Live Review: Hard Working Class Heroes 2016

Hard Working Class Heroes is always a mad dash from venue to venue across both sides of the Liffey. Even with the most meticulous military planning things go awry, plans change, sound-checks get delayed, and often, a Sophie’s Choice scenario ensues over which act to catch, when there are three ‘must see bands’ playing at the same time.
This year’s event took place over three days from October 6-8. It featured the most promising musicians from all four corners of Ireland. From rock to rap, to electronica to folk, every genre was represented across seven stages, in five venues around Dublin city centre. The Workman’s Club, Tengu, Wigwam, The Hub and The Chocolate Factory all hosted a multitude of bright, brilliant musicians.
Kicking off proceedings at Workman’s Club, Belfast trio Petty Youth drew the short straw. A glaringly empty venue could have been used as an excuse for a lacklustre performance. However, to their absolute credit, it’s clear the lads decided ‘fuck it, we came all the way down to the capital, on a Thursday night, let’s go for it.’ It was well worth the trip. Unleashing a dirty blues soaked set with grimy garage rock, Petty Youth played with gusto, enthusiasm and finesse. If you missed them, you missed out. 
Tucked away in the back streets off Lower Ormond Quay, a guttural voice bellowed out Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’. The rock-soul quintet Davina and the Messengers were slightly squeezed together downstairs in Tengu, but their proximity didn’t hinder their frontwoman’s raucous vocal performance. Rawness intertwined with gospel influences shined through during the tracks ‘Back To Back’ and ‘I’m The Liar’. 
At The Hub, alt-rockers Fontaines entertained the basement crowd. Upbeat indie songs laced with a knee-slapping catchy tempo went down a treat. Overall, their tunes are highly reminiscent of Kings Of Leons’ masterwork, Aha Shake Heartbreak.
Following hot on their heels were buzz band Fangclub. Their vocals sounded a little quiet to begin with, until flame-haired bassist Kevin Keane’s microphone sparked to life during the opening chorus. The engineer certainly turned the dials to 11 – unfortunately, it left punters with their ears bleeding. Nonetheless, the trio put on a blistering gig as they ran through grungy hits like ‘Bullet Head’, ‘Role Models’ and ‘Young Blood’. If Fangclub didn’t suffer at least a mild case of whiplash from incessant head thrashing throughout their show, I’d be amazed. 
R.S.A.G. closed the opening day with a riotous, dominating performance. When it comes to thrashing, dynamic live sets, it is nothing short of mesmerising to witness what Jeremy Hickey can do on the drums.

Photo Album: Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 - Thursday Click Here.

