CACTUS Fish are a five-piece guitar-driven group from Portrush. This two-song demo opens with ‘Unconnected’, a speedy rush of a pop song. The singer casually recounts his tale of woe over squalling, spiralling guitars and a pounding rhythm. It’s a mad sound that recaptures that frantic early punk feel. The second number, ‘Feedback’, is blessed with one of those great guitar riffs that scream familiarity even though you’ve never heard it before. Add to this a perfectly balanced and executed melody line and you have one hell of a catchy song. Two crackers from Cactus Fish.

Huh are a three-piece group from Dublin comprising of Neil Doherty on guitar and vocals, Paul Barrett on bass and Gabriel Bruton on drums and on this five-song demo they’re joined by Duncan O’Ceallaigh on mandolin and keyboards. ‘Somebody’s Walking On My Grave’ is the first song and in spite of the unsympathetic mid ’80s style production, it’s a great pop song. The guitar skitters around the keyboard punches as Doherty puts in a great angst-ridden lead vocal. ‘Burn This’ lives up to its name with a great menacing bassline, some well thumped drums and a wall of guitar. It’s got a neat chorus to boot and a dramatic middle eight. ‘Upside Down Man’ slows the pace a little and shows that Huh know a good melody when they write it. ‘This House Is Breathing’ finds Huh back firmly in up-tempo mode. Here the guitar funks and the organ sound keyboard fills nicely into piano breaks. ‘Burn This 3am’ is a dancey dubby take on the second track and it works well; bass is highlighted and the guitar given a spacey tremolo sound. This is an impressive demo which shows Huh to be a promising group with significant songwriting ability.

Next and again, I believe, from Dublin, are Gift. I got no info with this except that all material is by Lorcan. On the first track the line-up is violin, drums, bass guitar and a female lead vocalist sometimes joined by a male backing singer. Called ‘Blind’, its lovely lilting melody and nice violin playing give it a folk-rock feel. Next up is ‘Heaven Here I Am’ which has a beautiful chorus with overlapping female voices harmonising perfectly. It may sound strange but it’s sort of like Rumours period Fleetwood Mac meets Fisherman’s Blues Waterboys and to these ears it works very well. ‘Rain’ follows and it’s a soft acoustic number with more great singing and a memorable chorus. ‘Falling Around The Room’ closes the tape with a more electric feel. It’s got a great stop-start rhythm and again that Fleetwood feeling is in evidence. This is undoubtedly adult-oriented music that knows what it is and is very good at it.

Following once more in the grand tradition of keep ’em guessing and tell them nothin’ are Fesser about whom I know zilch. This is a two-song demo which opens with ‘Production Line’ and to say that it’s lo-fi is an understatement! The band struggle courageously with funky intentions as the singer bemoans the state of it all, the rhythm changes are a little clumsy and the production is just not up to scratch. ‘Walk Home’ has a freshly electric Dylan feel to it and works a lot better. The singer sounds so much better here that he could very well be a different singer! Fesser can only get better!

Ken Bolton is a solo, singer-songwriter from Dublin and this is his three-song demo. The opener ‘Love Is A Human Need’ has Ken playing acoustic guitar overlaid by tasteful echoey electric. The lyrics are thoughtful and the melody is good. Ken has a gentle expressive voice which doesn’t sound like Paddy McAloon but it’s in the same ballpark. ‘Deborah’ is instrumentally similar, but the electric guitar is used in a more rhythmic way. This is a love song and it’s a genre that suits Ken’s approach very well. ‘Springtime Again’ is the last song and holds no great surprises, though it does feature some effective harmonies from the electric. The melody and lyrics are again very good but the format wears thin over the three songs and just doesn’t do them justice. I’d like to hear this, not necessarily with a band but against a broader musical backdrop. The material is good though and if solo is what you prefer, then keep at it.

Until next time, tune into the City Limits Youth Affairs show on Anna Livia Radio, 103.8FM, Dublin, Saturdays from 10am-12noon, in association with Hot Press.