The 1975 played the Savoy on Wednesday, February 19th. (I know that was ages ago, see my last last post RE: pathetic excuses.)
The 1975 are hipster guys, that's undeniable; and the crowd contained pretty much every indie-wannabe (myself included, no hate) in the county. Shirts were buttoned up the whole way and eyebrows were razor sharply defined.
Despite the aspiring alternative vibe, I found the whole thing kinda....cringe. There was an atmosphere of desperation more than anything else. The band were only alright, had zero audience interaction, and they were too cool to separate their encore from the main setlist. I don't know guys. I just don't know.
I was tremendously unimpressed, and the band somehow went down in my list of favourites after the gig, which is never a good thing.
All the same, an absolute belter of a night was had, but no thanks to the 1975, being brutally honest. It was nothing I couldn't have experienced with a flannel shirt, white wine and spoifity playlist at home.
I left wondering what I had spent my ticket money on, and how I had come by the bowl of mashed apple in my left hand.
GOOD GRIEF. IS IT MARCH ALREADY? 2014!? WHATT!?!?!!
Bless me father, for I have sinned. It's been fecking ages since my last blog post.
I KNOW excuses mean nothing but I have SO MANY of them goddamnit; at least have the decency to hear me out.
Here are some things that have happened in the last couple of months:
I got an internship working for a hip, upcoming, shiny new music website. It's called www.choorpy.com. I write the odd blog there, and do some fabulously boring admin stuff, alongside organizing cool gig/artist/promotion related work.
I am currently in the process of coordinating with various music festivals for the summer. Friends of mine and I, together a hugely bad influence and far too braisen with our ambition, are touring Music & Arts Festivals throughout Ireland and the UK, and a couple odd ones further afield, with our circus theatre/street performance act 'Flocked in the Head'.
I have somehow, somewhere along the way, managed to set up my own Events Management and Promotion company. We're called Tennis Court Hop Productions (TCH Productions) and jaysus man, there's a lot of work involved. I'm tied up booking bands, sorting advertising, social media, selling tickets, coordinating with the venue; it's all gigantic fun and brings out my two finest qualities; list-making and worrying. www.tchproductions.com. Check us out, our website is only gorgeous.
LOL, I'm actually doing my Leaving Cert. too. So, while everything is terrific fun and my CV is looking well; I'm also in school all day and pretending to be studying all night. BUT the world waits for no man and I shall not be chained down by a week of exams in June. It'll be graaaand (she said).
Yeah, I know excuses don't cut it, but still. Sympathy points? No? Nothing?
I suppose I'll just say a couple of Hail Mary's and hope for the best.
I was definitely there.
Big September were definitely there.
Key West were there.
Delorentos were there too, (I think).
Walking on Cars were there, probably.
I'm told that the Rubberbandits made an appearance.
....................great gig, I assume.
Even the gig freaks among us go a bit mad at Christmastime.
After 15 years, 4 albums, numerous members and many good times; Fred the band have decided to call it a day. The decision was accompanied not by grief, but by a celebration of life. A 'fun'eral. A number of testimonials were held around the country; Dublin, Galway, Clonakilty and Cork City amongst them.
The Last Hoorah, as it was known, was a resounding success for the resigning band. I attended the second-last hoorah, December 27th (it has taken me so long to write this blog due to the cocktail of inebriation and poisonous hangover that is Christmastime) in the Pav, Cork. An early show, scheduled purely to accommodate the fan-girling, pathetic fans desperate to see the band perform one last time.
Songs were dragged up from repertoire lists long forgotten, albums of old and tunes of late. Band members down through the ages were summoned to the stage, and the nostalgia was roaring. The gig finished with all attributes of Fred on the stage (spilling over the edges) and the crowd, chanting 'Two Million People Can't Be Wrong'; a momentous moment.
It's hard to believe this Corkonian band that we're all so proud of have packed it in, for once and for all. All the same, a (reassuring) voice in my head says that this won't be the last of Fred the band.......
Little Green Cars are an indie rock band from (our very own) Dublin. Following the release of their first and ragingly successful album 'Absolute Zero' in 2013, they seem to be selling out pretty much every Irish date they announce.
With support from Gypsies on the Autobahn, who- despite the dodgey Dodgey DODGEY haircuts- had all elements required to make a decent alternative indie band. Perhaps dodgey haircuts are also included in those set requirements. They're a mishmash between Villagers and Two Door Cinema Club, and yano what else? I kinda like 'um.
