Dancing Through the Grudge: CMAT in Antwerp

CMAT performing at De Roma, Antwerp on April 1, 2026. Picture: @macainconcerts

For most of 2025, I lived with an Irish girl - let’s call her K. We weren’t exactly friends, but we bonded over music. One night in the kitchen, she told me about CMAT. “She’s great, funny, entertaining, kind of country vibes… she makes the whole crowd dance. You’ll see.”

A few weeks later, I did.

Opening for Sam Fender in Brussels in late March 2025, CMAT performed alone, just her and her guitar. No band, no choreography, no crowd interaction tricks. And still, she didn’t need them. Everything was there: the thick accent, the cheeky smile, the voice, the rhythmic stomp of her boots.

But last night at De Roma was a different story.

Between that first encounter and this show, CMAT released her third studio album, 'Euro-Country', played a sold-out night at Ancienne Belgique in February 2026, and became a TikTok sensation, with crowds now dancing along to 'Take a Sexy Picture of Me', a sharp, playful protest against the early sexualization of women and the pressure to conform.

If her rise has been fast, her message has remained consistent. As she puts it before singing it, 'Euro-Country' (the album and title track) “wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for me holding a grudge for 20 years against one Irish politician.” But rather than leaning into anger, she turns it into something else: “Through political statements you can spread joy…and we could use a lot of that in these troubled times.”

That tension, between sharp commentary and disarming humor, defines the show. CMAT takes on heavy themes and flips them on their head, inviting the audience to laugh, sing, and participate. In 'The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station', she turns self-criticism into collective catharsis, encouraging the crowd to shout the song lyrics 'Don’t be a bitch' back at her. In 'Running/Planning', she taps into the pressure placed on heterosexual women to follow a predetermined life path, delivering it as a ballad that feels both personal and widely relatable, while singing and looking at everyone straight in the eye, waving here and there.

Picture: @macainconcerts

And even when I had seen glimpses of her charisma before, seeing her headline with a full band transforms the experience entirely. Her “very sexy band” isn’t just backing her: they’re part of the performance. They match her energy, her humor, her theatricality, turning the show into something that feels closer to a shared act than a solo spotlight. Some moments feel rehearsed, others completely spontaneous, and it’s often impossible to tell which is which.

Keyboard player Colm Conlan and guitarist Jack Wolter, in particular, emerge as perfect counterparts in her mischief and staged sensuality (at one point even sharing a kiss on stage) while violinist Holy Carpenter trails her across the stage during 'Three Six Five', turning the moment into something almost theatrical. “She is secretly underage,” CMAT jokes, referencing the year a Belgian Eurovision winner turned out to be just 13 years old.

Contrary to my expectations, the encore number 'I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!' wasn’t about riding horses or wearing a hat in the American countryside. It was about home, about Ireland, about wanting to be in charge of your own life, not following someone else’s commands… and about the unequal freedoms granted to men and women, a tale as old as time.

“Since I released this song, I’ve been making the crowd do this little silly dance… Antwerp, are you with me for it?” she asked. Most of the audience didn’t hesitate, and when I turned to look behind me, the entire room was moving in sync, following the two-step she had just taught us.

Closing the show, her “best number,” according to her, saw her step off the stage and into the crowd to perform 'Stay for Something'. The adrenaline and endorphins were palpable, every voice rising above the music. I couldn’t help but sing my heart out: my own way of thanking her for the joy she had spread, in what was, for me, the best show I’ve seen so far in 2026.

I left the show with the biggest smile on my face, my facial muscles aching from smiling all night.

K, you were right. CMAT is absolutely fantastic.

Follow me at @macainconcerts for concert videos and more music experiences.