Across the LineReviews

John Corabi - Auntie Annie's, Belfast

ATL — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:09:33 +0000

John Corabi (Unplugged)
Auntie Annie’s, Belfast
Saturday, November 17th

Having played with or fronted the likes of Union, The Scream and Motley Crue – the latter on their genuinely impressive 1994 self-titled album – Pennsylvanian fifty-something John Corabi remains one of the most well travelled and well-versed hard rock performers in the business. With a CV with very few comparisons in the genre, tonight he brings his wide-ranging back catalogue and powerful voice to Belfast, stripped back and bare-boned.

Despite expressing disappointment at the poor turn-out at his two previous Irish dates on the current tour, Corabi has drawn a hefty crowd tonight – an eclectic melange of youth and experience; the curious and the heartily inducted. Kicking off with a swift one-two of Union tracks propped up on a stool – including single ‘Love (I Don’t Need It Anymore)’ – he is clearly on fine form; interspersing anecdotes and musings with vigorous yet minimalist renderings of songs faithfully echoed by tonight’s ever-growing audience.

]]>A remarkable cover of early Aerosmith ballad ‘Seasons of Wither’ soon follows. The crowd, increasingly immersed in Corabi’s earnest approach in discussing his material and choice of covers tonight, become considerably more animated. Soon, a decidedly poignant rendition of Scream song ‘Father, Mother, Son’ precedes the notably more upbeat ‘Never Loved Her Anyway’ from the same album, a sense of occasion kicks into gear as dodgy harmonising and beer-fuelled gallivanting from the crowd takes hold.

Despite having to vocally contain a particularly lively member of the audience on a couple of occasions, tonight’s crowd are justifiably attentive of Corabi’s incredibly executed acoustic tales and snippets of wisdom tonight, Motley Crue tracks ‘Misunderstood’ and ‘Loveshine’ serving as a perfect accompaniment to set highlight and particular crowd favourite tonight, ‘Man On The Moon’. In spite of his fixed hard rock calling, the extent of John Corabi’s innate versatility and adaptability within such a genre comes to the fore time and time again this evening.

At the end up, with Crue’s ‘Power To The Music’ and a well-received repeat of ‘Loveshine’ to satisfy the decidedly inebriated demands of a female fan up front, Corabi concludes with Crue single ‘Smoking In The Boys Room’, a track which he had no part to play in on the original recording. Nonetheless, this is entirely besides the point tonight – the one-song encore only helping to emphasise Corabi’s (somewhat cult) reputation as easily one of the finest hard rock vocalists, guitarists and songwriters in the business.

Brian Coney

The Bonnevilles - The Retro, Portrush

ATL — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:35:34 +0000

The Bonnevilles, The Wood Burning Savages, Troublesome Bucks
The Retro, Portrush
Friday 16th November 2012

This evening is the first of a run of album launches for The Bonnevilles. Having just released their second studio album, “Folk Art & The Death of Electric Jesus”, the duo are travelling across the province to introduce new ears to their retro inspired fusion of blues and punk.

But first, they don’t come more classic rock’n’roll than the Troublesome Bucks. The songs are pretty much standard fare with no frills attached, but this allows the skill of the musicians to stand out. These guys like a good guitar solo and aren’t afraid of a middle eight either. Fans of Rory Gallager won’t be disappointed by their sound, which is clearly influenced by his music. “Midnight Train” is the highlight of a tight set, showcasing a band of accomplished performers.

The Wood Burning Savages open with the dark, slighty eccentric chant of “High Rise” over the thrum of a six string bass. It’s a mixed bag; bright bouncy pop-worthy numbers, such as “Venus”, contrast with almost tribal driven beats. Thankfully the vocals of unlikely frontman Paul Connolly prevent it from getting a bit too bipolar. Don’t be fooled by his slight stature; jittering on his tiptoes, Connolly’s voice commands attention and stands out with an ethereal, quivering quality. There’s a moment when his guitar string breaks and he almost sends his mic stand careening offstage, but he battles on with the same momentum, unphased. “Goose” stands out for its splendid three part harmonies, whilst closing track “Thoughts of You” defines the stomping and impatient theme that runs through most of their music.

]]> The Bonnevilles stage is already dressed and waiting. Complete with their dripping heart banner and kitsch light-up icon of Jesus, they need no introduction. Uniformed in their customary white shirt/skinny black tie combo, the duo jump straight into their performance. They’re here first and foremost to showcase their new material, so the set consists mainly of tracks from their new album “Electric Jesus”.

“Hell” is one of the first to be aired, provoking positive yowls from the audience. “10,000” in the meantime sees frontman Andy McGibbon get so het up his guitar strap breaks. A two second pause and they’re back again, this time even attracting a middle aged man with the bizarre tendency of baring his belly for the band. The pace slackens a little for the soulful “Kneel At the Altar Parts 1&2”, but it‘s a brief hiatus for drummer Chris McMullan amongst predominantly fast-paced tracks.

Album opener “You’re Not Alone” is introduced with the tag that we’re “legally obliged to buy the new C.D.”. By the time they reach “Good Suits and Fightin’ Boots” from their first release, the band have worked up quite a sweat. The crowd is shy tonight but they’re prompted to come forward by McGibbon; “Hardtale Lurgan Blues” - “dedicated to anyone who lives in a s***hole” - even gets the front row a little rowdy.

