MURPHY’S LIVE SEMI-FINALS 2008 – BRAVADO Vs Stagger Lee + CATHY DAVEY

Posted in Gig Review, IRISH NOISE!, Music with tags , , , , , , on April 5, 2008 by Tickets There

Whelan’s was packed to the rafters as it hosted the ’Murphy’s Live 2008’ semi finals. Even after the doors had been opened there was still a queue of people stretching back to the front of the pub. The heat inside the venue was so heavy you could barely move without breaking sweat. The tickets hadn’t lied about having to be inside early.

Two bands were on hand to compete against each other for a place in the final round of the competition. ’Stagger Lee’ an incredibly talented and professional quartet with a sound that fuses ’PJ Harvey, Garbage and Sonic Youth’ and ’Bravado’ a fresh young band who are proving themselves with every performance they give. On first sight it’s easy to be pessimistic due to their age but once they play you can hear great potential in their future. Also on the bill, as special guest headliner, is the Award winning and extremely talented and energetic ’Cathy Davey’ who won the award for ’Best Irish Female’ and was nominated in the ’Best Irish Album’ category for her second studio output ’Tales of Silversleeve’ at last years Meteor’s.

First up was ’Stagger Lee’ who did everything in their power to get the crowd energetic from the word go. They had already upped their promotion by providing free badges at the door for all in attendance and were also selling promotional T-shirts. Everything about Stagger’s performance was tight, despite a couple of instances involving high heels and microphone cables; they had their set down to a T, delivering a nice mixture of punk esque rock songs and slower relaxed material. Donna McCabe (vocals) voice gave the songs a ’PJ Harvey, Siouxsie Sioux, Shirley Mason’ feel and the music had an overall 90’s grunge sound about it with some crunchy Bass lines. Tracks such as ’Between Control Confusion, Misery River and their debut single ’Bad shoes’ serve as a taste of thing’s to come when they release their next EP.

’Bravado’ came on second and so did their fans. One thing about being in one of these competitions, ensure your friends, family and fans are there on the night to cheer you on. The lads were a little slower to relax into their set, which I’m sure was on account of the massive crowd in front of them and their inexperience with shows this size, however lead singer Brian Whittington didn’t seem phased in the slightest as he belted into tracks from their first EP including Running, Artificial AngelsOne Day and more recent material like ’Any Other Way, Take your Pick and Too Tired to Sleep’ and

This was the second time I have seen Bravado and they have grown enormously since the quarter finals. On first sight of Stager Lee the thought passed my mind that Bravado were now out of their depth, however they once again surprised me and I’m sure many others. The judges have a very tough decision in front of them and no matter who gets through to the finals; both bands have proven they’ve got what it takes.

As the judges reconvened on the balcony to discuss Bravado and Stager Lee’s performances, Cathy Davey came on stage to a rapturous cheer. Cathy’s recent residency shows around the country, awards and recent singles are really paying off and this could be one of the last chances to see her, not only for free, but in a venue as intimate as Whelan’s. She is set to play the Olympia in June and hopefully, she will follow in the footsteps of Damien Rice, Bell X1, Glen Hansard and Paddy Casey to international acclaim and stardom.

Although this wasn’t Cathy’s night, she preformed with the same grace, power and energy she always does. Opening with ’Mr Kill’ from her new album, she played a fantastic set which included old favorites such as Swing It, Yak Yak’ and new material from ’Tales of Silversleeve’ such as ’Reuben, Sing for your Supper, Collector’ and ’Moving’ which blended perfectly with her debut album material.

Mouth pressed firmly into the microphone, covered in sweat (like every one else in the venue), Cathy closed the night with a single encore and proceeded straight to the fresh cold air awaiting us all outside. Another hugely enjoyable Murphy’s Live evening of music and certainly a reason to start applying for tickets to the final as your guaranteed at least one incredible talent to go through from tonight.


Cathy Davey


Stagger Lee


Bravado


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Concerto for Constantine – Fibber Magee’s AGAIN – March 17th 2008

Posted in Gig Review, IRISH NOISE!, Music with tags , , , , on March 18, 2008 by Tickets There

St. Patrick’s Day in the capital always seemed like too much of a nightmare to get involved in. For years I have avoided going near the town on ‘Ireland’s biggest drinking day’. So being forced to choose between another Paddy’s day on the couch or Concerto for Constantine live in Fibber Magee’s was …..not that difficult J

Entering the capital was a little strange. Talbot street was packed with people walking towards Connolly station. Little green hats and American accents filled the eye’s and the ears for the 10 minute walk, St. Patrick had arrived. Once on O’Connell street, it was very clear that most people had already left the northside. The pubs were half full, the streets were as busy as a normal Friday night (possibly quieter).

Concerto were scheduled to go on stage at 7.30. Whoever, the site of two dozen people, some of them young children, caused the management and the lads to agree on 10:00 o’clock instead.

Across the road I settled down in an amazing pub called ‘The Shakespeare’. Possibly the funniest pub in Dublin. I advise everyone to check this place out because you’ll never see anything else like it. Just think of Father Ted’.

By 9:45 it was time to head back to Fibbers. The crowd had certainly changed by them. The kids and families were gone (thank god) and the second support band were just finishing up. The crowds were nothing like those at Concerto’s last headlining show in Fibbers three weeks previously. Although, for a show with no advertising, no official announcements and changing stage times, there was enough of an attendance to show Concerto have already established a dedicated fan base.

Concerto eventually got to the stage at 10:30. Forthcoming single ‘Minsk’ once again opened their set. A song that only gets better everything you hear it. Unfortunately, Paddy’s day drinking got the better of me and I can’t remember the exact set list. I can remember ‘Gap’s, Cat’s Cradle, WASP’s’, and new song ‘Knife’ all being played to the high standards Concerto have set for themselves. Even Gavin’s Bass head shorting out didn’t manage to kill the mood of the night.

