Jagermeister Freezer Sessions Hit Cork

The clever souls of Cork knew what was good for them last night as they assembled in the Pavillion to see four top Irish acts give it their all in the latest Jagermeister Freezer Session. The converted cinema attracted some well due attention from fans of pop rock, beatbox and electro-dance-fusion alike. Plus, the lovely Jagerettes were on hand to, ahem, warm the cockles with their tried and tested J-bombs.

Not wanting to start proceedings with any less than full throttle, Cork natives Agitate the Gravel christened the stage with a sharp dose of powered-up rock. The four-piece delivered openers ‘Don't Know' and ‘Message to You’ with energetic precision before diving into a strangely endearing fit of math inspired rock with the memorable ‘Venn’. Not one to shy away from epic instrumental asides, the band have certainly nailed the type of pace changes that Arcade Fire fans go crazy for –along with some multi-storey vocals and crowd pleasing guitar action. They ended the set with 'See it Through' and 'Wait'.

Next up are Squarehead who remove their bright bobble hats (not a bad choice given the temperature) to don their collective instruments and show us all what indie rock is made of. Their new single ‘Fake Blood’ even tempts a trickle of brave footed folk onto the dance floor, with an ‘oooh’-based chorus that might not be lyrically challenging but is certainly an infectious little number. When they reach a so-called slow song, guitarist Roy encourages everyone to, “grab all your love making partners” – which is his special way of telling everyone to get on down. It works, and by the end of the set the audience’s cheeks are decisively rosier.

Those with no prior knowledge of Rarely Seen Above Ground were blown away by the Kilkenny musician – otherwise known as Jeremy Hickey – when he took to the stage for the third slot of the night. Accompanied by Colm O'Caoimh on bass, the thumping twosome started with a dance drum solo and it just got better from there. The clap inducing tunes began with ‘Bad Seed’ and ‘Before They Make You Run’, with fan favourite ‘Moon Movin the Oceans’ another highlight. When ‘The Winding Sheet’ came to an epic, cymbal-crashing climax, keen audience members were left shouting for more. If you want more for yourself, you can catch RSAG at Whelan’s, Dublin on December 15.

Headliner for the night came from local talent Brian Deady who, it’s safe to say, had rather a few supporters in the audience already. With tried and tested tunes such as ‘Sun Up’ and ‘Over Like MacGyver’, the multi-instrumentalist soon turned the joint into a sea of dancing bodies and admiring hands. The layered soundscapes brought a whole new lease of life to the singer-songwriter label with some fantastic tambourine action to boot. At the end of his upbeat set it was easy to see why his adoring fans call him ‘Brian Deadly’.

The Freezer Sessions are heading to Limerick tonight with a fast turnaround to Waterford on December 10 and Dublin on December 14. Watch this space for band interviews and audience feedback, coming soon.