6/6/06, The Day of the Beast. On the occasion that was in it, what delicious horrors might await your reviewer as he entered the cavernous confines of Cyprus Avenue for the Cork leg of JD’s trawl for Ireland’s best unsigned act?
The weather was hotter than the ninth circle of Hell, which may have contributed to the modest crowd for opening act Ideal End. Nevertheless, they delivered a slick set of hard rock numbers. Frontman Gavin O’Shea’s emotive and powerful timbre reverberated around the room, an almost note perfect copy of Chris Cornell. So some of the guitar work was ersatz Tom Morello, but the sound was meaty and refined. Numbers like ‘Who’s To Blame’?, ‘Lost’ and ‘Whatever Gets You’ made up for their absence of lyrical depth with rugged hooks and rawk ballsyness. A pleasing opening gambit.
Next up were The Fallen whose confusing amalgam of Stone Roses-y baggy beats and heavy rock posturing didn’t cut it for me. Lead singer John Kelly bristled with impressive braggadocio, but it was not matched by the quality of the music. Although there were moments of frantic exuberance, all too often the over-complicated guitar solos amounted to a distraction. A disappointing performance.
Finally Nassau presented a polished set of psychedelic pop numbers that brought the evening to a deliriously woozy climax. They are blessed with an enigmatic frontman in George Madden, whose Stipe-style demagoguery would have been misplaced had it not been reinforced with some blinding tunes. Nassau were by far the most refined and melodic band of the night. A throwback to the blissed-out shoegazing college rock of the early ‘90s, with lyrical dexterity to match, the band’s euphoric ‘See Me’ and the swooning guitars of ‘Out Since Work’ washed over the audience with a sumptuous grace.
It’s hardly a sound that will set tongues wagging, but it had more than enough romance, rococo rock embellishments and warmth to make it thoroughly rewarding. For Nassau at least, the omens look good.