It all comes down to this. After making their way through their respective heats, Cork’s Lotus Lullaby and Waterford’s Ashley Sheehan & The Mute gathered in Cyprus Avenue for the final of Murphy’s Live and a winning prize of two grand’s worth of recording time. Though The Walls would provide a fitting finale, brewing up the proverbial storm, tonight was firmly about two finalists, both of whom are amongst the country’s finest emerging talent.
Sheehan and his collective are first up to showcase their wares. The five piece have made phenomenal progress over the last year as a live act. Tonight, however, they reveal only half of their capabilities. Opener ‘I Prefer Lies’ and the beautiful ‘Victoria’ are stunning examples of the quality of the songs in their canon, all Arcade Fire jolts amid shades of Echo and The Bunnymen. A brooding ‘I Have Something You Like’ only adds to the sense that we are witnessing something special. However, half-way through their up-to-then abundant energy levels drop, and signs of work still to be done begin to come to the fore. It may be nerves, but somewhere along the way Sheehan and co. lose their edge.
By contrast, Lotus Lullaby start off meekly before building to a mesmerising finish. Drawing influences from the 80s synth-led pop, mined so effectivelyly by The Killers and The Bravery, it isn’t until half-way through that Gavin Dunne’s unashamedly pop-driven act hit their stride. ‘Can You Hear Me Call’ lilts and swirls amid frantic beats, whilst ‘Frequency’, a new song, finds the group sitting comfortably within their skin.
The finale, a double jolt of pure pop bliss in the shape of ‘When It Feels So Good’ and ‘Push’, with frontman Dunne sending the crowd into a frenzy with his scissor kicks and Jarvis Cocker-esque persona ensures that the winner’s crown is theirs.
In a competition named ‘Murphy’s Live’, the ultimate nod was always going to go to whoever gave the better performance on the night. Now, let’s hope both acts make it to the studio in the foreseeable future.