Gig Review: Raglans at The Button Factory 14/10

Fellow Dubliners State Lights opened the show with an electrifying set, including their new songs such as “Someone to Love” and “I Let You Go.” Frontman Shobsy was captivating, with a strong voice that reaches heights that remind you of Muse. The most memorable of the set, however, was the dance anthem “Lovers,” which they cleverly closed with a mini cover of “Space Oddity” which Bowie would have been proud of, only amplifying the celestial feeling of State Lights’ music.
The place had filled up by the time Raglans took to the stage, opening the set with their new song “Who Knows.” There was an atmosphere of camaraderie throughout the room, which was only amplified as the band launched into the next song, “Natives.” Not only did the whole room know all the words, but it seems as though this was one of the songs that wouldn’t sound the same anywhere else, as the Dublin crowd sang along. As the night went on it became more and more clear that Raglans are Dubliners through and through, and the city was glad to have them home.
The set continued with the band fondly looking back on their career in Dublin and beyond, as they played songs such as “Down,” one of the first songs they played together. Frontman Stephen Kelly recalled that “this one doesn’t really sound anything like it did when we first played it,” proving that though Raglans’ music has evolved over the years, their fans are still loyal.
The set blended together other old favorites such as “Born in Storms” and “The Man from Glasgow,” with new songs such as “Panic Station,” and “I Became a Ruin.” It was with the final song though, “Digging Holes,” that Raglans really came together and brought the house down. It all started with the crowd themselves, as the band got the audience to clap along and sing the background melody before launching into their most famous song with a whole new energy.
Raglans themselves were proud to be back in Ireland, and after the show they met with Hot Press to talk about their return to Dublin, saying “you come back to Dublin and you’re surrounded by your family. It almost bookmarks the tour, in a way, because you get to experience the people who have been Raglans fans for years. It’s a completely different experience from being elsewhere in the world. Because it’s the home crowd, and that’s what you want. This is where it started.”
The band also had nothing but support for their fellow musicians from State Lights, saying, “They won’t take mediocrity as a given, they want to be the biggest band in the world. If you look at him (Shobsy) perform, that’s what he does. He’s like Freddie Mercury.” Both acts were proud of the show, with the feeling that this was only the beginning of what promises to be a defining set of performances from the talented Dubliners. As guitarist Brendan McGlynn summed up at the end of the night, “The show tonight was really really special I think, it was a seminal moment in the career of Raglans. So, come see us play live, if you wanna understand.”
Raglans are currently on their Again and Again tour, to promote their new EP. Dates can be found below.

OCT 17 / THE BODEGA / NOTTINGHAM, UK
OCT 18 / THE ROCKING CHAIR / SHEFFIELD, UK
OCT 19 / KING TUTS / GLASGOW, UK 
OCT 20 / NIGHT AND DAY / MANCHESTER, UK
OCT 22 / WEST END CENTRE / ALDERSHOT, UK
OCT 23 / JOINERS / SOUTHAMPTON, UK
OCT 24 / THE BORDERLINE / LONDON, UK
OCT 25 / THE PORTLAND ARMS / CAMBRIDGE, UK
OCT 27 / TOWER / BREMEN, DE *
OCT 28 / EULENGLUK / BRAUNSCHWEIG, DE *
OCT 29 / THE TUBE / DUSSELDORF, DE *
OCT 31 / MOLOTOW / HAMBURG, DE
NOV 01 / AUSTER CLUB / BERLIN, DE
NOV 02 / BACKSTAGE / MUNICH, DE *
NOV 03 / VIADUKT - BOGEN F / ZURICH, CH *
NOV 04 / KELLERCLUB / STUTTGART, DE *
NOV 05 / NACHTLEBEN / FRANKFURT, DE *
NOV 19 / MIKE THE PIES / KERRY, IE
DEC 03 / ROISIN DUBH / GALWAY, IE
DEC 08 / PATRONAAT / HAARLEM, NL
DEC 09 / SO WHAT! / GOUDA, NL
DEC 10 / NAXT / ALMELO, NL
DEC 12 / WATERHOLE / AMSTERDAM, NL
DEC 15 / CAFE CAFE / HASSELT, BE