Waterford welcomes Freezer Sessions

For the penultimate edition of the Jägermeister Freezer Sessions' year-end jaunt round Eire, the travelling extravaganza of homegrown, fresh sounds rolled into the South East on December 10. Four bands took to the stage of the splendidly spacious Forum for Waterford's second Sessions outing of the year.
Before a one could get up and strap on a guitar (or fiddle, more precisely, with more on that momentarily), however, the good people of the country's oldest city were already lining up outside the venue, waiting for the doors to swing open. When they did, and the masses got comfortable, it was time for a prodigious live display from Galway-based, fresh-faced fiddle player Daithí O' Dronaí. With a touch of the Bieber's looks about him - by all accounts he should be advertising hair products - the intricate, mature collages he conjures up through looping and samples held the audience's attention from beginning to end.
Following the solo trend, another one man band was next in line, charged with the task of filling that large old Forum stage. The Casanova Wave, or Brian McCartan to his nearest and dearest, made a good stab at it, and was rewarded with a warm reception. The fact he hails from these parts can't have hurt, but his fragile, pretty electropop speaks for itself.
Moving on to the bands, one of the star acts and biggest hits of this round of Freezer Sessions, were primed and ready to continue their victory march with the third slot of the night. Simply put, Le Galaxie didn't disappoint. As with their Sligo appearance, tonight there's a large portion of the crowd unfamiliar with the synth band. It's a situation that is quickly changed. Copies of debut Laserdisc Nights II, a long-playing exercise in "musical maximalism", should be flying off the digital shelves if live enthusiasm is anything to go by. Tonight, there are glowsticks galore and the likes of 'Midnight Midnight' and 'Heat City' sound like stately synth. Their Dublin homecoming for the final Freezer Session on Wednesday December 14 should be celebratory.
'Celebratory' about sums up the mood during the final set of this Waterford night, as Republic Of Loose flex their funk-rock muscles. The Dublin groovers get the substantial crowd moving, predictably garnering the greatest response of the evening. There's even a bit of signage going on as every heads for the front. 'Mick Pyro Is Sound'? Pyro expresses his agreement before expressing himself musically. 'You Know It', 'Shame', and the closing brace of 'Comeback Girl' and 'The Steady Song' most certainly do the business. As the crowd finally filed out, the numbers told us attendances were up on the already successful Session earlier in the year. Waterford's sampled the Jägermeister Freezer Sessions twice in 2011, and it would appear to like the taste.

The last call? Crawdaddy, Dublin, on Wednesday December 14, with Le Galaxie, The Riptide Movement, Spies and The Hot Sprockets.