It’s not often someone threatens to ‘slash your ears off’ at a gig, but when 2FM DJ Cormac Battle says it, he means it – in a good way! Warming up the crowd for Limerick punk rockers Giveamanakick, Battle says the band are so good they may make us lose our senses.
There is little reason to doubt him. Already tonight we’ve witnessed the explosive enthusiasm of rock quartet The Spikes. Frontman Tom Dunne shakes and sneers with such vigour that at one point he accidentally propels his mic several feet from the stage.
Dunne’s energy makes The Spikes; while The Flaws are a different, less spiky phenomenon, it is again their frontman, Paul Finn, who sells the idea that these Monaghan indie kids are destined for bigger things. His soaring vocals on tracks like the catchy ‘Sixteen’ and ‘1981’ sound almost too much in the intimacy of Whelan’s.
Next, Giveamanakick arrive, as promised, to shake us senseless. Guitar-drum duo Steve and Keith make about as much sweaty, banging noise as is possible for just two blokes and kick up a powerful sonic storm. And now for the headliners...
Messiah J and The Expert overshadow the opening acts with beats so heavy they make your clothes move in time. Right from the start, Ireland’s biggest hip-hop act connect with the audience on every level, from The Expert’s eclectic beats and samples to Messiah J’s clever lyrical ceremonies. This combination creates a performance so layered it finally lives up to Battle’s prediction: my ears are well and truly slashed.