Swift delivery and sharp wit from The Bonnevilles this evening will surely see them making waves in the far reaches of the country. It may not have been the biggest turn out, but as far as the music was concerned, it didn’t matter. You can bet the word will get out that these two don’t stint on their live shows.

Grace Loughrey

Villagers - Black Box, Belfast

ATL — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:58:04 +0000

Villagers, SOAK
The Black Box, Belfast
Sunday 11th November 2012

'Your new stuff is amazing' shouts some guy. It's an amusingly polite heckle, yet no one really laughs. They're too busy nodding in enthusiastic agreement, bemused by these adventurous songs. It helps that the sound is immaculate, every little detail shining through. It's pretty much perfect, really.

Earlier though, we had Soak. Armed just with her acoustic guitar and a few rambling tales, she's a great scene setter, utterly captivating, full of intrigue. The curiosity that comes with such a talanted 16 year old soon dispels however - these songs are pretty universal after all, full of wisdom for one so young. 'Sea Creatures' remains the stand out and, given the masses penchant for a stripped down ballad, surely a future hit. Soak tells us there's Radio 1 daytime plays to look forward to this week and everyone cheers, knowing she's really on to something.

]]>Great stuff, but nothing will steal this show. Villagers frontman Conor O' Brien will eventually apologise for clumsy song intros and lazy banter, but he's blatantly full of confidence, basking in the glory that comes with an utterly remarkable collection of new songs. Every one is a journey, flying off in wonderful new directions, utterly unpredictable, full of musical cliff hangers. 'Grateful' starts off in space before quirking it's way towards jagged terrain, an early highlight. 'The Bell' opens as if soundtracking a fairground malfunction while morse code and paranoia lead the way in 'The Waves'. All over the place.

The basslines are menacing ('Passing a Message') and the drumming subtle ('Becoming a Jackall') - all four 'backing' musicians on stage playing their part. Conor's voice is stronger than ever, getting a proper workout in 'The Pact' and enjoying sublime harmonising during 'The Lighthouse'. Every song brings something new to the table, each moment taking a different turn. Blink your ears and you've missed something great.

2013 will start with this bands new album, full of these incredible songs. 2013 could belong to Villagers.

Rigsy

Belfast Music Week: Robyn G Shiels and more - The Palm House, Belfast

ATL — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:14:39 +0000

Robyn G Shiels, David C Clements, Katharine Philipp, VerseChorusVerse
The Palm House, Botanic Gardens, Belfast
Wednesday 7th November

For the 50 people fortunate enough to get a ticket, this evening’s showcase in Botanic Garden’s Palm House promises to be the most bespoke gig in Belfast Music Week’s programme. We’re met at the garden gates and ushered along a dark path to the Palm House’s rear entrance. In the main atrium several rows of seats have been set out and a small performance space cleared. Built like a cathedral of intricate glass and metal work, filled with exotic plants and illuminated by Victorian lampposts, it feels more like we’ve have strayed into Narnia than a public park.

Huddled in hats and scarfs the audience do their best to dodge the drops of condensation falling from the ceiling. The lights drop with a jolt and Stuart Bailie introduces us to the ‘maddest venue’ of the week.

First up is Tony Wright’s VerseChorusVerse. “I’ve always wanted to play here in Jurassic Park” he says. Wright plays without amplification, really digging his heels into the acoustic potential of the space. “The rain starts falling” he fittingly sings. His carefully enunciated vocals and considered intensity during ‘Held Myself’ conjure Cat Stevens but the stand out song is bold and bluesy, ‘Big Red Van’ which he dedicates to Portstewart guitarist Henry McCullough. It allows him to let loose and something of his former ASIWYFA persona comes to the surface.

]]>Next we have Katharine Philippa who, curled over the piano, opens with ‘Fallen’. “I’m not in a talkative mood today” she later tells us “but I drew a picture to express how I feel”. With any other artist this might have seemed forced but here it adds to the charm of an extraordinary evening. We’re treated to the cinematic score of “Broken to be Rebuilt” and even a snippet of Antony and the Johnson’s “Hope There’s Someone”. Philippa has a unique soaring quality to her voice which occasionally catches in the middle of her range somewhere between tentativeness and longing, the effect is enrapturing.

Robyn G Shiels is next -a change to the advertised billing reminding us there’s no official headliner tonight. Shiels’ barely audible addresses to the audience draw a few cries of ‘speak up’ but when singing his voice carries strongly whilst simultaneously feeling slight and confessional. The quieter moments, of which there are a few, are accompanied by the surround-sound patter of condensation. The highlight though comes in the form of a medley of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m on Fire’ and Shiels’ ‘Hello Death’. His songs deal with vast themes through simplistic melodies and have a brutal honesty to them.

Last up is David C Clements. He gives no introductions, instead working though material showcasing precise lyrical phrasing, deft guitar playing and a hugely capable voice. Final song “On the Border” offers vocal swells reminiscent of indie act Local Natives and haunting melodies that invoke The Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan. It is an immersive and mature sound which stands out despite the exceptional standard of tonight’s bill.

