The Blizzards + Messiah J and the Expert live at An Brog, Cork and Whelan's, Dublin

When I were a lass (no, stay with me) unsigned bands had it hard. There was no MySpace, no internet at all in fact, and new bands stood an angel’s chance in hell of getting into the charts. That’s not saying it’s a whole lot easier now, but competitions like these certainly give a leg up to those who deserve it. What’s especially thoughtful about the annual Murphy’s Live-off is the fact it adds an established band to the bill for each of its heats, thus ensuring a jam-packed venue for the competing bands to display their wares.
While locals Exit: Pursued By A Bear and Citizen could have filled Cork’s An Brog by themselves, judging by their reaction, The Blizzards topped off the night in front of a captivated audience that was theirs from the outset. The Mullingar five-piece forged their reputation in their energetic live acts, and with their debut A Public Display Of Affection now well and truly lodged into people’s heads, their no-holds-barred performances of bouncy pop-punk tracks like ‘Miss Fantasia Preaches’ and ‘Trouble’ gave back to the crowd the enthusiasm that the band were offered. Faultless.
A week later the Murphy’s tour bus rocked up to Whelan’s in Dublin, where Messiah J & The Expert played to a home crowd. ‘Ireland’ and ‘hip hop’ aren’t natural bedfellows, but if there’s anyone to marry to two, it’s these guys. Using the capacity of the stage to its full benefit, Mr. J isn’t too shy to figuratively collar the audience to keep their attention, as if tracks like the supercool ‘Place Your Bets’ aren’t enough. With a Choice Music Prize nomination in the pipeline and an EP just released, it seems their hard work is paying off.