Academy 2. Within these pulsing walls, Heritage Centre introduce new track ‘The Boss’ by lamenting a seven week absence from the Irish stage (when they say hard working, they bloody well mean it). Well, if you liked the Dublin fivesome before, rest assured that Ciaran Brady’s merciless drums are currently driving the band to a faster, harder and even better place.
Through almost no fault of my own, I’ve usually been either hungover or drunk when I’ve had the pleasure of attending a Villagers show, so tonight – being neither (yet) – it’s comforting to know that Conor O’Brien’s sinuous voice can still evoke emotions that one should never experience under a disco ball. ‘Transitional Confessional’ plucks at every heart-string in the house, with multi-part harmonies adding to its charm.
Things get off on an equally thrilling footing on Saturday, as O Emperor’s brilliantly weird concoction of psychedelic folk and Hawaiian rock confirms their spot on the HP ‘Ones To Watch’ list. Later, Bray’s finest alt-rock imp, Fionn Regan, takes to the stage wearing the skinniest pair of skinny jeans I’ve ever seen. With Ollie Cole (ex-Turn) on second guitar, the five-piece are even tighter than Fionn’s denim and some countrified new material suggests great things may be in store for the boy Regan in 2010.
Saturday headliners Adebisi Shank you already probably know as cult favourites. If you get AS on a good night, like tonight, you’ll notice two distinct groupings of followers: the “Sweaty And Loving It” addicts, who feed off their furious and bewildering guitar-led rock, and people like myself who stand perfectly still throughout, feeling utterly dumbfounded as to how two guitars and a set of drums can produce moments of such genius.
Further honourable mentions from Saturday night must go to Kill Krinkle Club, KYON, Yes Cadets and the wonderful C!TIES.
New wave Galwegians Disconnect 4 get things off to an irascible start in ALT on Sunday, setting a very high benchmark indeed for only 8 in the pm. In turn, HP’s favourite golden boy (as of tonight) Robotnik uses his 30 minutes to overturn chairs, hurl bread at my face and writhe around like a possessed puppy on the Andrew’s Lane floor. In short, the whole thing’s a load of glorious bollocks and what should be pure novelty becomes one of the city’s most enthralling live shows.
It’s hard to pinpoint what makes Funeral Suits such a remarkable force, but I’m going to put it down to the adorable meowing, giddy synths and some very heroic meandering alt-rock – at this rate they are serious contenders for homegrown performers of the year. Meanwhile, Super Extra Bonus Party are still doing everything right, from the five man line-up right down to the uber-kitsch visuals; a perfect closer to a monster of a weekend.
You may be thinking by now that this is a suspiciously favourable review. Don’t get me wrong, the festival did not pass without technical difficulty or mediocre performance, but when such a great portion of my weekend was spent in the company of genuine rock excellence, it feels unjust to name names. So there – I haven’t.