Words: Tom Balfour
Photo: Carrie Davenport

Jack White - O2, Dublin

ATL — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:25:18 +0000

Jack White
02, Dublin
31st October 2012

Twenty-four hours on from being awarded the prestigious James Joyce Award from UCD, there are few events more fitting on Halloween night than the decidedly goth-tinged country blues of bona fide music marvel Jack White. With a back catalogue spanning the Raconteurs, the Dead Weather, his recent solo foray and – lest we dare forget – the White Stripes, the Detroit musician, mentor and mogul has the guts of two decades worth of music at hand for first ever Irish solo show.

With tonight’s crowd coming together around 9pm, the 02 stage is thrown into darkness before White’s six-piece backing band – the all-female Peacocks – surface to practically idolatrous applause. Grabbing his electric guitar with self-contained intent, White tears straight into recent single, the feral ‘Sixteen Saltines’. The crowd response, already totally besotted, verges on euphoric when White Stripes’ classic fuzz-rocker ‘Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground’ emerges from the former’s outro. Despite only a minority of the crowd having bothered to don attire for the occasion, there’s already a celebratory mood in the air.

]]>Another new song, ‘Missing Pieces’ quickly follows, White serenely scanning the crowd and unleashing cunning lyrical phrases whilst his band – the courageously masked bassist in particular – attending to every single beat and note. Recent single ‘Love Interruption’ then rears its head, providing an early highlight before the swamp blues of Raconteurs’ track ‘Top Yourself’ sees White rip out an inspired, Jimmy Page-esque solo that only goes to emphasise hismany years loving and summoning the blues. The song, like much of White’s set tonight, is given extra personality live via the inclusion of fiddle, an instrument White wittily implies his Irish audience tonight “might recognise”.

Shortly afterwards, with the crowd now a huge entangled mass of arms and expectation, a bluegrass rendering of another White Stripes classic ‘Hotel Yorba’ serves as White’s keen wish to “keep it going for old time sake". The crowd are given space to sing the chorus solo and White – all credit to his super-tight band tonight – plays this and all other White Stripes’ singles with the same enthusiasm and might as his solo material. With the crowd mostly none the wiser, a cover of obscure Hank Williams’ song, ‘You Know That I Know’ offers them a chance to a catch their breath before the wonderfully demented one-two of the Dead Weather’s 'Blue Blood Blues' and White’s very own piano-led ‘I Guess I Should Go To Sleep’ makes for an especially forceful peak.

At the end up, with a moshpit-inducing performance of Raconteurs’ hit ‘Steady As She Goes’ and rollicking White Stripes’ track ‘The Hardest To Button To Button’ reaffirming the power of the hit single, White and his band disappear stage right before the inevitable encore takes in three more White Stripes classics: the stripped-back, incomparably feel-good 'We're Going To Be Friends', the frantic garage blues of ‘Ball and Biscuit’ – an outright highlight tonight – and easily one of the most comprehensively crowd-pleasing numbers in modern music, 'Seven Nation Army'. Closing an awe-inspiring, career-spanning, twenty-song set, White exclaims, ‘we don’t wanna go but we’ve gotta go. You’ve been wonderful and I’ve been Jack White. God bless and good night”. Masterful, gracious and captivating throughout, White leaves tonight’s crowd feeling privileged to have spent Halloween night in his company.

Brian Coney

Beach House - Mandela Hall, Belfast

ATL — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:41:25 +0000

Beach House, Holy Other
Mandela Hall, Belfast
Friday, 26th October 2012

Two years on from playing to a loved-up few on Valentine’s day in the decidedly more intimate Speakeasy upstairs, Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House return to QUBSU tonight one of the most dotingly approved darlings of the indie pop press. With two significantly more “safe” (yet no less intoxicating) albums and an ever-growing wave of aficionados on their side, how convincingly their surreptitious sound translates in the 900-strong capacity Mandela Hall remains to be seen.

With anonymous electronic producer Holy Other having skilfully wielded his dubstep-inflected ambience via a set that’s oddly a little lost on tonight’s audience, Beach House saunter out into darkness and the retro sounds of ‘Crockett’s Theme’ by Jam Hammer tonight to measured applause. Starting straight into recent single ‘Wild’ without introduction, a white light positioned behind frontwoman Victoria Legrande immediately instils a sense of refined enigma; guitarist Alex Scally letting loose before an epileptic-obliterating barrage of lights precedes the seductive, harpsichord-driven ‘Walk In The Park'.

]]>With Legrande indolently muttering a customary “thanks for being with us tonight”, a member of the audience – as befits certain concert-based customs – shouts “Freebird!” As anticipated, Beach House readily dismiss it by way of the sumptuous ethereality of ‘Norway’, an early highlight marked by Scally’s soaring guitar arpeggios and Legrande’s seductive hand movements throughout. Regrettably, however, what would normally transmute as good-natured banter between artist and audience, Scally’s saying, “That’s a song about Sweden, in case you were wondering” feels much more like a reflection of Beach House’s impersonal and increasingly petulant air tonight.

