Fresh from supporting Foo Fighters in the States, Supergrass roll into Dublin for a brace of low-key gigs in preparation for their Cois Fharraige headline slot. Seeing any successful band in a club setting is always intriguing (just ask Killers fans) – but when it’s a band who’ve been the unsung heroes of Britpop for over a decade, in a club that barely holds 800 people, frenzy levels should be off the scale.
It’s strange, then, how static tonight’s crowd is. Although it seems that Gaz Coombes is practically within groping distance for even those at the back of the venue, the reaction to the Oxford band’s introductory period isn’t half as uproarious as it perhaps should be – although approval is demonstrated with aplomb between songs.
“We’re gonna play some old faves,” teases a pork-pie hat-wearing, comedy moustache-sporting Coombes, “as well as some new ‘uns.” “You know it makes sense!” a punter beside me shouts, punching the air – yet it’s tracks from their brilliant recent album Diamond Hoo Ha that are delivered with premium enthusiasm – even if they do lose the crowd’s attention for a good 15 minutes in the process.
Still, run-throughs of ‘Mary’ (excellent), ‘Moving’ (great), ‘Richard III’ (good) and ‘Pumping On Your Stereo’ (lacklustre) are nice to hear, despite the sometimes muffled, muddy sound that affects various spots of the venue. Supergrass – an undeniably great band. This Supergrass gig? Average at best, uneven at worst.