The set was short, although packed with nothing but incredibility savage rock songs. For a band with no release’s and only a handful of shows under their belt it’s a lot more than you would normally expect. ‘Killing Fields’ closed the show. Afterwards the band jumped of the stage and put their bumpiest show yet behind them.

Despite the changing stage times, no advertising, faulty equipment and missing members, Concerto pulled off another fantastic show. Afterwards, the members left early enough as the band were heading to London the next day for their first English dates. Hopefully they will come back to our shores with AnR interest.

 Be sure to catch Concerto at Whelan’s on the 15th of April and (not or) the IMRO showcase gig at the Suagar Club on the 11th April.

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Music In Ireland – 1st Draft (still rough and very unfinished)

Posted in Music on March 15, 2008 by Tickets There

Ireland has always been seen by the world as small country associated with Terrorism, Drink and Music. When you think about it, the I.R.A., Guinness and U2 have been this countries most synonymous synonymous synonymous gifts to the world. For years, up and down the country these three aspects of Irish life have been prominent. The image of small rural pubs, with raging fires, a trad band in the corner and hordes of locals coming together to drink and sing along have been the stamps of our country. However, unlike like most stereotypical images of countries around the world, this image has been quite alive in our villages, towns and cities for hundreds of years.

When you look at old news footage in shows live ‘Reeling in the Years’ and old pictures in local halls, pubs and houses, you can clearly see this was not some idealised image of Ireland, but was a part of everyday life.

Over the years, various means and economic changes have broken this trend in most parts of the countries. Improved Education, Free College for all citizens, increased support for rural towns, villages, and underprivileged member’s of society have all helped Irish people move out of a purely rural based mind set into a new age for the country, an economic boom. Other contributing factors can be linked to the Smoking Ban, the increase in prices of Alcohol and cigarettes and also the vast improvement in Garda patrols on our streets and more so, our roads. Indeed, Drink related accidents, illnesses and fatalities have dropped considerably over the years, as have the unemployment rates, illiteracy rates and …so on.

This is all great news for the country and the direction it’s headed, but what of the old traditions? Are they to fall into their own memories and become less well known as the people who experienced this Ireland pass away around us? Could drinking in the pub and great music become a part of old Ireland? Looking around city centres and local towns, it doesn’t seem likely that weekend drinking is under and threat just yet. But what of our great tradition of music, what has become of it? Along with Bono and U2, Irish bands such has Thin Lizzy, Therapy, The Undertones, the Boom Town Rats, Planxty, and performers such as Enya, Christy Moore, Chris De Burg, Van Morison have entertained the world for decades, along with countless others like Sinead O’Connor, The Dubliners, Paul Brady and more.

So why haven’t many of the newer generation Irish performers measured up to this success enjoyed by their predecessors. Why doesn’t Ireland have any more Bono’s, Phil Lynotts or Enya’s on the international scene? Westlife, Boyzone and Damien Rice seem to have been the biggest musical exports Irish music has enjoyed in the last ten years. No one else has seemed to last. We see countless performers trying every year on ‘Your A Star’, competing for Europe’s largest song contest, but we never hear of them before or after that in most cases which makes it very difficult to take any of these people as serious performers. But, should we take this as an indication of what Irish people like these days? The answer is sadly, yes.

Irish people have shown more and more in recent years that their music taste has followed that of the British and attention has switched from true musicians, groups and performers, who tour and record relentlessly, to manufactured reality TV flavours of the month. In years to come it will be hard to imagine people talking about ‘Six’ and ‘U2’ in the same context.

So what of the Irish music scene!, is that the end, are their no true musicians left to carry on one of the finest traditions this country has to offer? Off course there are, you just don’t see or hear them very often. Despite efforts of DJ’s such as Jenny Huston and Tom Dunne and VJ’s such as Dave Fanning and Leagues O’Toole, Irish National Broadcasters gives little or no exposure to the true talent of our current scene. Instead on endorsing Hard Working Bands like The Frames, Turn, Bell X1, The Future Kings of Spain, Jape, Humanzi, and countless others, they decide to promote flash in the pan, once off artist’s like ‘Six’, ‘Samantha Mumba’ and parades of similar English and American thrash that is destroying the minds both on Radio and Television.

The new millennium has seen such a rise in reality TV that it went from being everywhere to just being standard. Shows like the ‘Real O.C.’,’Sweet 16’ and what ever other rubbish MTV manage to think up to replace another 30 minutes of music, have broken so far into our culture that people under the age of 16 all seem to have American accents. Next time your on the dart, train or bus, listen to them. As for musical tastes, well MTV and all the reality crap have ensured that it is now very hard for a band that has formed themselves and written their own material to get any decent support or Airplay. Along with our national stations doing as little as possible to ratify or challenge this (for fear of other stations getting the ratings), it casts a very bleak out look for the future of our scene.

Another view I saw, while discussing some Irish groups with a French man I work with was the price and availability of Irish music. He discussed trying to buy albums from Humanzi, Turn, The Frames, Bell X1 and more and the price of these releases. I will say that the price of these albums isn’t above average or anything but when you come to a country and want to discover some of the local scene, your hardly going to shell out E100 for four albums you haven’t heard.

It will be a very sad day if the countless Irish musicians out there, writing amazing material, or forced to leave Ireland to gain some sort of recognition, or even if they remain to become another ‘Stunning’.

IRISH PEOPLE, GIVE YOUR SUPPORT TO YOUR LOCAL SCENE AND DON’T LET ANOTER PART OF OUR CULTURE SLIP AWAY.

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Velvet Revolver – The Ambassador Theatre – March 12th 2008

Posted in Gig Review, Music with tags , , , , , , on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

Velvet Revolver landed in Ireland this month to play two sold out nights at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin and Tickets There decided that Slash’s presence in Ireland deserved a mention (personal favourite ya see).