Admittedly though, a brief panoramic glance at tonight’s crowd reveals a largely dead-eyed, static mass. Whether this is a direct result of Beach House’s “vibes” or the simple fact much of the crowd aren’t actually familiar with the material is neither here nor there. It’s a kind of symbiotic awkwardness: the crowd give little away and Beach House continue to refrain from the kind of genial banter you can’t help but naturally expect. With the smouldering, melancholic ‘Gila’ proving a peak tonight – the band bathed in deathly red light – the considerably more buoyant ‘Other People’ follows; the kind of digestible optimism that’s best followed by tonight’s first truly “upbeat” song, ‘Real Love’.

Shortly afterwards, with the request for ‘Freebird’ continuing, Legrande remarks, "I think you're at the wrong concert lady" before finally – only half-jokingly – playing the first few chords of the Lynard Skynard song. Sadly, however, the seeds have been sown: despite the fact the music never suffers as a result and practically every song receives nigh on rapturous applause, what could have been a hugely enjoyable experience is reduced to a sort of extended collective uncertainty that’s only exacerbated by a reluctant one-song encore of the otherwise superb ’10 Mile Stereo’. Both visually and sonically, tonight’s show cannot possibly be faulted. It’s just a shame that Beach House couldn’t meet their crowd halfway; a crowd that leave visibly hard done-by by a band who may have changed in more ways than one.

Brian Coney

Belfast Festival: Caroline Pugh, Paul Stapleton, Barry Cullen

ATL — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:03:45 +0000

Belfast Festival: Caroline Pugh, Paul Stapleton, Barry Cullen
Black Box
Thursday, 25 October 2012

Every once in a while you happen upon a gig or event that’s so fundamentally unlike anything you’ve experienced before that you can’t help but reconsider your own thoughts on what defines music, performance and entertainment – and the laws we prescribe to them. A decidedly clandestine gem of this year’s Belfast Festival, Belfast-based experimental musician Caroline Pugh invites us to do just that in a show that promises to be as challenging as it is ultimately rewarding.

Walking into the Black Box, several round-tables are laid out with candles burning in the middle of each. A screen to the right of the stage projects a blurred, night vision image of the audience, a clothes-line at the back exhibits pin-hole camera photos of tonight’s audience and Caroline has just begun one of her “structured improvisations”: taking border ballad ‘Lord Randall’, skilfully warping it beyond recognition by way of looping via a tape recorder and deconstructing its form. Her voice is beatific and her approach brilliantly peculiar.

]]>Explaining the process before her modus operandi, Pugh imparts her grasp of the singularity and transience of the performed “moment” and how folk music has an uncanny of acting as a storytelling / sonic expression of ‘Chinese whispers’. Tonight she takes assorted tales, centuries old, and re-imagines them on the spot; standalone performances coursing with improvisational tangents, soaring vocals and the occasional burst of glossolalia. It’s a deeply impressionable act.

Later joined by local analogue noise maestro Barry Cullen and Californian instrument inventor Paul Stapleton, the trio begin a ‘jam’ of layered noise, deconstructed folk song and modified electronics evoking pioneers of early ‘Illbient’ and Musique Concrète: Pierre Schaeffer, John Cage and Henri Pousseur, et al. A high-frequency sonic collage of clattering, atonal noise and drone, ‘She Loves You’ era Beatles it ain’t. Focusing on time and pace and emphasing the transitory nature of performance and immutability of recorded sound, passed down, intentionally or otherwise, there’s something quite beautiful and transfixing about the trio’s singular excavation of sound.

Despite proving somewhat taxing on the ears at points, the ingenuity and sonic vision underlying Pugh, Stapleton and Cullen’s set is, equally, extremely interesting to behold. With the latter’s vast array of homemade pedals and modified electronics surging amidst Stapleton’s Bonsai Sound Sculpture – an incredible set-up full of percussive and electronic possibilities – Pugh fluctuates between languages and emotions, stopping half-way to outline the deconstructive process – hence heightening the already heavily postmodernist approach – and revealing, once more, her uncanny knack at reproducing/re-imagining melodies and tales otherwise swallowed by the passing of time.

Placing this alongside the delayed, ghostly visage of tonight’s performers on the screen to their right throughout with several standalone performances by Pugh to audience members in the time it (literally) takes to produce a pinhole photograph, tonight proves to be an unquestionably unique, vaguely unsettling yet ultimately enlightening avant garde exhibition that wonderfully underlines the timelessness of song, the practically unlimited capacity to alter such improvisationally, and the enduring life of folk music in all its forms.

Brian Coney

Club Trenchfoot: Thread Pulls - Bunatee Bar, Belfast

ATL — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:27:53 +0000

Club Trenchfoot: Thread Pulls and Blue Whale
Bunatee Bar, Belfast
20th October 2012.

Though most Belfast’s gig-goers are currently squeezing into Voodoo for Ed Zealous, here in the Bunatee there’s a more leftfield bill on offer in the guise of local boys Blue Whale and Dublin’s Thread Pulls. It’s a tale of two cities, and true to form it’s the best of times and the worst of times.

With handsome posters and the gimmick of a £4.99 entry fee, promoter Trenchfoot has put together a decent event so it’s disappointing their efforts are rewarded with a small crowd. Openers Blue Whale hold off in the hope that a few more punters will trickle in but it’s not to be.

While many of their instrumental contemporaries rely on layers of distortion and delay to build atmosphere, Blue Whale have the confidence to experiment with time signatures and tempo, delivering brash, intricate riffs through clean amps. Their crowd interaction is sharp and perfectly pitched.

