No band gets a crowd going – and particularly a female crowd – quite like Keywest.
Whelans was jam-packed as the quintet played their first hometown gig since a pre-Christmas stand at The Grand Social; little surprise, then, that the sold-out signs were getting a run-out.
The husky tones of lead singer Andrew Kavanagh descended, the determined drum beat rolled in and James Lock’s piercing electric guitar ignited the spark in an evening that was as fun as it was sweaty.
Their performance was crafted around audience participation, the crowd drawing every word forward with an intensity usually reserved for a larger venue. Soaring guitar riffs during 'Stuck on Replay' positively screamed of an AC/DC and U2 hybrid, while love song 'Apple Tree Hill' had definite odes to Springsteen and Keith Urban with its rock/country vibe.
There has always been a playfulness to Keywest and this evening was no exception, as the infectious banter between band members seeped into the crowd.
Surprises were the theme throughout the set. "When we’re sitting at home we say ‘let’s do a medley,’" Kavanagh said with a cheeky grin. "We did Prince and Michael Jackson. Every time we covered someone, they die, so maybe we shouldn’t do Stevie Wonder...” He then proceeded to unleash his wild-card, a rap cover of 'Just The Two of Us', accompanied by DJ Flip.
Kavanagh couldn’t resist throwing a nod to their busking roots, saying he wrote controversial song 'Something Something Go Fuck Yourself', “because I’m pissed off…pissed off with the music industry, with Dublin City Council trying to ban busking.”
Already a feel good gig, they got all the likes for inviting a young girl on stage to direct their live Facebook stream – as though they needed any more approval from an adoring public.