Live Report: First Night of The Next Big Thing Festival with Saibhiin, Bayvin and Zé

Presented by Ex Oh Promotions, The Next Big Thing Festival opened last night with a lineup of incredible performers. Kicking off the four-day festival, crowds descended on The Workmans Club for their first look at the best of Dublin’s burgeoning musical acts.

Saibhiin opened the mainstage on the first night joined by a well-matched, six-piece band. Frontwoman, Saibh Garcia Weber, saunters on stage before quickly delving into 'No Time to Fear,' a propulsive, blossoming track that leaves immediate impressions on the audience.

From the offset, Saibhiin and her band establish themselves as a fully-fledged being, boasting an impressively cultivated sound from a backing sextet with deft musical instincts and undeniable chemistry. Saibh Garcia Weber counts in the second track 'Fools,' a reggae-infused bop that borrows a page from Sinead O’Connor’s book. Suffused with soul and fever, Weber’s resonant vocals fill every molecule of air in the room as she dances across the stage.

With a stage personality reminiscent of Stevie Nicks or Florence + The Machine, Saibh Garcia Weber throws her arms out as if compelled by some higher being. One thing is for sure, the crowd was undeniably compelled by the singer’s infectious charisma and performance as she implored them to gather around the stage and dance freely.

Cleo Boland of Saibhiin. Copyright Hannah Bocian

The blistering guitar riffs, mesmeric saxophone solos, potent basslines, shimmering vocal harmonies and hypnotic drum beats serve as the driving force behind Saibhiin's sonic charm. For fans of anthemic and soulful rock, Saibhiin is a band definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Next in the mainstage lineup, Bayviin delivered a powerful and stunning set, starting off with the high-intensity banger 'Try.' Transitioning from guitar to keys, Bayviin breaks into 'Lonely Work:' a drum-laden track palpitated through melodies of heartache and hard-won rage. The lead singer's vocals are scintillant and reverberant over the lush, tremulous instrumentals.

Bayviin introduced the next song, 'When Time Stands Still,' which the singer says was arranged during rehearsals on Tuesday, mere hours before taking the stage. The track boasts irresistible rhythm flourishes that surprise and reorient the listener’s ears to what is possible in the broad spectrum of indie rock music.

With an undeniable flair for live performance, Bayviin comments on her absence from streaming platforms, such as Spotify, divulging: “Big things are coming.” This only emphasises the reward of catching Bayviin’s live sets in the meantime, a treat for all fans of the indie rock and alt-soul persuasion.

Just after 10 p.m, Zé took the stage with all members but the lead singer clad in balaclavas and ski masks. Commenting on their disguise, the frontman declares: “Everything is a fucking facade.”

The five-piece outfit from Mayo is a powerhouse noise-making act with the tacit mission to redefine and subvert industrial music with noise rap cadences and fuzz-distortion overtones. With their dissonant sonic textures and rebellious stage presence, Zé calls to mind the early textures and sounds of My Bloody Valentine fused with the raw energy of Irish Drill rap.

Cutting through the reverb and distortion, Ze’s clear vocals come down with an axe-swoop to reveal an impassioned, magnetic sound that demands and maintains the audience’s attention. The band closes their set with their first single in over a year, 'Home,' a booming, percussive and guitar-heavy track that the charismatic frontman describes as a “bit of fun.” The crowd gathered close to the stage with heads banging and arms stretched out in the air. Now with a Workmans gig under their belt and a new project in the works, Zé is on their way to bigger crowds.

The third night of The Next Big Thing continues this evening in Workmans Club, across the cellar and mainstage, for another round of performances from some of Dublin's most promising acts that you don't want to miss.

Tickets are on sale now, starting from €19.74 plus booking fee, and are available via eventbrite.ie