]]>Thanks for fighting your way through the crowd’ says bassist Andrew Elder. Truth-told the boys are so absorbed in their music, thrashing around in unison, the attendance makes minimal impact on their performance.

Structurally speaking, ideas are raised and abandoned, tangents are pursued with meticulous interest but they maintain a sense of wonderfully ordered chaos. The real highlight proves to be Elder’s virtuoso bass grooves, his fretwork displaying more dexterity than a Chinese gymnast. It’s Post-Rock tinged with Math-Rock sensibilities (Post Rock2 if you will) and it’s exhilarating. Last song ‘Jigsaw Fixer’, featuring fraught vocals and chunky chords, triggers uninhibited dancing. It almost sounds like a different act but dispels any notions that these boys are a one-trick pony and makes for a satisfying climax.

Thread Pulls begin without introduction and as most of the crowd are still chatting at the bar it’s an unassuming start. Opening with new release ‘You Melt Words’, their sparse sound is shaped by Peter Maybury’s tom-laden drums and Gavin Duffy’s half-spoken, occasionally falsetto vocals. The overarching concept is fresh and ambitious but realistically Duffy lacks the musicianship to pull it off.

Too often melody is overlooked in favour of repetitive vocal chants and the lack of dynamic or temporal variation within the songs suggests an act short on ideas. The set doesn’t build but merely continues. There are moments which promise something more engaging but they are consistently cut short or sabotaged by the introduction of atonal trumpet licks. It feels like the boys have set themselves too many stylistic constraints to stumble on any real innovation.

The room is split between those flailing their limbs at the front and the rest holding their applause at the back, Duffy’s introverted stage presence does little to galvanise them. Much of the set sees him bent double tweaking effect pedals and thanking the audience through a distorted, barely audible microphone.

At the finish line we’re treated to one of the most lack-lustre ‘One more tune’s this reviewer has heard. On paper these bands should have complemented each other but in practice, Blue Whale’s dynamism shone an unflattering light on Thread Pulls’ flaws.

Tom Balfour

Belfast Music Week Launch - Gibson Guitar Rooms, London

ATL — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:24:40 +0000

Belfast Music Week Launch,
Gibson Guitar Rooms, London
Wednesday October 17th, 2012

Tonight, Gibson Guitar Rooms have been transformed into the first Northern Irish embassy. A place where Northern Bank £5 notes are embraced and the word “while” is thrown in with reckless abandon. The launch of Belfast Music Week across the water has drawn a strong crowd - while the event is geared as an advertising opportunity for the festival, there’s a real sense of anticipation for the showcase in store.

Katharine Philippa only has three songs to make her mark but within a minute the audience are captivated. It’s a much more stripped down performance than her Great Northern Songbook performance but just as intense - her foot stomps during 'Whiter Than I' echo around the room, while dreamy finale 'Home' is supplemented by the sound of crashing waves.

]]>It’s difficult to find a suitable comparator: Philippa has somehow taken inspiration from the likes of Tchaikovsky, fed it through a Jamie XX-esque filter and provided some spiritual, unassuming yet mesmerising vocals on top of that. The one bone of contention with the set would be the inclusion of a Lana Del Rey/Gotye/Labrinth mashup. It’s a strong cover, but we can’t help craving another original track. All in all, an enthralling (albeit short) performance from an enthralling performer.

This event isn’t solely about live music, however. We’re treated to a quick preview of Good Vibrations (complete with dodgy haircuts, dark humour and fast punk rock) as well as a glimpse of the trailer for an upcoming Two Door Cinema Club documentary from our very own Babysweet Productions.

It’s hard to believe that the Wonder Villains have been gracing our stages and venues for three years now. The infectious energy, 1990s dance moves and massive hooks are still there but these Villains have evolved into a stronger, indefatigable pop machine.

Every time we see the Derry band live you can see that things are a little bit tighter, a little bit slicker and a little bit more confident - the new tracks have more depth and bite, channelling the likes of Tokyo Police Club while retaining that unique sweetness. A cursory glance around the audience reveals grins on the faces of several onlookers and one woman in particular giving it stacks. Fair play. Kieran Coyle is in his element tonight, with some sharp effective drumming building things from the back for some bouncy guitar riffs and just-about-on-the-right-side-of-twee synth parts.

Opener (and new single) 'TV' lets the crowd know what they’re in for but 'Ferrari' is the standout: it finishes with such urgency and energy that shows there’s a wee bit of grit mixed in with the marshmallows and happiness, which bodes well for the new material.

The shop windows of Regent Street and Oxford Street entice hundreds of thousands into their stores every year, and this showcase has a similar intention. London has played host to more NI bands than you can shake a stick at, but this time round the Belfast Music Week organisers are hoping to lure visitors in from further afield and help boost the North’s musical reputation. On the basis of tonight’s showcase, it’s a tempting proposition.

