Hard Working Class Heroes 2

Tonight, as part of the annual HWCH festival, six acts flaunt their wares in The Button Factory, and first up is nine (yes, nine!) piece The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra. The band’s jazzy undertones provide the perfect start to the evening, with their sound veering from the beautifully melodic and harmony driven ‘All I Want’, to downright minxy blues number ‘The Devil And Me’. Here be one to watch.
A change of mood now, as Dublin/Limerick trio Funeral Suits take to the stage. With lights low, hoods up and guitars out, the indie/synth Suits demand your full attention. Though they’re yet to release their debut album, tracks like latest single ‘Black Lemonade’ suggest it’ll be well worth the wait.
Valerie Francis is up next, and the sudden hushed atmosphere perfectly befits the singer-songwriter’s delicate solo acoustic performance. Songs like ‘Punches’ from Slow Dynamo go down a treat as, all the while, Francis keeps us entertained with cheerful banter and her quest to peel the dreaded dried superglue from her fingers!
As we reach the halfway point of the evening, it’s over to Dublin psych-pop act Sweet Jane. With debut long-player Sugar For My Soul having recently got the thumbs up from Hot Press, this foursome boast a distinctly dreamy ‘60s quality, as well as one helluva sultry frontwoman in the form of Lydia Des Dolles. Current single ‘Close Your Eyes’ is as catchy as the October plague currently circulating the HP office...
A spate of breathless fans arrive to check out Kilkenny sticksman RSAG. As ever, Jeremy Hickey’s conceptual show merges audio and visual, with the crowd entranced by the many virtual Jeremys bopping around on the screen behind the multi-talented drummer.
And so to our final act of the evening – Belfast’s Yes Cadets. The foursome’s Main Stage performance was frustratingly cancelled at last month’s Berlin Festival, as organisers rescheduled the timetable to combat overcrowding. This is the alt.electro act’s first gig since, and they don’t disappoint, giving tracks like ‘H.O.T.’ and the excellent ‘Lies’ their all, as well as putting the Cadet stamp on that old ‘90s fave ‘Rhythm Of The Night’ (don’t pretend you don’t remember).
An enthralling end to a fine showcase.