We wouldn’t really call ourselves Velvet Revolver fans. Their first album was half decent and we remember being pretty excited buying it just before heading to Alice Cooper in the Olympia a few years ago. The first full length collaboration with Slash, Duff Makagan and Matt Sorum, since the last Guns N’ Roses album (The Spaghetti Incident). The excitement managed to cover up the obvious flaws in the album for a few months. By the time their second album came out we’d had lost much of the original interest. We’d spent months following the silent goings on in the Guns N’ Roses world and the new Velvet Revolver album was the enemy, another barrier between the new Guns N Roses and the former band mates.

Liberty turned out to be one of the most over hyped pieces of rubbish we have ever had the displeasure of buying. Every song was a repetition of the track listing from the first album. Big Machine became She Builds Quick Machines while Fall to Pieces became Gravedancer’. It was so bad, it promoted us to write one of our first pieces, a short but scathing attack……and here we go again (thankyou Mr. Coverdale)

The gig was sold out, but there was no atmosphere. The crowd was at least 70% male and made up of ageing Guns N Roses rockers, extreme studiers (you know what we mean, the kind of guys who paid E175 to meet the band pre-show and get every album cover signed), Emo’s (four really annoying ones in particular) and kids…lots of kids.

Support was provided by Year long Disaster. At first they seemed like…well we don’t know what, just another post millennium metal band. Slow, meaningful lyrics, backed up hard, slow and BORING riffs. However, halfway through their set they really kicked things off, spiralling into classic Les Paul jams and spur off’s. ‘Y.L.D. proved to be pretty good considering…..considering they leave the nonsense metal out of it. Slayer did it as well as it can be done already so what’s the point?

VR came on stage about 9.30 hammering straight into Let it Roll, the first track from the last album. Let It Roll had all the trademarks of an incredible fast paced, slap in the face, rock anthem except it fails to deliver, much like the rest of the their catalogue.

I wouldn’t even bother describing the rest of the set song by song as it was all the same. Slash managed to get the loudest cheers every time he’d come to the front of the stage, Duff a close second, Then Scott. Rhythm guitarist Dave Kushner was seen occasionally hanging around while Matt tried desperately to perform strong enough so Slash and Duff wouldn’t wake up and realize their not in Guns N Roses anymore. Each song was delivered exactly the same except a quiet moment or two for the acoustics to be brought out. Even renditions of Guns N’ Roses classics It’s so Easy, Mr Brownstone and Patience didn’t manage to impress (us anyway, lots of other people were having a great time). We felt more disgusted that Slash and Duff would let Scott sing three of their greatest works.

There were a few highlights of the night. Firstly the presence of Slash and Duff McKagan (have I mentioned them yet?), Slash playing a double neck guitar during patience, The Ambassador’s smoking area and …..well, I’m sure there was any more.

Even the final song of the night Slither, their classic first single, was too far into the set to save the night. We’d already visited the cloak room before they had left the stage.

 Set List: Velvet Revolver, Dublin, March 12th/2008,

  • Let It Roll
  • She Mine
  • Sucker Train Blues
  • Do It For the Kids
  • Just Sixteen
  • Big Machine
  • American Man
  • Vasoline
  • The Last Fight
  • Interstate Love Song
  • Patience
  • She Builds Quick Machines
  • Get Out The Door
  • Fall To Pieces
  • It’s So Easy
  • Set Me Free

Encore:

  • Mr. Brownstone
  • Sex Type Thing
  • Slither

 

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Concerto for Constantine Interview – Rock returns to Ireland

Posted in Interview, Music with tags on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

If ever there was a night in my life I should have been prepared for, this was it. An exclusive interview with one of Irelands newest and most exciting groups ‘Concerto for Constantine’ and (as I discovered later), their first since forming last August. The band comprises of Mark Greaney (Vocals, Guitar and formally of JJ72), Gavin Fox (Bass and formally of Turn, Idlewild and Vega4) and Paul ‘Binzer’ Brennan who was played drums for Mundy, The Frames and BellX1 among many other’s. To say the prospect of sitting down with Concerto, at such an early stage of their career, is exciting would be an understatement and topped with it being their first interview (Minus Binzer) made it all the more special.

However, half way through the dart journey into town, I discovered that the trusted blank tape in my recorder, that was supposedly sitting idle for the last eight or nine months, was missing. The notion of doing this interview by shorthand did not sound appealing, so once in town I went on the search for these relics of the 80’s and 90’s. After several unsuccessful attempts I finally found MoJo records in temple bar, was open. I managed to purchase a very rare album entitled ‘Goodbye Diana, I’m tired of climbing mountains’. I’m sure this album was very special to someone at some stage and will soon be on the crest of a new wave that will forever change music as we know it, tonight however, It would serve as the first official introduction to Ireland’s newest hope for an Rock N’ Roll, When I finally arrived, ‘Goodbye Diana’ ready to go, Mark informed me that Gav was running late, so we ordered drinks and had a chat. After awhile Mark told me Concerto had been given the support spot for the Smashing Pumpkins Dublin and Belfast shows. ‘A dream come true’ in Mark’s words, who came very close to supporting Zwan when they toured Europe, however faith stood in the way, only to give him his chance again.

Once Gavin arrived, we settled in for a night of rock stories, memories that all revolved around Def Leppard, types of wood and Walkers crisps. Not to mention a few questions thrown into the mix.

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· How did Concerto for Constantine come about?

Mark – Myself and Gavin have known each since for years and we were always saying ‘Oh we have to form this band or that band’ basically that we had to play music at some stage together.

Gavin – Even, Mark at one stage hinted that I might join JJ72 and play guitar on tour with them, but at the time Turn had just formed and were kicking off and JJ72 worked well as a three piece. Eventually the chance came up when I left Vega4. Mark was in New York working on his solo album and I gave him a call and said ‘Let’s do this, lets form a rock band now’.

