CMAT: Tiny Desk Concert

Elle Mannion | October 27, 2026
From top to (cheeky) bottom, CMAT’s Tiny Desk has it all: captivating stage presence, sharp songwriting, vocal range, a great band and comedic timing.

Across this set, the Irish singer-songwriter offers a refreshing perspective for country music. On the pop hit “Take a Sexy Picture of Me,” she uses humor as a response to cruel comments she’s received about her appearance. On “When a Good Man Cries,” CMAT deals with the guilt of hurting an ex who was good to her; as the song builds, she raises her hands above her head as her powerhouse vocals harmonize with the band and repeats, “Kyrie eleison,” which translates to “Lord, have mercy.” “I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!” is a classic-sounding, country two-step about social anxiety and emotional detachment.

CMAT closes with a song that she doesn’t usually play live. She spends most of “Lord, Let That Tesla Crash” with her eyes closed, sitting inside the devastating words written in memory of Jo Rose, a musician from Manchester, England who died in 2024. But as she opens herself up in the final moments, she lets out one last cackle, knowing that her “gorgeous egomaniac” friend “would get a kick out of this.”

SET LIST
“Take a Sexy Picture of Me”
“When a Good Man Cries”
“I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!”
“Lord, Let That Tesla Crash”

MUSICIANS
CMAT: vocals, guitar
Jack Wolter: guitar, background vocals
Colm Conlan: piano, keys, background vocals
Holly Carpenter: violin, percussion, background vocals
Oli Deakin: guitar
Daniel Vildósola: pedal steel
Willy Bish: bass
Morgan Karabel: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Elle Mannion
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Creative Director: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Vanessa Castillo
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#tinydesk #nprmusic #cmat

NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts is a popular video series featuring live, intimate music performances by diverse artists, from major stars to up-and-coming musicians, recorded in the small workspace of Bob Boilen’s NPR office in Washington, D.C.brought to you by SloppBoxx.Com.

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