Patrick Kane

Mojo Fury - The Empire, Belfast

ATL — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:22:58 +0000

Mojo Fury, Dave McPherson (InMe), Like Statues, Chocolate Love Factory
The Empire, Belfast
Thursday 11th October 2012

With an evening of serene, stripped-back songs ahead of us, it seems altogether apt that the upcoming and established talent on the four-act bill – with a little outside influence thrown in for good measure – takes place at Belfast’s exquisite Empire Music Hall. With its baroque, wonderfully antiquated setting and decidedly intimate feel, the acoustic efforts of tonight’s superlative line-up should manifest themselves in a subtler, more blasé manner than we are familiar.

Prone to brasher, fuzzier set-ups, Belfast-based three-piece Chocolate Love Factory prop themselves and steadily reveal the subtleties and sheer range of ideas inherent in their music across several songs tonight. With small pockets of melody usually concealed with fuzz and ferocity coming to the fore throughout, superbly honed harmonies on ‘Green’ and new track ‘Burn’ impress. Even better, drummer John Quinn doubles up as pianist/synthist on a few tracks, most notably on an untitled new track that hints ever further at the band’s purposeful progression towards a more refined brand of rock.

]]>With acoustic bass and mini bongo in tow, Lisburn/Belfast four-piece Like Statues continue the theme of stripped-back rock propelled by rigorously rehearsed harmonies. With the venue slowly filling with eager onlookers, the band’s otherwise progressive post-hardcore takes on a much more immersive character; frontman Clark Philips’ soaring vocals coming to the fore on each track with ease. With lead guitarist Jordan Watson expressing the band’s gratitude at supporting one of his favourite bands, Like Statues’ shifting, imaginative, tacitly transposed songs ensures warm applause and cheers from an appreciate audience.

Despite damaging the neck of his 15 year-old acoustic guitar before taking to the stage, singer-songwriter Dave McPherson – perhaps best known as frontman with English alt rock heroes InMe – proves a genuine revelation from the moment he eases into his set. In between boundlessly emotive covers of ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ and ‘Boom Boom Shake The Room’ (you had to be there), his charm, wit and manner of control the crowd are all – incredibly – immaterial compared to his supremely soulful vocal prowess. Whilst some of his chord progressions lack the overt majesty he possesses vocally, tonight’s crowd are widely enamoured by the latter; so much so that, nearing the very end of his set, one can’t help but forget McPherson is not headlining tonight.

All things considered, however, there’s no question that Mojo Fury is the act almost everyone in attendance is here to see. Needlessly apologising for four or five new tracks that get an airing tonight, Mike Mormecha is, as ever, on stellar form throughout, spearheading the band’s idiosyncratic, meticulously mapped-out sound. Whilst a hypnotic cover of the Korgi’s ‘Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime’ and a particularly poignant ‘We Should Just Runaway’ prove their most quietly enthralling efforts, it’s ‘Colour Of The Bear’ with its percussive-heavy breakdown that ensures tonight’s doting reception. Full of cosy breakdowns, nocturnal tangents and delectable bursts of supremely melodic, inimitably executed acoustified rock, album number two cannot come soon enough…

Brian Coney

Third Man Theme, Best Boy Grip, Our Krypton Son - Limelight 2

ATL — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:26:26 +0000

It’s with increasing perplexity that gig goers approach Thursday nights in Belfast. Spoilt for choice with the burgeoning amount of shows on offer, making your mind up over who to see is no mean feat. If you plumped for Third Man Theme headlining Transmit at the Limelight 2 you won’t have been disappointed – but you could have been in the minority. A thin crowd is in attendance tonight, perhaps stretched a little too far by conflicting shows.

First on stage are Our Krypton Son, the brain-child of singer and songwriter Chris Mc Conaghy. Backed by a band boasting the finest array of facial hair this side of town, the music is veined with pop and country influences. Chris has cut a well-defined sound, shifting focus throughout every instrument in his songs. Things are shaken up a bit with guitar solos and syncopated beats, but attempts at more epic sounds fall a little flat. This isn’t helped by the fact that the audience is thin on the ground.

]]>Best Boy Grip, a fellow blow-in from Derry, follows on with his melodic rock piano stylings. Though marred by a slightly disruptive sound check, the music gets off to a good start. If Ben Folds wrote a musical, it would probably sound a lot like Best Boy Grip. The songs are melody-centric, verging on cheesy at times with Glee-esque “bah-da-da” backing vocals in “Barbara”. We’re treated to some great harmonies, but the male backing singer stands apart from the rest of the band in some songs – both musically and physically!

Headliners Third Man Theme take to the stage after yet another soundcheck. Thankfully a crowd has gathered up front in their wake – the first to abandon their seats tonight. Energetic as always, the trio get things moving with their fast paced dance music. Fierce new single “Round Pound” is one of the highlights of the gig, as is personal favourite “Tears on Tate”.

You never quite know what to expect with Third Man Theme – this is a band that aren’t afraid to keep you guessing, throwing in a new riff or beat when you’re looking the other way. Their songs hinge on little motifs and figures as opposed to the sweeping sounds of the preceding bands. It’s clamorous and fun, but the choice of support acts seems at odds with Third Man Theme’s set. The band wind things up with their quirky cover of ‘70s disco hit, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”. It’s a shame there wasn’t a bigger crowd in attendance, but a line up as strong as this on any other night would have surely attracted more bodies. Only time will tell who will win out on the coveted Thursday evening gig slot.