Mark – Gavin got Binzer to come down to the first rehearsal and I had never met him but I knew as soon as I heard him play he was right, perfect for the band.

· Are any of you working on anything else at the moment or, are all your energies invested into this group?

Mark – Well I was working in New York last summer on my solo material when I got the call from Gav. I was doing a lot of writing and trying to capture a different sound from rock but at the same time, not appearing like a singer songwriter. When Gavin called and said he was freed up, I thought ‘well, my solo material will always be there and I should do this now while there’s a chance.

Gavin – I had left Vega4 just a few months before I called Mark. Binzer is still working with Mundy, BellX1, The Frames and loads more, but a lot of them aren’t touring at the moment so he had the time to start this with us.

· What do you want to achieve from this group, are you aiming for the top, or do you just want to and enjoy yourself without any pressures?

Mark – I think we’re realistic in what we expect to achieve from this group. Off course we want to be a big band, but our main aim is to play in front of a lot of people. To get out there to the biggest crowds we can. I see a lot of bands out there and think stage presence has begun to slip away from newer groups. When I go to a show, I want to rock out and get blown away by a live performance. We are playing music I’ve always loved and I want to play that music for big crowds.

Gavin – I don’t know if what we do is capable of hitting the type of masses it used to, but you see acts like Queens of the Stone Age and they’ve managed to keep growing in popularity despite very little involvement with the ‘mainstream’. It shows that it is possible. I’d just hope we do get as much out of this as we can.

· Mark, you originally found fame with JJ72, Binzer has played with almost every established band in Ireland like Bell X1, The Frames and Mundy, and Gavin, you started your career 10 years ago in Turn, before moving onto Idlewild and then Vega4. Would it be unjust to call Concerto for Constantine an Irish indie Super Group?

Gavin – Yeah, because it’s kind of embarrassing. When you look at super groups out there you notice that in general, they don’t come close to the quality of their original bands. This can lead to bad name for the band before they get a chance to show what they have to offer. We’ve all been in bands, but not on the level of Rage Against the Machine merging with Soundgarden. Almost all musicians play in loads of groups before hitting it big.

· Concerto for Constantine recently went out on the road around the country to play your first shows on the ‘2FM 2MOROR 2OUR’. How did you go down with the crowd?

Gavin – The first show in the Sky Venue, Portlaois, was a bit shaky. It was our first live performance together and it didn’t come together on the night. After that everything started to get better and the people at the shows seemed to really like us and the type of music we’re doing.

Mark – I think the really satisfying thing about it, is that we are doing something that was really unexpected, Rock bands aren’t really out there any more, (and As the tour went on) You could see the crowd’s faces just go Huh! Really surprised looks and then they would get really into it. There was this feeling of ‘Brilliant an Irish Rock band’

· Which do you think was the best show?

Gavin – Ballyshannon (Co. Donegal and birthplace of Rory Gallagher) was pretty special.

Mark – Ballyshannon was mad, really great. We played in this converted cinema and it was great fun.

· I have to ask this, but how did you come up with the name of the band?

Gavin – Well, we needed a name really quickly because we had been offered a place on the 2FM 2MORO 2OUR.

Mark – We were confirming the details and they asked ‘what’s the name of the band’ because they were doing up posters for the tour, so I said yeah it’s ready…I’ll call ya back in a couple of Hours’.

Gavin – So I started looking through I Tunes at names of songs for some ideas. Eventually I came to the classical section and I saw a title ‘Concerto for…’ It sounded cool, so I told Mark and he completed it using a name from a dream his mother had just a week previously. So Concerto for Constantine was born.

· Obviously you guys are in early stages with this group and you’re still finding your feet, but have you any immediate plans for 2008? Will we see material released or will you spend some time collecting a fan base first?

Gavin – Well we have some shows coming up in February. We’re supporting the Smashing Pumpkins in Dublin and Belfast, the Futureheads in Sligo and we’re playing our own show in Fibber McGee’s on the 22nd February. Hopefully those shows will attract some new fans and some industry attention.

· Are you going to try and release a single or an EP at all?

Gavin – We’re recording a song at the moment and we’re going to do it to a really high quality and release that as a single and make a video for it. At the moment there’s nothing out there for us with regard to radio, apart from a session we did for 2FM.

Mark – We want to make a record as soon as we can. If a label steps in and offers a producer that we want to work with, it’ll just make things move along faster.

· So what is your opinion of the current state of Irish Music? Do you feel the music you guys are writing is still relevant today?

Mark – I think the thing about bands that do something special is, initially their not relevant to the whole ‘what makes a band good’ definition of their time. I personally feel really exhilarated doing this, from our very first rehearsal I thought, that this was something different, something special that I haven’t heard in Irish bands in a long time.

Gavin – There was a scene in Dublin in the 90’s, like now, where every band is following one major influence. You can’t blame anyone for this because it’s those influences that inspire people to start bands in the first place. We were into bands like Nirvana and the Pixies and we started bands because of that. The difference is, we’re still into that music and haven’t been as inspired by the newer groups in the same way as The Pixies.

It’s also great to look around at other bands and think ‘Wow, we’re the only ones doing this’.

· You both come from very successful groups who have played all around the world. Between you, you have toured with The Rolling Stones, The Pixes, R.E.M and countless others. Is it hard adjusting from that life style back to basics?

Gavin – Not really, I miss it, I want to record and tour all the time. When I left Vega4 I started to get withdrawals from not being on the road and that was hard but then we started up Concerto and its building back up again and it’s something to look forward to and get excited about.

