Ireland is producing some great music at the moment but there aren’t 100 acts of proven quality in the country. What HWCH showcased is potential. Certainly Boss Volenti and The Rags have lots of that and the festival shone in this regard. If it brings one act to the surface, the festival’s been a success.
Day one: One hundred and nineteen acts and six venues. I get cracking early. Wicklow five-piece Hy Brasil are first up. With The Olympia beginning 15 minutes ahead of the other venues, they’re also the festival’s opening act. A band with a lot of swagger, there’s shades of Snow Patrol (‘A Million Moments’) and Kasabian (‘God Bless The Devil’) to their synth based rock. A good start to the weekend.
As Hy Brasil leave the stage, The Olympia begins to swell in numbers. Delorentos are next up and expectations are high for a band that recently scooped top prize at the National Student Music Awards. Tonight however is an off night. It may be their place on the bill, or the empty feeling within the huge venue, but there’s something flat about the gig. Still, there’s no mistaking the quality of the songs in the band’s canon.
The Rags are another act having nice things said about them. And they’re tremendous. Frontman Danny Anderson may be as arrogant as they come, but that's OK. Brimming with energy and fire in their bellies, The Rags are as exciting a live band as you’ll see. For sheer entertainment they’ll be hard to top all weekend.
Fair Verona are the first to attempt to better them. In Spirit’s dingy Rock Room however, they aren’t helped by sound problems. An inconsistent set suggests potential as yet unrealised.
Cork band Cartoon are a different kettle of fish. Basically a live house band, they are a welcome tonic. Ones to watch.
66e are another band who could do with re-setting their sights. Radiohead comparisons aside, the Dublin group are high on instrumental talent but there’s few noteworthy songs here. Time for bed.

Friday Highlight: The Rags
Day two: With the exception of catching half a Matt Lunson song the previous evening, I’ve yet to see any singer-songwriters. So Saturday begins, again at The Olympia, this time with Tadhg Cooke. Cooke’s voice immediately grabs you. Soft yet strong, it’s got that Jeff Buckley quality to it that most vocalists crave. Given a fair wind, he could soon be looking to headline this venue.
While Cooke has stood by his musical style, The Rubens have completely changed theirs. Gone are the summer-drenched songs of last year’s Esmeralda EP and in its place is a much edgier American college rock sound which hits the right buttons.
In TBMC Ann Scot is having something of a singer-songwriter nightmare, so I leave her to deal with guitar problems and head to catch the return of David Hopkins, formally of Lir. Great on record, he excels live, especially with a full band backing him.
Over at Eamonn Doran’s Boss Volenti are about to blow everyone off stage. In his first gig with the band, former Therapy drummer Graham Hopkins couldn’t be enjoying himself more. This is amazing, rock music at its most intense. As one member of the audience comments, “I wouldn’t like to be the next band.”
Ritchie Egan is perhaps the only man capable of following such a memorable set, so I leg it to TBMC where Jape have just taken to the stage. I’m lucky to get in. The place is jammed and Egan is on top form. Good stuff indeed.
Across the Liffey, The Chapters aren’t as sparse sounding as I’d been led to believe. To my ears, this is much more reminiscent of The Thorns or The Band than The Frames with whom they've been compared in the past. Interesting.
Mark Cullen, who has been a fixture on the Irish scene for years, closes day two. Oft underappreciated, Pony Club is his latest vehicle and they are outstanding. Pure melodic pop bursting with clever riffs fills the Rock Room. A perfect finale.
Saturday Highlight: Pony Club
Day Three: It’s Sunday. Air Strip One in Doran’s kick off the day and deal in interesting belts of Kraftwerk-like noises, which are carried off well in a live setting.
Nipping into Pravda, Aaron James is bleeding his heart out and I’m just not in the mood so I leave for Spirit, housing two venues tonight. Renko rock the Rock Room, while 8 Ball in the Main Room are trippy in a My Bloody Valentine kind of way. They sparkle most when their female bassist takes over lead vocals.
The Things follow with their make-up smeared frontman making for a great spectacle but otherwise I'm not taken. Fast Emperors downstairs are altogether more the complete package. Anthemic and engaging, they’re added to the list of artists to check out in greater detail.
Missing The Urges is a bummer. Everyone is raving about their set afterwards, but then, you can only see so much. Gatsby, Guggenheim Grotto and Morrissey favourites Remma do what they do, but they're not reaching out enough for me. Amazing Pilots don’t disappoint. Despite the acclaim bestowed on their Hello, My Captor debut, the audience is small, meaning that the majority have missed out on one of the shows of the festival. Uplifting and extremely catchy, ‘Price Of Winter’ is one of the songs of the year.
Only Chuzzle could attempt to top this. The Dublin singersongwriter arrives on stage in a huge red jacket and top hat to boot. With band in tow, he looks great but fails to match the look with songs of similar dramatic impact. The festival’s most original and charismatic performer, he's frustratingly inconsistent. There’s something here, he just needs to sharpen and refine it 'cos he's a star in the making.
Mono Band close the festival but by now I'm tired and weary. Not a vintage year, but I'm looking forward to 2006 already.
Sunday Highlight: Amazing Pilots