Grace Loughrey

The Bonnevilles and more - Black Box, Belfast

ATL — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 10:43:40 +0000

The Bonnevilles, The Sabrejets, The Sons Of Robert Mitchum, The Penny Dreadfuls
Black Box, Belfast
Saturday, 6th October 2012

With the night before having played host to the likes of St Vitus Dance and Stop Stop Start Again, the second and final night of this year's The Good, The Mad and The Bad mini-festival brings together some of the very best of our country’s rockabilly and blues-rock acts, all in the relatively intimate setting of Belfast’s Black Box. If ever there was a line-up to rip out the Brylcreem and gingham shirts, this is it.

]]>Admirably battling against a particularly conversational crowd, early acoustic covers comes courtesy of the affable and self-assured Stiff Little Busker. Several stripped-back (albeit impassioned) covers including The Specials' 'Rat Race', 'Gate 49' by Stiff Little Fingers and a medley of ‘The Last Time’ by Rolling Stones and Generation X's ‘Dancing With Myself’ makes for an agreeable and spirited opening, crowd clamour aside.

Harking back to a time long gone, Belfast R’N’B five-piece The Penny Dreadfuls deliver a performance that’s both fervent and emphatic. Overlooking young frontman Ben Harris recurring tuning problems (something easily avoided given preparation), the band’s organ-inflected blues rock, propelled by a vintage, jam-like, markedly soulful approach proves enticing, not least due to Harris practically channelling both Jagger and Jack White throughout.

Following these otherwise lively performances, Belfast/Berlin “neo-Noir” five-piece The Sons of Robert Mitchum wield their brilliantly brooding craft in a slower, more compelling manner. Thanks to the band’s plodding intensity – including upright bass and burrowing trumpet lines – Jack Forgie's angular guitar work and frontman Morgan Moore's sharp, despairing lyrics coalesce to invoke Jacques Brel and Tom Waits on the likes of decidedly dark set closer ‘Build My Gallows High’. Gripping stuff.

Whilst rockabilly is far from everyone’s thing, it’s all but impossible to ignore the fact The Sabrejets are one of the finest exponents of the sound this side of the 50s. Playing for little over half an hour, the Belfast-based Brian Young-fronted quartet unleash an unbridled, incredibly tight set full of country guitar licks and rollicking, breakneck blues. Helped along with rockabilly-doused covers of 'I Fought The Law (And The Law Won) and 'Blitzkrieg Bop', their performance - dedicated to recently departed rockabilly legend Nick Curran - sees much of the crowd up and dancing. With Young on particular form, chewing at the bit and wolf-whistling at every opportunity, we re-discover why the Sabrejets are widely (and rightly) considered to be the best of their kind in the country.

Alas, the main highlight comes courtesy of headliners, Lurgan blues rock duo The Bonnevilles, who assume their positions and unleash their increasingly refined brand of raucous slide-blues and loose, heel-kicked, good time grooves. Despite breaking a string on the very first song, frontman Andrew McGibbon Jnr announces the band’s arrival before the two-piece tear through a set comprised mostly of new material, much of which indicates a marked progression in terms of dynamics. Despite a third of the crowd having departed after The Sabrejets’ extra-punchy set, the Bonnevilles more than justify their repute by delivering a breathless, ultimately stand-out performance.

Brian Coney

David C Clements - The Empire, Belfast

ATL — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:09:30 +0000

David C Clements, Cara Sebastian, Little Bear, Hannah McPhillimy
The Empire, Belfast
Sunday 30th Setpember

Walking in to The Empire tonight you could hear a pin drop, Hannah McPhillimy has just begun her set and people seem to be enraptured in her performance, you'd think it was the final act of the night. Hannah sets the bar high for the rest of the evening with a 'niche' cover of Al Green's 'Tired Of Being Alone' and bares her soul in her take on the prodigal son parable, 'Homecoming'. With a voice reminiscent of Regina Spektor, she shows, along with her trusty ukelele, that less really is more.

]]>Not too long after that four lads from Derry called Little Bear appear on the stage and kick their set off with 'The Devil Is A Songbird', a brilliant, broody song. A band with variety, they speed things up with 'The Few and Far Between', demonstrating Steven McCool's brilliant vocal chords and how cohesive a unit they really are, their voices all rising as one during the chorus. We're coming to the end of their set and they play a song that Elliott Smith would have been proud of called 'I'd Let You Win', a spine tingling effort that has more than a couple of people singing along at the front. They reach their final song of the evening and it's drummer Mark O'Doherty's time to shine with 'Second In Line', they bring the tempo right back up again and finish on a high. Simply put they are a fantastic live band.

Second to last it's Cara Sebastian, her song 'Bird and Bone' receives a lukewarm reception from the crowd who don't seem to be all that interested anymore. It's as minimalist as you can get and this lends well to her quite frankly stunning voice, but it was hard to discern any sort of melody from the guitar due to the growing noise of the audience. Things change though when she plays her new song 'Darwin', slow and thoughtful it showcases Cara at her best and illustrates the talent that this singer songwriter from London possesses.

At last it's the turn of Belfast's own David C. Clements, described by Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody as “Northern Ireland's Bruce Springsteen”. This has to be something special and sure enough they fill the room with a glorious noise as they get the ball rolling with the tentatively titled 'When We Go We'll Have It All'.

