Workman's Cellar is an underground tavern with condensation dripping from its wall papered walls and alternative music reverbing from them.

When you ascend from the Temple Bar entrance, you enter a stairway with low mirrored ceilings and kitsch 70s decor. At the ticket desk, after presenting your ticket, you're gifted a miniature handwritten card penned by AILSHA herself. In an era when most tickets are digital, it is touching to receive a momento of a special night, in place of where a ticket stub would be.

Emma Williams opened the gig with a fearless energy that established the cathartic feel-good alternative rock night. She performed her head banging track 'Ravenous', and the crowd were hungry for more. Williams sang with a deep voice and danced with her long ponytails, in a performance that was half a live music set, half a test of physical stamina.

Emma Williams opening for Ailsha at Workman's Cellar. November 9th, 2023. Copyright Piper Sewell.

Williams also performed a cover of My Chemical Romance's 'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)' (I counted, it is the correct number of 'Na's) which acted as a call to arms for all the emo teenagers who graduated into emo adults. People were moshing with reckless abandon and positive aggressive energy.

After the end of Williams' set, while people were milling around buying drinks and exchanging chats, all of a sudden a member of the band came up to gig attendees and handed out lollipop sticks with red paper rectangles glued to them.

"They're red flags" he said, "They're for audience participation". Handmade, like the welcome notes- the heart melts.

Sure enough, AILSHA struts on stage and opens with her track 'Red Flags'. Immediately the audience is sent into a frenzy. Red flag waving was difficult to detect among the body flailing, moshing, and hair tossing.

AILSHA clearly did not expect such a warm and enthusiastic reception, in spite of it being a sold out gig. The performer perhaps went a bit red when the crowd chanted 'Brenda and Séan' in tribute to her mother and father who supported the musician's work, and the musician definitely went crimson when the crowd chanted her own name 'Ailsha, Ailsha, Ailsha'.

Ailsha at Workman's Cellar. November 9th, 2023. Copyright Piper Sewell.

"This time last year I had just played a show on my favourite night of the year, Halloween, to about 6 people".

AILSHA continued, "It was a difficult point to have any confidence in my music, but I am so happy I kept going."

"A year later you fucking sold out a show!"

There was uproarious cheers and foot-stomping to this statement with a clear implication that this was not to be the singer-songwriter's last sold out headliner.

In what was possibly the dramatic crescendo of the night, AILSHA premiered her own submission for the Irish Eurovision song competition, a song entitled 'Go Tobann'. "Lads, bring out the keg!" she summons.

Shortly thereafter two shirtless young men appear with Celtic swirls smeared across their skin and bring in a large empty keg. Both have some kind of stick at their disposal. "A haon, dó, trí, ceathair, cúig, a sé, seacht, ocht!" - which all of a sudden transformed what was once a dull and necessary learning requirement into a call to head banging arms.

Shrieking, shouting, and stomping were all in order to truly get down to the anthem, with audience members being required to get down at one stage, go low low low and then all jump up simultaneously to the tune. Hell, it gets my vote for song for Ireland.

Another musical highlight from a night of highs was ALISHA's performance of 'FBOY' a broken hearted banger lamenting the plight of being young and played by romantic interests. Clearly there were some lonely hearts inn the audience because people danced to it in an impassioned fashion.

AILSHA's sold out show at the Workman's cellar proved to be an exercise in healing your inner emo child, all through the power of bangers.