Live Report: The Sleaze bring their backyard jam session to the Y&E Series

Blues-inspired Dublin rockers The Sleaze joined the Y&E Series last night for a high-spirited, genre-blurring set full of their infectiously groovy tunes, new and old.

Off the back of a summer festival circuit, including memorable performances at Electric Picnic and Kaleidoscope, The Sleaze have been on an uphill route. Their recent singles 'Sometimes I Feel' and 'Born On The Wrong Side' have both been selected as Hot Press tracks of the day and they recently were nominated by Radio Nova for the A New Local Hero award.

Their most recent release, 'Where the Wind is Gonna Blow,' is a shredder of a tune, building high anticipation for their Y&E takeover yesterday evening.

The night was set in the band’s shed, where the roots of their sound first grew – back when The Sleaze were mere angsty teens with a few instruments to their name. Frontman Killian bantered with their livestream audience before diving right in with their recent single, ‘Work It Out.’

An upbeat, funky intro sets the tone for the band’s staple blues-meets-rock sound off the bat. Killian’s rich, distinctive baritone was instantly ear-catching, as he sang about two lovers – Jackie and Johnny – over a groovy beat, a blend of layered guitars and clashing drums.

Responding to audience’s praise for the newly-released, catchy earworm of a tune, The Sleaze took a moment to thank Hot Press and The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for putting the series on. Someone requested a tune in the comments, and Killian shot back, “This is not a request show! But we will be playing that song.”

Their next tune, the recently-released ‘Born on the Wrong Side,’ kicked off with a moody and reflective intro, putting the mesmerising vocalist’s unique, husky tone on full display. “You were something I needed for the first time,” he sang on the chorus, as the instrumentals built noisily before returning to the lackadaisical tempo of the song’s start.

The whole set felt like an intimate backyard – or shed, respectively – jam session, full of craic and witticism. “Someone gave us a 9/10,” Killian joked, “well, what did we lose?”

The band jumped into an unreleased song with an apt working title, ‘There’s No Name For It,’ dedicated to their friends and recent newlyweds. A gritty blues sound wrapped around the love tune, with progressive, twin-guitar harmonies reminiscent of ‘70s blues rock figureheads Thin Lizzy. Killian got sincere on the bridge, crooning, “Please, babe, don’t leave, I can’t go on without you,” on repeat, building in desperation and visceral vocal power until he hit a roaring belt.

“This is a song we are legally required to play at every gig,” the band half-joked about ‘Sleaze Rapport.’ The moody tune was propelled by the vocalist’s drawls, slurs and growls. They paused before their final tune, making their audience ask for an encore.

“We’re shameless,” Killian laughed. “Does it count as an encore when you bully the audience?”

The unreleased ‘Then She Calls’ was the perfect finale, and the band’s performance of the new track was anything but rusty. Riding a bouncy beat up until the speedy chorus, there’s a funny desperation to The Sleaze’s relatable lyrics.

“The phone is lava,” Killian sang on the chorus, “I’m not picking up,” as drummer Dylan echoed his voice in the background of the joyful, if self-deprecating tune.

And then it was over, and not long enough. The Sleaze didn’t sign off before plugging their Sleazy Christmas gig on December 23 in The Soundhouse, Dublin. After a stripped-back gem of a performance like that, you won’t want to miss the band in full form; tickets available at the link here.

Catch up on The Sleaze’s Y&E Series performance below!

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Hailing from North Dublin, Plantain Papi is a multifaceted artist and producer, popular for creatively infusing rap, afrobeat and pop sounds. Since sharing his first single in late 2017, he has gone on to garner radio play on stations across Ireland. A maverick behind the mixing desk, Plantain has produced for Tolu Makay, F3miii, Sophie Jane and MangoxMathman to name a few. Having sold out his first headline show at The Academy, Plantain Papi was chosen to perform at last year's Longitude Festival on the main stage, as well as at the 3Arena with international megastar Burna Boy.