Live Report: Babylamb on the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions’ Y&E Series

Specialising in high-energy, dancefloor-friendly bubblegum pop, Babylamb are primed to go supernova over the next 12 months. The quartet of self-described "sad, fresh-faced queers" first announced their arrival as a captivating new presence in Irish music with their debut single 'Bodyright' in 2019 – followed by 2020's 'Icky', and their explosive synth-pop anthem 'Mister Magic' earlier this year.

With comedic warm-up clips paving the way for the livesteam's packed virtual audience, Babylamb (Tobias, Rian, Laoise and Cian) know how to put on a high-energy show with huge personality and a rake of fairy lights. Tobias' lead vocals were stronger than ever, while Laoise added the ideal amount of harmonies to each chosen number, making sure to maintain a queer dancefloor-level of enthusiasm the entire time.

Making sure to give their audiences powerful performances of previous releases 'Icky', 'Bodyright' and 'Mister Magic', as well as a taster of some brand new music; the effervescent quartet were at their best on the colourful night. Teasing unreleased material and more down-tempo seriousness, the outfit still refuse to shake off their sense of fun, even while singing of loneliness, mental health and identity crises.

Featuring plenty of explosive '80s-inspired synths, their setlist spoke to the youthful nostalgia of kissing strangers at parties and missing the nightlife and human connection that pandemic has taken away (for now). Their superbly catchy tracks with clever lyricism will keep their eager fans loyal, for sure.

"We tested positive for being bad bitches," Laoise declares. We can't fact check this statement, but it's presumed correct.

Watch the galaxy-themed performance from the quartet below:

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Tuesday, April 13: THE ZEN ARCADE
Rising from the ashes of The Strypes, three former members of the Cavan crew have joined forces once again – with a new emphasis on doing things their own way. Having launched their own zine and podcast series, The Zen Arcade announced themselves as a very serious, smart new force in Irish music with the release of their debut, ‘Don’t Say A Word’, on their own label, Dental Records.

Wednesday, April 14: FINTAN MCKAHEY
A lo-fi indie singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Cork, Fintan McKahey has been releasing music since 2016, and playing support slots for the likes of The Scratch, Junior Brother and Róisín O. His debut EP God Games was released in 2019 to widespread critical acclaim, followed by his 2020 single 'Platinum' – which has clocked up nearly 135,000 streams on Spotify alone.

Thursday, April 15: NERVES
Formed in 2016, NERVES began playing DIY punk shows in their home counties of Mayo and Galway. Since relocating to Dublin for college, they have really hit their groove with an electrifying mix of noise-rock, post-rock and shoegaze – releasing their acclaimed single 'Time Trial' in 2020, followed by their Time Trial Remixes EP.