Live Report: RÓIS creates her own world on the Button Factory stage

The Button Factory was filled to the brim on Friday evening ahead of RÓIS’ sold out headline show.

The night began with the theatrical “Rap Battle Royale” from Dublinitgirl and special guest DartlineDiva, a sexualised, satirical rap performance which was showcased at the Dublin Fringe in September.

Dublinitgirl, the stage persona of writer and performer Harry Hennesy, commanded the stage with vulgar quips and erotic dancing, shocking any audience members who were expecting a low-key evening of traditional music. The two performers battled it out on stage in a high energy 'The Boy Is Mine'-esque performance that included everything from catfights to tradwifery.

“We’ll both be back at a summer festival near you... once the promoters in this venue put us on the billing," joked Dublinitgirl before making her exit. "Write to your counsellors, contact Catherine Connolly - I think we need to see this in a field at 2am.”

As concertgoers recovered from the campy production, the room erupted into a lively discussion. People in the crowd expressed their shock and excitement for the opener, which was just the beginning of what would be a surprise-filled evening.

RÓIS took to the hazy purple stage in a cloud of smoke, standing at the keyboard with her face concealed by a lace mask. Chiming church bells echoed through the venue along with trickling sounds, as the dim, misty lights flickered like light refractions on water.

The stage was set eerily, embodying the spooky energy of a haunted wood or graveyard, with backing vocals like a banshee's cry filling the surrounding area.

The Fermanagh composer began to sing from a low point in the belly, gradually escalating into a sean-nós style, comparable to vocal flipping made popular by artists such as Imogen Heap and Caroline Polacheck.

RÓIS's unique vocal style, along with haunting atmosphere, was otherworldly, conjuring feelings of what it must of felt like to witness Cocteau Twins live in concert for the first time.

The first part of the show mainly on her first album, UISCE AGUS BEAN, which sticks to more traditional/folk sounds. After a halting shriek, she transitioned into her most recent album MO LÉAN, which leans into more alternative, electronic production. Beginning with her track 'CAOINE', RÓIS returned to the stage dressed in a long red dress and a red lace face covering, ERUPTING into a classic rock-evoking instrumental, reminiscent of 1970s bands like Heart or Jefferson Airplane.

Her behaviour took on an almost animal-like form, as her energy shifted from lively to possessed erratically.

In between songs additional characters took to the stage. The first was Hennesy, making their return with a spoken-word poem about womanhood and grief, later followed by a mourner carrying a silver tray toppling with a mountain of sandwiches. As the mourner took to the stage, he expressed his woes and introduced that a funeral would begin shortly. As he made his exit, a body wrapped in dark cloth was carried through the crowd and onto the stage by a set of pallbearers.

RÓIS returned to welcome the body, as the pallbearers unwrapped the corpse and erupted into an erotic dance evocative of Rocky Horror. The Dialogue poked fun at Catholic guilt and the gossip which accompanies the drama of an Irish funeral. This performance set the stage for her next song 'Did Ye Ever Get The Ride At The Wakehouse?', the highlight of the evening.

An electronic dance track released last month with Donegal producer hhH, the performance was riddled with dark humour and innuendo, as RÓIS and her fellow on-stage performers broke into vibrant high-energy dancing, all while Hennesy took the spotlight to perform a traditional Irish jig at centre stage. This momentum led concertgoers to join the revelry, and the balcony seemed to overflow as audience members took to their feet, their arms bobbing up and down in encouragement.

As RÓIS and the remaining stage performers took their bows, behind them was a projection of the Irish flag and the sounds of airhorns blasted through the room. Concertgoers left the Button Factory grinning and completely changed, as the commotion of the night's performance lived on far after exiting the venue.