Mark – I really miss the extent of touring I did when I was in the JJ’s. The feeling of being so young and walking down the street in Osaka, Japan and 20 girls start following you down the street was incredible but, anytime I’m playing makes it for me. When you can’t do that anymore, when you cant give people the best version of yourself it gets very hard. During the summer some girls, who were about 14 years old, came up to me in the street and started going on abut JJ72 and it turned out, one of their older sisters had given them a JJ72 album and they had gotten into us. That when it’s worth while, when you know you can affect people like that.

Be sure to catch Concerto for Constantine at their up and coming shows around the country,

17th March – Fibber Magee’s

18th March – London – Dublin Castle

19th March – London – Club 328

15th April – Whelan’s

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Concerto For Constantine – Fibber Magees – Feb 22nd 08

Posted in Gig Review, IRISH NOISE!, Music with tags , , , , on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

Concerto for Constantine’s first headlining show in Fibber Magee’s last Friday was certainly an experience I hope to cherish for some time. Fresh from supporting the Smashing Pumpkins at their recent Irish dates, this three piece have managed to form, rehearse and write some ridiculously great ‘in your face’ rock songs all in the last 5 months. How do they do it? well, when you have of Mark Greaney (former JJ72 voice box and axe man), Gavin Fox (formally of Irish indie legends ‘Turn’ and Scottish favourites ‘Idelwild”) and off course, Paul ‘Binzer’ Brennan (who has played with The Frames, Bell X and Mundy, just to name but a few) together, it’s going to be special…or more to the point, it’s Concerto for Constantine and on Friday they ‘ROCKED!’

Support of the night was provided by ‘Power, Jazz trio’ Simon and the Ghost. The group manage to distance themselves from the over ego’d Irish scene they seem to dislike but unfortunately they don’t seem to have the songs to make a real go off it yet. I will say that Jazz to me is like a heater in an igloo, just doesn’t make sense but they are very good at what they do, so for any fans out there, check em out and make your own mind up.

Concerto hit the stage at 10.30 and wasted no time in getting down to business. They opened with ‘Minsk’, a hard, fast, adrenaline fuelled rock n roll anthem that is destined to becoming a fast radio favourite. ‘Minsk’ set the tone for the night as there was no let up in the set. ‘Wasps, Cat’s Cradle, Knife’ and a host of other newly written songs were belted out by the band and sounded like they had been playing them for years. While watching the set, it became very hard to remember they had only formed so recently. It was also hard not to notice the band enjoying them selves so much which can be very rare on our cold, motionless scene these days. Concerto are enjoying what they are doing. Three guys who have played for long enough to understand the importance of having fun.
After an hour and some change they were finished leaving ‘Killing Fields’ to close the set as there was no encore, explained by Mark as being a result of having “no more songs left to play”.

It may have been a short gig by a very new group but it was a certainly the first of many for one of Ireland’s brightest hope’s for a great Hard Rock Band.

Wasps
Cats Cradle
Silver
Falling
Every Thing
Knife
Gaps
Killing Fields

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MURPHY’S LIVE 2008 – The Future Kings of Spain – Superjimenez – Bravado

Posted in Gig Review, IRISH NOISE!, Music with tags , , , , , on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

Whelan’s was the setting for the Murphy’s Live 2008, Dublin Quarter Finals. Two Dublin groups were there to battle it out for a chance of winning the grand prize, €10,000 towards studio time, an EP launch, a record deal, a six month management contract and record distribution.

Before saying anything about either group, I have to point out that I was really only there for the FKOS, who are, without a doubt, the greatest rock band to emerge out of Ireland in many a year. Their second album ‘Nervousystem’ is a testament to their song writing skills and their live show is always something to bask in. Therefore I thought of the first two acts of the show as a nuisance I had to sit through in order to see the kings.…how very wrong I was.

Bravado were first to try their luck with the crowd and judges. A very young group from North Dublin who, despite their inexperience and youth, put on one of the best shows I have seen from an unknown group in awhile. Describing their sound would be a challenge in itself. Each song was unique while still maintaining an overall formula. Although you could hear The Clash, Artic Monkeys, The Who and the Stone Roses all dying to break out.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Superjimenez managed to pull of the same show as Bravado. Although they looked the part, were all very experienced musicians and they were much tighter than Bravado, there was something missing. They commanded the stage well, especially for a newer group and managed to really get the crowd going. Their only downfall was their songs. Although the bass lines were something special and the guitars had some shredding moments, the overall package seemed ‘done before’. The U2 and Killers influence was much too obvious. The singer was no Bono, but the Edge was casting a shadow on this group.
The Future Kings of Spain closed the night with their usual energetic performance. Joey, Karl, Bryan and Anton breezed through a great set (taken mainly from ‘Nervousystem’) with such ease and performance it served as a great example to Bravado and Superjimenez how it’s all done. ‘Guess Again’, ‘One More Mistake’, Kick in the Teeth’ and ‘Syndicate’ are all delivered with such passion, they have managed to blend in perfectly with old favourites like ‘Venetian Blinds’, ‘Meanest Sound’ and ‘Hanging Around’. Although it isn’t their show, the Kings manage to steal the night and show a few new faces why they were chosen as head liners.

Set List:
Guess Again
One More Mistake
1981
This is the End
Venetian Blinds
Upside Down
Disappear
Kick in the Teeth
Face I Know
Meanest Sound
Hanging Around
Syndicate

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JAPE and The Mighty Stef – Craw Daddy – Nov 23rd 2007

Posted in Gig Review, IRISH NOISE!, Music with tags , , , on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

Well it’s a Friday, the greatest Day and Night of the week. NO matter how messed up you get on A Friday, you still have two days left to get over it which has to be a great consolation for everyone…except people who have to work weekends, haha.