Little Green Cars graced the stage not long after. Their music is totally diverse, fronted by Faye O'Rourke and Stevie Appleby. Songs alternate between leading man and woman, but quality certainly doesn't vary. With magical diversity accompanying each tune, I could have listened to their set for hours. Five part harmonies accompanied each melody, with personality shining through each member of the band. There was a tangible friendship in the group, which made their performance all the more mesmerizing.
They gave me goosebumps.
With this leg of the tour finished, they have already announced dates across Ireland in March. It's not too late to add another pair of tickets to your Santa list, is it?
Hotpress magazine hosted their Cork contribution of the annual Jagermeister Freezer sessions in Crane Lane, Thursday 28th November. The sessions take place in various venues around Ireland and showcase only the best of what our beautiful nation has to offer. I was shnakey enough to apply for tickets and, as luck would have it, was given a pair. The Freezer Sessions are yet to hit Dublin, Limerick or Waterford- so it's not too late for you to apply for yours. With acts like The Hot Sprockets, The Riptide Movement and O Emperor- I really can't see why you would want to miss out.
The line-up in Cork consisted of some real gems. Raglans (my new favourite band), Leaders of Men and the INFAMOUS Hot Sprockets.
(Crane Lane is one of those venues where the phrase "likeminded people" is used frighteningly often, and the Freezer Session was no exception. If you are unfamiliar with this terminology, you've obviously never strayed far enough from the mainstream to encounter these feral "likeminded people". Don't fret, they're all the same anyway.)
The Raglans are an up-and-coming indie band consisting of Stephan Kelly, Rhos Horan, Conn O'Runaidh and Sean O'Brien. Words just don't do them justice....
My money is on these guys.
Next up were Leaders of Men, described as the Irish answer to Kings of Leon stroke Stereophonics. I wasn't overly impressed, but still, I can see LOM going far in the Irish rock scene. Nothing on the Raglans though. And, alas, frontman Brian Ashe has a really distracting blinking-thing going on, that, unfortunately, makes their performance look like its inflicting horrific pain upon him.
Last on stage were the headlining Hot Sprockets. The HS's are on everyone lips at the moment. They seem to have an attribute of some kind that grants eternal popularity upon you if you publicly admire them. Five friends from Dublin; Wayne Soper, Timmy Cullen, Joey Lynch, Frankie Kelly and Andy Sutton; that are forever going to shake it down and do-see-do in the ripe old days of Rock'n'Roll. Their rocking blues put me right into festival spirit, and I can't wait to catch them live again over the summer.
As one would expect, Hotpress selected only the best Irish acts for this marvelous showcase of Irish musical elitism- 'coz let's be honest, we are elite- and they certainly didn't disappoint.
'Bombay Bicycle Club', an indie chat up line, almost.
But don't let the cardiganed, tophatted, Bleach(with a capital B)haired fans turn you off. That crowd generally tend to know what they're at.
BBC are an English indie/alternative/hipster(we were all thinking it) band based in London.The band is composed of Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Suren de Saram and Ed Nash.
On November 21st, 2013, the INEC hosted Bombay Bicycle Club, with support act Soak, as a part of their 'Acoustic Club' initiative. The 'Club' is laid out with candlelit round tables, surrounded by chairs that all (awkwardly) face the same direction. It creates a cosy, intimate atmosphere; but disallows raucous displays of enjoyment. And makes the evening most unpleasant for poor Johnny-No-Mates that only ever wanted to blend in.
Soak, the supporting act, while not my cup of tea entirely, filled the room with harmonious, soft melodies that had us sipping our Coronas with raised pinkies. Her distinctive voice, tangible emotions, creative lyrics and soothing guitar accompaniment simply COULD NOT distract me from the fact that she is just merely SEVENTEEN- and has more than likely already achieved more than you or I ever will. Yes; that means you.
Not that I don't support those that overachieve wholeheartedly but.... Well. Who does?
Bombay Bicycle Club graced the stage not long after. Between the four band members and their novelty lady for the evening, their equipment, instruments and dodgey dancemoves; the majority of the performance was spent just nearly spilling over the edges. Their setlist was wonderfully varied, with hints of new material, right up to their classic hits, and songs from their acoustic album 'Flaws'. I've never seen such diversity in a band- they could go from headbanging drum solos and heavy guitar riffs to indie scha-waps and synth loops- with no friction or resistance. It just worked. With up to three drummers and up to four guitarists playing at any one time, you can't deny that these guys are courageous. It seemed that is no end to their comfort zone; a quality that I, as a regular 'connoisseur' of live music, really appreciate.
They effervesced enthusiasm, and their energy was catching. They brought so much fun to the stage that it would have been difficult not to enjoy it.
Apart from Johnny-No-Mates, who had to endure the entire gig sitting at an unused table surrounded by empty chairs. Poor guy.