On to day two, and Slow Riot’s puncturing presence was brought to the fore through exceptionally catchy indie rock tunes reminiscent of Interpol. Their effortless style belies a group filled with polished panache. The rhythm section is strong, yet subtle, leaving the band’s guitarist to showcase his exquisite flair during the performance. If his fingers weren’t cut to shit after that gig, they must be tougher than leather! Frontman Niall stayed largely still and sullen, letting his voice blend seamlessly over the Limerick group’s raunchy repertoire.
Regrettably, a sound-check delay meant we missed electronic singer Soulé and Lucan rapper Damola. 
The highlight of Friday came with two sensational sets at The Hub. Dublin-based trio Exploding Eyes burst to life with progressive-garage-rock anthems. Once their show started, there wasn’t time to take a breath. The purple lighting veiling the band set the perfect mood for intricate guitar strumming, paired with a driving rhythm section. Alternating vocals between songs, bassist Robert and guitarist Al complemented each other flawlessly. Their next headline slot will be a must-see. 
If you’d downed 10 cans of Red Bull, and railed a few lines of charlie before punk rockers Touts hit the stage, you wouldn’t even have come close to mimicking the manic energy they brought to the venue’s basement. “We’re from Derry. This is our first time in Dublin, we hope you enjoy the show,” said frontman Matthew Crossan, introducing the group. The three-piece brought unbridled liveliness and cheekiness to the capital – confessing that one song was either dedicated to or about a purple dildo. Call it teenage exuberance if you like, but lead singer/guitarist Crossan has distinct, intriguing qualities that make him an engrossing frontman. A permanent disdain shrouds his facial expressions as he occasionally gobs on the floor, and screams his way through each track. Their final song was an epic cover of Van Morrison’s ‘Gloria’ that lasted easily seven minutes. It ended with Matthew hurling his guitar to the ground, leaning over and punching the strings, then stamping on his guitar with his big black boots: if you want a picture of Touts’ future, imagine a boot stamping on a guitar, forever. Orwellian nightmares aside, it was a grandstand finish which left punters with their mouths agape. 
Dublin-based four piece Super Silly, meanwhile, brought an already oven-like upstairs crowd to the point of passing out. Ventilation issues notwithstanding, members Precious, Solbas, Grooves and Shek played funky, slick, original sounding R&B, rap and pop to a grooving audience. They concluded the gig by asking fans to raise their middle fingers in the air and shout “fuck off” – strangely, it was quite a pleasant, non-aggressive way to complete a concert.
Wrapping up day two, there was a real buzz to see how Cork musician Talos’ evocative, eerie, atmospheric electronic sound would translate to a live setting. After tremendous turmoil and effort to get it to a level he was content with, his set gloriously represented the reflective feel of tracks such as ‘Love Is An Island’, while merging expansive sounding songs like ‘Reborn’. It was a triumphant tour de force from Talos and his live band.

Photo Album: Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 - Friday Click Here.

Day three, and the Tengu sweat box was dripping with electronica provided by producer Moossmann. The Dubliner’s all new bouncy, euphoric trance-house tunes, thumping drums and melodic improvisational soaked bangers, transported listeners to the Hacienda’s heyday. Indeed, with the symbol for infinity emblazoned on his t-shirt, I could have happily listened to him play for as long as possible.
As Moossmann brought his show to a finale, punters could feel drum vibrations from the gig downstairs. Hiva Oa’s indie alt-rock songs permeated the crowded downstairs room. The three piece’s ghostly howls and sinister sounding repetitive keys drew in more and more people to see who this haunting group actually were. 
Meanwhile, the Dublin and Brooklyn-based outfit, Le Boom, certainly got the fans jumping. The electro indie-pop duo recalled Mylo and MØ, fusing live drums with stabbing injections of keys and xylophone sounds, and occasional voice-over recordings, which unquestionably added to the potency of the tracks. 
Hot Press’ final gig of HWCH 2016 was Bitch Falcon. The Dublin trio weren’t fucking around after a delayed sound-check. A romping grunge-rock set ensued, with singer Lizzie Fitzpatrick launching herself into the crowd to encourage the audience to engage in some good old-fashioned disorder and mayhem. Fans duly obliged, until one punter nearly got snagged in her guitar chords and another spilled onto the stage during the moshing carnage. Their show concluded with Lizzie sprinkling the remaining water from her plastic bottle unto her fingers and ceremoniously flicking drops over the faces of breathless attendees. Bitch Falcon had given the audience their blessing. 

Photo Album: Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 - Saturday Click Here.

The current crop of Irish musicians are undoubtedly talented, but what is really evident is the generous spirit that inhabits the creative community. Everyone is supporting everyone. Budding and established artists are collaborating, regardless of genre or location. They attended each other’s shows and filmed clips for each other for social media. On Friday night, outside Tengu, an impromptu jam began on Strand Street Great involving Barq singer and Hot Press Repeal the 8th cover star, Jess Kav, rapper Marvell the 5, members of Super Silly and singer Loah. There is a really lovely vibe coursing through the class of 2016, and it’s one of the nicest traits to emerge from the 14th annual Hard Working Class Heroes festival.

- Ed Murphy

Top 5 Acts At HWCH 2016

1. Touts
2. Bitch Falcon
3. Exploding Eyes
4. Moossmann 
5. Le Boom