Humanzi front man Shaun Mulrooney is brining his new solo band, Admiral Black to Dublin on July 31st and he’s brining Talulah Does The Hula and The Murder Clues with him.
If you’re feeling up to it after Iron Maiden storm the O2 on the 30th, pop down to The Twisted Pepper on Middle Abbey Street for a late night of great music and a chance to see Tickets There drunk in the capital.
The Murder Clues are back with their third single. Any Other Way might be one of their older tracks but some studio time has revamped this tune to new heights giving it a brilliant new lease of life.
Barley stopping for a moment, the track bounces around with charismatic singer Brian’s vocals really starting to tale more and more shape as the years go on backed by some chunky bass snippets, pumped guitars and some furious drumming that really gives the song an adrenaline filled backbone.
The Murder Clues really are going in the right direction and we think it’s time you went and checked them out. Stand by for another post in 5,4,3,2…
In the mean time, you can download Any Other Way from the bands Soundcloud for free! Just Click right HERE.
Any Other Way by murderclues
Tickets There is experiencing some nostalgia today. It may only be two and a half years since we first got drunk, watched Eyebrowy and decided to set up myspace.com/ticketsthere for a goof, but it seems like a hell of a lot longer. One of our earliest memories of the MySpace was befriending a young talented band from North Dublin called Bravado. We’d see the lads compete in the Murphy’s Live 2008 competition against another local Dublin act, Superjimenez. Tickets There was only at the show to see the special guest headliners, The Future Kings of Spain but as soon as the barley legal youngsters took the stage, we were taken aback. They were incredibly young but they played Superjimenez of the stage. We couldn’t believe how good they were, especially since their competitors were a well seasoned band that were still pale in comparison to these school children.
In the end, Branado went on to win that round and the following round but got knocked out in the final by…well, who remembers? Two years on, we decided to revisit the lads and see how they’re getting on and it turns out, there’s been some changes. Firstly, they’ve changed their name to The Murder Clues and they sound a little older but that same upbeat sound is still there. They officially released their first single back in September and we’ve had it on repeat now for about thirty minutes and we’re liking it.
Things That By Myself I Can’t Find is filled with guitar leads, catchy choruses and excellent musicianship. It’s not the cleanest recording in the world but the dirtiness suits the style as the band blare out four minutes of guitar driven indie rock. The lead singer’s (Brian) voice gets stronger and more distinctive with every year that passes and if you’ve seen the man live, you’ll know he casts an imposing front man stance on stage. He controls the crowd well and delivers the songs with as much force as he can muster. The word shy has never been uttered near this guy. As for the band, these guys are tight. There’s no let up or staleness in the track despite its length and style and you could easily see this number topping the charts if it was released by a more established act.
Basically, these guys are on the right track to make a real name for themselves on the music scene. They’re younger than most of the bands out there but they’ve already notched up an impressive amount of experience and it won’t be long before they unleash their full potential.
Check back for a review of the bands new single, Ladies & Headbangers as soon as Tickets There picks up a copy and don’t forget to check out their MySpace to hear Things That By Myself I Can’t Find by Clicking Here!
Annnddd, the single will be launched this Thursday at Andrews Lane Theatre.
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
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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