Podge Lane strips it back on heartfelt new single Live Forever
Music Review | 1st Mar, 2026
There’s something quietly compelling about Podge Lane. The kind of artist who doesn’t shout to get your attention, he just sits down, plays a few notes, and suddenly you’re hanging on every word.
Over the past few years, the Cork native has carved out a reputation for brutally honest songwriting wrapped in a sound that refuses to sit still. Bluegrass bones, indie-rock spirit, country soul - it’s all there. But what really pulls people in is Lane’s voice: droll, vulnerable, and uncomfortably real in the best possible way.
The last 12 months have been nothing short of relentless. Lane packed his bags, relocated to New York City, clocked over 150 live shows, and dropped his fourth album, Less Of Me
— a record that felt like both a confession and a turning point. But instead of doubling down on that momentum with something bigger and louder, Lane has done the opposite.
His new single, Live Forever, is disarmingly simple. Written during those same album sessions in Manhattan, the track strips everything back to the essentials. There’s no hiding here- just upright piano, the faintest brush of percussion, and Lane’s weathered vocal sitting front and centre. It’s intimate in a way that feels almost accidental, like you’ve stumbled into the room while he’s still figuring it out.
You can hear echoes of James Taylor and Norah Jones in its warmth and restraint, while the minimal, slightly lo-fi production carries a subtle nod to The Velvet Underground. Nothing feels overworked. Nothing feels forced. It just breathes.
There’s a lovely moment near the end — a small shift in the bridge — before it melts back into the repeating chorus: makes me want to live forever.
It’s understated, but it lands exactly where it should.
The release also marks Lane’s first run of Irish shows in over a year, including stops at St Catherine’s Cultural Centre, Kinsale, a support slot for Samantha Crain at Whelan’s Dublin, and a hometown return to Village Arts Centre, Kilworth — the kind of full-circle moment that feels earned.
With growing momentum on both sides of the Atlantic and more tour dates on the horizon before he heads back to New York in April, Lane isn’t slowing down anytime soon. If anything, he seems to be settling deeper into his own skin — one honest song at a time.
And if Live Forever
is anything to go by, he’s only getting better at telling the truth.
Tour Dates:
Friday, March 6th St Catherines Cultural Centre, Kinsale
Saturday, March 7th Whelans, Dublin*
Saturday, March 21st Village Arts Centre, Kilworth
*supporting Samantha Crain
The single, Live Forever, is available through all streaming platforms.
Photo Credit: Podge Lane