So I finished work early cause I had to attend a team event, what’s that you ask? Well it’s when your forced to go out on your own free time with work people under the guise that ‘your going to have fun’. Ends up very silly with non stop Work chat, so I decided to bale, hopped on a dart and went for town to see the fantastic JAPE live.
Now, I notice that all my reviews, except for the Police, seem to be very positive, but I have to say, I haven’t gone to a bad gig in a while (except for the Police) and tonight was no exception to this. Straight in the door, a lovely surprise Guest Spot from The Mighty Stef was a nice start to the evening. Playing solo and covering some of his grittiest material was perfect to forget the nonsense chatter or reports and clients I had tried to block with with bottle after bottle of Bud Light.
Jape took the stage at 9.30 and for an hour (and abit) played a truly enjoyable set. With a mix a material mostly concerned with new EP Jape is Great and his forthcoming album ???.
The new stuff is like New Order crashed into the Monkeys in the Zoo, really Dance orientated with the standard Jape sound he does so well.

Great night, cant wait for the next one and the new album.

SET LIST:

Christopher and Anthony
Gimmie Some more
Replays
GraveYard
Phil Lynnott
At The Heart
Floating
Apple in an Orchard
Nothing Lasts forever
Strike Me Down
I Was a Man

ENCORE:
Street

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The Police – Croke Park – October 2007

Posted in Gig Review, Music with tags , on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

The Police were one of the first of the legendary groups to announce their reunion this year, ahead of Led Zeppelin and The Sex Pistols and have already played several dates across America and Europe before arriving in Dublin this weekend.
I am not a fan of the Police, I should point that out before saying a word about last nights show. I just never understood what is so good about them, and last nights show didn’t help change my view.
The weather was warm and welcoming in the Big Smoke yesterday, there was a general nice, but strangely quiet atmosphere in the air. Myself and my girlfriend set off for Croke Park quiet early and the streets leading to Irelands most impressive stadium were practically deserted. The only people around were Stewart’s, Guards and a handful of fans.
This trend did not change once inside the venue either. For a show that was to attract over 80,000 people, there was only 500/1000 inside an hour before show time. It became very clear that food a drink were not allowed near the interior of the stadium, not even water, which was down to trying to keep the surface laid over the pitch dry, instead of turning it into an icing rink, but enough of that, the basic line was the facilities inside the grounds were very basic and bare, however the toilet facilities were up to MCD’s recent standards and goes to show that finally portaloos can be maintained at gigs.
The support group ‘Fiction Plane’ or ‘Infant Police’ played a 40-45 minute set which the crowd welcomed them for (they were a nice break from the ‘Water Aid’ adverts and faces of starving children being shown). Joe Sunmer, Stings own ‘Off-Sting’, managed to imitate almost everything from his father including songs, cloths, playing Bass, and style. Not a bad band, but nothing new or inspiring here.
The Police finally took the stage about 8.20pm and both band and crowd relaxed into ‘Message in a Bottle’. The tone of the evening remained similar for the entire night with no major changes from the first to last song. Classics such as ‘Walking on the Moon’, ‘Cant Stand Losing you’, ‘Every little Thing She Does is Magic’ and ‘De Do Do Do De Da Da Da’ were all slipped into the set, along the way, but blended in a little too much due to Stings new decision to fuse all the songs together in a long drawn out reggae jams which any Vegie, Wanky Shitheads in the crowd probably loved. Although I was quiet close to the barrier of the Gold Circle, There didn’t seem to be much singing from the crowd, even during some of their biggest hits. Everyone seemed relaxed and applauded politely but never seemed to feel the special spark you get when you see a great band live. Sting was the only band member who talked, with Stuart and Andrew just following his lead, however he was quiet polite to the crowd and even managed to blurt out his “only word of Gaigle, Slainte” before sipping his tea. All in all the show was quit predictable and passive. Roxanne, Every Breath you take and Cant’ Stand Losing you’ were among the closers.
However I should mention the stage itself, a complex which nearly rivalled (but at the same time doesn’t come Close) the Rolling Stones setup from Slane, takes 42 trucks to move across the world and has taken almost a week to set up showing The Police are not just relying on their music to entertain and are a group who have learned that customers like value for money.
As shows have gone this summer, this was in no way the best, don’t get me wrong, the band sound fantastic, they played a truly great set, the crowd were lovely and the organization and Croke Park itself was fantastic, but something was missing from this show, something that makes a great gig memorable. Maybe Police Fans have a different story, and I hope they do, because after 30 years, The Police couldn’t pull it off in my eyes.

SET LIST:

Message in a Bottle
Synchronicity II
Walking On The Moon
Voices Inside My Head
When The World Is Running Down
Don’t Stand So Close To Me
Driven To Tears
Truth Hits Everybody
Hole In My Life
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking In Your Footsteps
Can’t Stand Losing You
Roxanne
King Of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
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The Future Kings of Spain – The Village – September 28th 2007

Posted in Gig Review, Music with tags on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

The Future Kings of Spain returned to glory at ‘The Village on Friday night by doing something all new bands dream about, releasing a great second album (‘Nervousystem’) to a sold out crowd in one of Dublin’s hippest venues. After four years in the making and some record company financial troubles, the groups second album has finally been released to a hungry fan base. Joe and crew looked delighted and enthusiastic as they preformed a high energy show with a few hundred of their closet friends in the packed Village.
The group played a set packed with standard classics, their biggest hits and a fantastic selection from their new album which sounds like it will be more than worth the wait (I would have bought it at the gig but too much drink in my belly meant very little money in my wallet).
Unfortunately not knowing the new material meant I couldn’t enjoy the show as well as I did the last time I saw them, but it was none the less a fantastic night and I will happily go and see again them as soon as I can.
The FKOS are without a doubt Ireland’s current leading Hard Rock champions of the current Indie/Alt scene and have been since the release of their first album. Since then we have seen Bell X1 shoot to stardom, Paddy Casey take a few years off, Turn Disband and other acts have just begun to fall into slumps. If new Irish bands out there can measure up the energy and song writing quality of such FKOS classics as ‘Venetian Blinds’, ‘Hanging Around’, ‘Meanest Sound’ and new songs such as ‘Lost and Found’, ‘Syndicate’ and ‘Kick in the Teeth’ then the future looks bright for the Irish Music scene.

