The First Cuts Music Clinic at the Wexford Arts Centre turned out to be a fine success, with Chaser, Floyd Soul and The Wolf, The Focus Group, Ghetto Amaretto, Jester, Rob Martin, 79Cortinaz and Jack Hanafin all benefiting from a frank and confidential discussion with the panel chaired by Senan O’Reilly. The acts were well rewarded with some valuable radio exposure courtesy of Rob O’Connor, who broadcast his Irish Beats programme on Beat FM from the event.
The Focus Group impressed with their quirky attitude and their damn fine music. The attractively repetitive ‘Clothes’ was inspired by espying a girl’s underwear and it shapes like a Velvet Underground track (‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ springs easily to mind) remade for the third millennium. Their front man Steven O Brien oozes the required attitude in spades. ‘Private Function’ is a sort of put-down of bouncers and has the confidence and art-swagger of a Roxy Music, while ‘I’m In Retail’ is a hilarious punkish rap, with metal overtones. For a band who claim not to be a band at all, and only meet every second Sunday in somebody’s living room, they make a very stimulating racket.
Jester are a five-piece from Tipperary and their overall sound is quite American, and might not be a turn-off for Nickelback fans. ‘Crying’ is a mid-tempo ballad with a passionate vocal. ‘Maria’ is funkier, with dirty guitar stabs beefing it up when it needs it, and ‘Scream’ is a real winner, featuring chiming guitars, a solid backing, a gutsy chorus and fine vocals from Colly Dempsey. Jester sure know how to take a song out on the town and show it a good time.
Jack Hanafin is a ten-year-old (yes! 10!) who already knows his way around a Fender guitar. He has written 73 songs so far, and yet still finds the time to sing at weddings and go to school! His song ‘Sunsets’ shows he understands how a song is put together, avoiding any sense of three-chord trickery, and if he watches his voice as it breaks he could be one to watch.
Ghetto Amaretto play with style, confidence and a sense of exuberant joy at the very idea that they can make such a terrific noise. Guitarist Scew Dalton’s brings his jagged rhythmic edge to drive ’Red Ever’ in its quest to create a potpourri of punk, funk, art-rock and metal. ‘Moth’ has more metallic overtones, but is nowhere near as clichéd as that genre has become, and it has a melodic thrust that saves it from the heavy rock out-tray. ‘Lights’ takes on a more industrial twist, with an in your face riff, blips and beeps and a controlled vocal from Chris Falconer. Ghetto Amaretto are thankfully hard to pigeonhole.
Four-piece newbies Chaser play straight down the line rock with a mainly American sensibility. A chunky Hendrix guitar fuels ‘Too Far Gone’. It shows they can write and play and sing, but they will have to try harder to come up with something more original than this if they’re to mix with the big boys.
In the post came a CD from the four-piece Touch Wood (no not the band from New Hampshire). If the world wants another Coldplay then this Touch Wood could get the job without even doing the interview. On ‘As Time Goes By’ singer Sam Ali proves he has the right voice for quality pop-rock, and the piano-dominated band behind him put few feet or fingers wrong. The more acoustic and folk-based ‘See You Smile’ is a fine slice of folk-rock, and it builds the tension superbly. ‘Apprentice Weekender’ gets back to the piano and ups the tempo and has a melody that glides across the top of the arrangement with harmonies to go. If these guys make the right industry moves, they could be contenders.
Rogue Voice is the nom-de-musique of a woman from Bradford who has indeed a pleasant voice which could do with a little rogue-ing up. It still sounds quite fetching on a CD labelled ... Songs About Steve. The melody on the first track sounds quite derivative, but the guitar playing is pedestrian in the extreme, especially for somebody who spent two and a half years studying classical guitar. Ms Rogue might benefit from lining up with somebody who can play guitar so that she can concentrate on her vocal work.

PICK OF THE FORTNIGHT: The Focus Group