A lifelong music fan and musician himself, Nathan approaches interviews and portraits as conversations rather than transactions, building trust with artists so their genuine personalities can shine through. Whether he’s backstage, in the photo pit, or at home in front of the keyboard, he brings the same curiosity and care to every assignment.
Outside of his press work with Juice Box Press, Nathan works regularly as a photographer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous bands in the Boston and Providence area. Nathan also plays violin with a local orchestra, follows Celtics basketball almost religiously, and is an avid fantasy reader.