Setlist:

Guess Again
One More Mistake
1981
Venetian Blinds
Lost and Found
Upside Down
Disappear
Face I Know
Meanest Sound
Kick in the Teeth
You Dream in Solid
So Wrong
This is the End
Hanging Around
Syndicate
Kick it


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The Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails – Marlay park – August 22nd 2007

Posted in Gig Review, Music on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

After several months of debating whether or not to go to my fourth Foo Fighters concert in Marlay Park, I finally decided to go about a month before hand. What persuaded me you might ask? Well, Dave Grohl is one of my favourite front men of the last 10 years. The Foo Fighters are truly enjoyable band to watch live and finally, Trent Reznor and co. were stopping of for a visit, and there was no way I was missing that.
I used to be a very big fan of Nine Inch Nails but over the years I have let my interest in them slip. I simply got bored of them and couldn’t listen to songs about Pigs anymore. However, as soon as NIN took the stage yesterday that interest was rekindled. Half of the crowd were there for NIN and NIN alone meaning at 6 o’clock on a bright sunny day in Dublin’s beautiful Marlay Park, thousands of black clad teens and Goths gathered together to celebrate their Idol’s return to our shores after a thirteen year absence.
Trent and new band bashed out a truly greatest hits set that any other support band couldn’t deliver in their wildest dreams, had it not being for the daylight blaring down on the stage, NIN would have walked away the true headliners.
The only major sign that this was the Foo’s show, was the absence of ‘Hurt’ or any encore at the end. However, they managed to get through ‘Head Like a Hole’, ‘Starfuckers Inc.’, ‘Piggy’, ‘Closer’, ‘Wish’ and several more NIN standard classics.
I cant remember how long it took to set up the Foo’s, but the gigantic Support set up that NIN required, took at least 2 pints a piss to dismantle.
As daylight slipped away and the clouds cleared to show a bright moon light evening, a massive roar came from the crowd now massed around the stage. Dave Grohl appeared under a selection of blue spotlights and played ‘Everlong’ alone, in what was a obvious nod to the bands recent acoustic live album ‘Skin and Bones’. Dave continued to play the whole song by himself until the last chorus when the build up began and spotlights blew out across the stage revealing the rest of the group who then hammered into Everlong like it deserves. Before the crowd could catch it’s breath the went straight into Monkey Wrench, bringing great joy to those who prefer the pre-‘Colour and Shape’ material..
Dave commanded the stage and crowd with his usual flamboyance rarely seen on modern stages. Playing crowd favourites such as ‘Learn to Fly’, Breakout’, ‘Generator’, ‘Up in Arms’, ‘DOA’ and many, more besides.
Dave is a man, every music fan wants to drink with. A man who went from being a world renowned drummer in one of the most influential bands in history (along with one of the biggest) to forming his own band and doing it all over again. He is truly a great musician and front man and this is especially prominent during his live performances.
After 90 minutes of hit after hit, A special guest appeared on the stage without any introduction (as if he needed one). Former Nirvana/Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear joined the band for three songs before the end of their set. The only screams that cam close to his welcome were the cheers of ‘sheep!’ the crowd chanted after Dave told a personal story about coming to Ireland in 1992 and visiting Kerry, I’ll let you do the math.
‘Best of you’ and ‘All My Life’ were among the encore highlights (which lasted an impressive 5 songs). The Foo’s played 17 songs in 90 minutes and announced they would return in November with a new album and show.
Crowd happy, band happy, job well done.

NIN Setlist

“Pinion”
“Wish”
“Terrible Lie”
“March Of The Pigs”
“Piggy”
“Surivalism”
“No, You Don’t”
“Closer”
“Sin”
“Down In It”
“Starfuckers, Inc.”
“Only”
“The Hand That Feeds”
“Head Like A Hole

The Foo Fighters Setlist:

Everlong
Monkey Wrench
Breakout
My Hero
Times Like These
Up In Arms
Learn to Fly
The One
Stacked Actors
DOA
Generator
The is a Call
Best of You

The Pretender
Keep the Car Running (Arcade Fire cover)
Enough Space
All My Life

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The Happy Mondays – The Olympia Theatre – September 24th 2007

Posted in Gig Review, Music with tags on March 14, 2008 by Tickets There

It’s a cold Monday evening as I approach the Olympia. There is no-one around the front doors and Dame street is nice and quiet except for people making their way home from work. Its a nice relaxing feeling. I’m on my way over to make sure that legendary Madchester band ‘The Happy Monday’ have in fact arrived and are still playing tonight. I had all these thoughts that a ‘Monday’s’ show could only be an entertaining experience at best. However, once I reached the side of the building I could instantly hear that not only had the Mondays arrived but sounded amazing as new song ‘Jelly Bean’ was blaring out from a sound check. The group sounded tight with Shaun’s vocals soaring above the band. The Mondays were back and the show hadn’t even begun.

I spent the next few hours in a fantastic pub around the corner called ‘Rouge’ with a barman who was quite willing to let our group play all the ‘Happy Mondays’ tracks we wanted on the jukebox, as well as some NIN, Def Leppard and others for good measure.

There still wasn’t many around the Olympia however, many had already arrived. We managed to get inside in time to get the last four pit passes and got our front row positions.

The support band came and went, I cant recall their name and anybody I asked couldn’t either. They weren’t bad, just victims of being a support band to a legend like The Happy Mondays.

Around 9.30 the house lights dies, the spotlight came on with the Mondays arriving on stage in full force. Bez worked up the crowd immediately while the band warmed up ‘Kinky Afro’ Shaun appeared last to a rapturous roar from the whole theatre which instantly made him look more relaxed and calm.

