IMRO Showcase Tour 2008

The Parks kick off this disproportionately testosterone-fuelled instalment of IMRO’s never-ending tour with Michael McCaughley’s enduring hi-hat assaults ensuring we never become as disinterested as the singer looks. Encouragingly, The Parks are not afraid of a shambolic sound mix, as demonstrated on gems like ‘Redhands’.
Gorbachov’s Brendan Feeney wastes no time in channelling the spirit of David Byrne, with ‘VC 12’, in particular, bearing a distinct melodic resemblance to ‘Life During Wartime’. They have an unfortunate tendency to go all obvious and shouty on the choruses, obscuring much of their quality with Offspring-like riffola.
Live, hip-hop MCs often end up just sounding like two blokes bellowing at each other but Infomatics seem clever and likeable enough to transcend the cliché. They even admit to feeling “insecure” on stage – you just don’t get that shit from 50 Cent. Bless.
Although they are heavily indebted to Kings Of Leon, Hot Sprockets make the prospect of Dixie-styled rock ‘n’ roll from Dublin sound a lot more convincing than it should. Astonishingly, they’ve already acquired a geansaí load of young devotees who holler back the lyrics to every track. With nothing but MySpace and word of mouth accountable, you imagine it’s similar to the sort of response Arctic Monkeys experienced in their infancy.
The Kinetiks were hamstrung by technical problems from the off, but with tracks as accomplished as ‘Bite The Bullet’ in their canon, they’ll hope to get a second bite of the cherry at the ‘Best Of’ showcase. Hot Sprockets, on the other hand, need have no such concern.