The room is full of life as they move into 'Not Sleeping', an impressive toe tapper of a tune that possesses a monumental build up to the final chorus. We're then treated to 'Poor Boy' a song that only raises the feeling of exhilaration and excitement in the hall and as the crowd reaches fever pitch they give us 'On The Border', a song with real character and emotion. There is the small matter of an encore though, the biggest cheer all night goes up in the hall when the first few notes of 'Hurricane' are heard, and rightly so. This six minute long gem from 'The Longest Day In History' has charm, charisma, soul and brings an enchanting set to a fitting end.

James J Magill

Heathers - McHughs, Belfast

ATL — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:51:21 +0000

Heathers, Tokyo Empire
McHughs, Belfast
Friday 28th September

Before Ellie and Louise (aka Heathers) take to the stage we have Strabane based outfit Tokyo Empire treating us to a confident and impressive performance. Chris Sharkey has a strong presence and has a vocal quality not dissimilar to Brandon Boyd. We are treated to a few lively and upbeat tracks filled with bouncy melodies throughout. For an up and coming band they have a professional, established feel about them. These boys know their music and on this showing there is some real promise.

It is no time at all before Heathers take to the stage and they are warmly received by a busy and enthusiastic audience. It is four years since their debut album ‘Here, Not There’ hit shelves and they have just released their sophomore effort ‘Kingdom’, with this evenings set based primarily on the latter.

We kick off with ‘Circular Road’ and it only takes a few seconds to realise that the time in the studio has been well spent. Whilst they retain the hooky pop from the first album, the new songs have an edgier feel, with leanings towards a new electro sound. ‘Lions, Tigers, Bears’ is the perfect example, a sleek, well polished, song that has pulsating beats working in tandem with a melodious and pacy keyboard. Quite a departure from what we are used to but the applause suggests this is a new direction we can get used to.

‘Flight’ continues the theme of versatility this evening with a song as beautiful as it is simple with Ellie and Louise harmonising effortlessly using only a piano to drive the song. Fans of the first album are then treated to ‘Remember When’ and ‘Reading In The Dark’, both a return to the bittersweet indie with ear-catching hooks and harmony.

Ellie showcases her velvety tones with a beautiful cover of Lana Del Reys ‘Summertime Sadness’. The complimentary nature of the sisters voices is a real delight with ‘Forget Me Knots’ being a highlight of the night. Ellie purrs along the lower scales whilst Louise reaches the difficult high notes with consummate ease.

Set closer ‘Find A Way’ is a mix of the old with the new. We have punchy acoustic guitars that make way for pounding drums and throbbing bass lines. The band goes off to a great applause and this evening has shown that all the hard work in the studio crafting a more rounded sound is well worth the effort. These girls are reaching something near their potential and their star only looks certain to rise even further.

David Smith

Thomas Truax - Love and Death, Belfast

ATL — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:49:43 +0000

Thomas Truax,
Love and Death, Belfast
20th September 2012

It's been over two years since this singer songwriter extraordinaire graced these isles and you can tell, there isn't a seat in Love and Death tonight and people are crowding round vying for the best angle to see the mad scientist and his collection of home made instruments.

Firstly he brandishes the instrument known as 'The Hornicator', an old gramophone horn complete with strings on the end, a mic inside, a kazoo and various additional pickups. Lights go down and we begin with 'The Cannibals Have Kidnapped Our Nicole Kidman', he taps on The Hornicator to create a spooky beat, adding layer after layer of strings to create something quite astonishing. He then introduces another "band member", his drum machine 'Sister Spinster', what at first glance looks like an old toy Ferris wheel connected up to various small drums, bells and whistles.

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Apart from his guitar, every single instrument on show tonight has been made by Thomas and it's truly remarkable when it all comes together in 'Escape From The Orphanage' a song about his fictional home 'Wowtown' which decided that it had enough of the United States one day and just decided to break off and float away in to the ocean.

We reach possibly the highlight of the night in 'Full Moon Over Wowtown', where Thomas unplugs his guitar and myself and several other members of the audience follow him around Love and Death as he plays segments of the song in the cocktail bar, outside on a bench, in the back and anywhere he can get to. By the time we get back to the top floor we're completely out of breath and greeted to a huge round of applause and one entertained audience.

Everyone takes a minute or so to get themselves together and Thomas decides to take things down a notch with, 'The Butterfly and The Entomologist'. They say it's the little things that matter most in life and Thomas adds just that to this song, using an electric hand fan to strum his guitar rather than a pick, he creates an eerie but beautiful sound that really lends to the story within the song. Someone shouts out a request from the audience to play 'The Fish' and it's gladly accepted. It's a song he says he hasn't played in a while and he gives a great rendition not withstanding a few forgotten lyrics which the audience laughs off anyway.

We're approaching the end of the set and he decides to play 'Inside the Internet' a song that ponders upon the phenomenon of social networking and how potentially fatal it can be. Finally we end up with 'You Whistle While You Sleep' where he uses 'The Stringaling', a small drum with what seems to be a tumble drier hose coming out the back and a whistle on top. It finishes off a fantastical and mystical night with scary vocal harmonies on repeat, complete with Thomas' current worries as he pretends to sleep talk, "how am I going to get these things back through customs?".

James J Magill