REVIEW: FRED ☆☆☆☆

Venue: The Pavilion, Cork, Ireland.

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.......

It can't be, right??

REVIEW: JAGERMEISTER FREEZER SESSIONS ☆☆☆

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.

REVIEW: BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB ☆☆☆☆

Venue: INEC Killarney, Ireland.

'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.

REVIEW: GLEN HANSARD ☆☆☆☆☆

Venue: Cyprus Avenue, Cork, Ireland.

The last performance of his intimate, selective tour of Ireland, Glen Hansard played in Cyprus Avenue, on October 28th; neatly coinciding with the final day of the Cork Jazz. (for more info on the Cork Jazz read my review of Hermitage Green.)

Glen Hansard is one of those artists who has gigs in small venues with limited ticket numbers; and it's left to the hardcore fans to fight to the death in a Hunger Games scenario for said tickets.

What can I say, the odds are ever in my favour.

Lisa O'Neill, the absolute legend, had the room packed, hanging on her every word; a quality rarely found in supporting acts. Her tangy, sean nos voice and quirky lyrics had me hooked the second she opened her mouth. As Glen Hansard himself put it; it's a rare thing these days when new music makes you stop in your tracks- and that's pretty much what Lisa O'Neill is all about.



   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grjdV7O2siM



Glen Hansard's set list was smattered with all things good; from his newest albums to the oldest, and from songs taken from the Once soundtrack to The Frames' back catalogue. He chatted with (with, not to) the crowd- and even pulled up a friend to tell a couple of stories. The evening was spent with as much emphasis on the music itself, as upon sharing background and context to each melody, imparting wisdom that touched the heart.

"This is a song about having a friend, and they...well, this is a song about having a friend fuck off on you. And...yeah, that's really it."
"It seems to sound like I lie to people that I love a lot. I don't. I just...tend to tell the truth about things that never happened."
"When you share a day that's so fantastic with someone who's side you never want to leave, and then realise that you love her, and that maybe you should have told her that you have a girlfriend."

His good humoured performance was interrupted briefly by moments of genuine sadness; raw emotion that was so sincere that it was frightening to stand so close to. "Lamb to the Slaughter", as the name suggests, is a pretty goddamn grim tune- and it was played on the ukelele, which kind of made it even more eerie. The crowd stood in uncomfortable silence, when he proudly announced: 'A friend of mine bet me that I couldn't write a sad song on the ukelele. I fuckin' showed him-' and we were laughing again.

When he had finished the set list, it being the final night of the tour, he politely asked the bar staff if it would be okay to play a few more. They kindly agreed, and the hour and a half show somehow morphed into an almost four hour long masterpiece. Lisa O'Neill returned to the stage, and together they played a few Elvis numbers- (we all did the high-pitched schoo-wap bits when appropriate.)

Everybody, from the sound guy, to the lights guy, to 'you, in the pink cardigan', to some guy called Mick that I think drove them around- EVERYBODY was called up for a tune. The crowd was packed like a mine field with explosively talented friends of Glen's. The whole tech team was dragged up on stage for a rendition of The Auld Triangle, a tribute to how feckin' great being Irish is.

They finished up, for the fourth and final time, with 12 people on stage, singing Leonard Cohen's 'Passing Through'. It had been such a personal gig that towards the end, it became simply a session between friends.We left feeling as though we had witnessed something majestic. Hansard surpassed my wildest expectations, and he is number 1 on my 'See Again' list.

REVIEW: INDIEPENDENCE ☆☆☆☆

Venue: Deer Farm, Mitschelstown, Cork, Ireland.

August 2nd-4th, 2013



INDIEPENDENCE. A small Music & Arts Festival, nominated for 'Best Small Festival' at European Awards 2013.

 'The Farm', as it's fondly known, is absolutely ideal for a festival of it's kind. 

• The ground is flat, and the earth is pretty absorbing (i.e. it'll take a nice bit of downpour before your tent goes the full Titanic). Something to do with the mountainous Galtee region it lies in.....or something that sounds a lot cooler than what I just said.
• There are lots (and lots and lots) of trees- behind which one can escape the dreaded port-a-loos, or just escape in general. 
• The campsites are spread out and well signposted, for when you've been kicked out of the main arena at 4am and you realise that everyone else went with the cheapest possible option of tent in the Argos catalogue too.

The Arena was totally diverse, there was something for absolutely everybody -

even this guy.

• The Canadian Main Stage was where all the 'big acts' played. By 'big acts' I mean headliners such as De La Soul, The Fratellis, Bell X1, Bastille, Kodaline; the list goes on.
• The Maxol Big Top Stage, a circus tent, essentially, housed the likes of Beardyman (AMAAAZING), And So I Watch You From Afar and Hudson Taylor.
• Bacardi Oakheart Arena (who, for the record, made a damn good mojito) and the Darkness Graveyard catered for the dance/house/techno lunatics within us all, the latter being more.....well, "Darkness Graveyard"-y.
• The Bier Halle- complete with Oktoberfest benches- was my personal favourite. Upside down umbrellas decorated the ceiling, the acts were mainly unsigned, up-and-coming bands (such as Walking On Cars).
• The Hot Press Tent interviewed most of the line-up in front of whoever wanted to come along could do so. (Not to be recommended when it's 2 o' clock in the afternoon, you're still drunk, and the most intelligent thing you can thing of saying to the Fratellis is 'The Fratellis are so-'*runs away*)
• There was also a Silent Disco- which you should totally consider sneaking into without headphones and dancing in the silence- it is practically an outer-body experience. Or so I'm told.

Even the food was top class.

Cleverly, I bought an early-bird ticket, so the whole weekend only cost me €70.

As goes with the territory, festivals are pretty objective. 
So while I had the time of my life, and did some pretty ridiculous stuff, and would recommend it wholeheartedly- not everybody would agree, and there were some downsides too.

• The port-a-loos were di-sgust-ing. I understand that it is nobody's fault (apart from those charming sink vomiters) but jeeesus, they were septic. 
• I was unsure/uncomfortable with the presence of the family campsite/the kids, running around with earmuffs on. I mean, really?? Is your 4 year old son going to thank you for seeing drunken twenty-something-year-old-guys declaring their love for each other in a pile of vomit and Canadian beer glasses?
• There weren't enough bad points to make my bullet-pointed argument seem necessary. This is unacceptable, please adhere to this complaint for next year.

Overall, it was sheer brilliance. The lineup, while nothing spectacular, had some real diamonds. It was the extra touches, the "festivities" that really made it stand out. Check out www.indiependencefestival.com, and keep an eye on when early bird tickets for next year go onsale.

It's definitely worth the gamble.