Playing for a mere one hour and 20 minutes, the band somehow managed to cover almost all of the their biggest hits from their early career with songs such as ‘Loose Fit’, ‘Step On’, ‘24 Hour Party People’, ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘WFL’ while also including a great selection from their latest album ‘Uncle Dysfunctional’ which included the title track, my personal fav. ‘In the Blood’, ‘Cuntry Disco’, ‘Angels and Whores’ and possible single ‘Jellybean’. Despite the amount of hits covered, it became very clear the albums ‘Bummed’ and ‘Yes Please’ were being ignored on this set which may have annoyed any ardent Monday’s fans out there, however, after a 15 absence from the scene, This has to be considered the first real strike of a Mondays comeback so I don’t think anyone can complain.

All in all, as gigs go I don’t think this show can be compared as of the situation. It was a great feeling watching a band most of the young people there (including myself) only heard of from the movie ’24 Hour Party People’. It was made all the better when the show didn’t turn out to be some sort of nostalgic circus, but instead, was a highly fused performance from an incredibly tight and talented group of musicians and to see Shaun Ryder on stage, Sober, looking and sounding great made it one of the true highlights of the year and one of the most enjoyable shows I have seen in my life. It was no gig, this was an experience of a life time.

SET LIST:

Kinky Afro

Angels and Whores

Gods Cops

Uncle Disfuctinal

Loose Fit

Hey Dude

rev Black Grape

In The Blood

Halleujah

Rats with Wings

Step On

Jelly Bean

24 Hour Party People

Photographs

WFL

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The Rolling Stones – Slane Castle – Aug 18th 2007

Posted in Gig Review, Music on March 13, 2008 by Tickets There
 
Thursday evening, I turn of my computer and finish work and head on over to my friend Niamh for a chat about how many Rolling Stones tickets she has left. After she shows me I fall in love.
Saturday, about 1pm I am sitting down with a toasted ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee. By 2:00, im on a train to town t0 catch a bus to Slane.
All this seems so done before. It’s raining, really pissing in Dublin. As usual, Dublin Bus is well organized and we only have to walk for about 10 minutes around a block to join the Q for people heading to Slane. After a mere 45 minutes moving at a snails pace, we finally get on the bus which actually gets to the site very quickly.
Next, it’s the undisputed MCD’s turn at organization. The usual 20-40 minute walk from the Bus stops to the site is a joyful as usual, with the added bonus of the rain made all the more fun by no ground placed down on the mud trail to the arena.
After four hours from start to finish, we are inside, the rain stops, the site is smaller than ever with all the new stands, but the same amount of people still inside. I manage to slip which ruins any ideas I had about keeping clean. We make our way down to the front (buying the obligatory t-shirts along the way), and finally arrive at the entrance to the Gold Circle as ‘The Charlatans’ come on stage. After 40 odd minutes of a very boring set (except a mention and tribute to the late Tony Wilson). they finally leave and the build up begins.
The Stones take the stage an hour late, but nobody cares. The giant screen intros with a literal big band, which explodes out across the whole backdrop and further by exploding fire works all along the top of the stage.
The stones emerge out to the tune of 70,000 screaming people. They rip straight into ‘Start me up’ which blows the audience away. Mick, Ronnie and Keif all bounce around the stage like 20 year olds and don’t let a single note sound off. Mick’s voice bursts through the speakers like animal with a mission of it’s own (which it does). Keith and Ronnie shred through the songs as if creating the vehicle for Mick’s voice and Charlie keeps a beat better than any of his 20 something colleagues.
After 40 years of being the hardest rocking band on the planet, the Stones have never been better. Any thoughts that they may be too old to do it are thrown out the window as soon as the first notes hit our ears. The continue into the night with die hard fan favs and greatest hits all thrown into one set topped with an amazing stage design and backing group behind them, as if they needed any of it. The four boys pull this show off by them selves, everything else is a bonus.
Notable songs missing included Angie, Wild Horses, Have you seen your mother lately, 19th Nervous Breakdown and Ruby Tuesday, But the crowd didn’t seem to mind. We were kept busy with It’s only Rock N’ roll, Jumping jack Flash, Paint it Black, Dead Flowers, You cant always get what you want and alot more.
During ‘Miss you’ the centre piece of the stage moved forward between the crowd, right to the back of the Gold circle barrier and they stayed there for three songs.
Other notable highlights included, The stage presentation for Sympathy for the Devil, Mick Jagger welcoming the crowd to Slane in Irish, Ronnie wood shouting ‘up the Royals’ (the Meath GAA team) which the crowd booed but seemed to forgive and Keith Richards singing two songs half way through the set, proving that Mick isn’t the only one with pipes in the Stones.
After two hours, with Brown Sugar as the encore and Mick dressed up in long coat a scarf to battle the chilly winds, the Stones called it a night.
Nobody at the show could say they didn’t get their moneys worth, But after two hours of blistering music from the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world. Nobody could say they didn’t want more either, and as the saying goes,“always leave them wanting more”If the stones had gone on for another two hours we would have still wanted more, you never can get enough of something that good, but the Stones delivered everything a reasonable person could want and more.
Anyone who was at Slane and disagrees should remember,‘you cant always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, just what you need.’Looking forward to the next tour already.

The set list :

Start Me Up
You Got Me Rocking
Rough Justice
All Down The Line
Dead Flowers
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Midnight Rambler
I’ll Go Crazy
Tumbling Dice
— Introductions
You Got The Silver (Keith)
I Wanna Hold You (Keith)
Miss You (to B-stage)
It’s Only Rock’n Roll (B-stage)
Satisfaction (B-stage)
Honky Tonk Women (to main stage)
Sympathy For The Devil
Paint It Black
Jumping Jack Flash
Brown Sugar (encore)

The Rolling Stones : 8:55pm – 10:50pm
Stones Hammering on into the Night

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