The Goo 1
Reviews Live Reviews GARRY BAYLON KLUBBER LANG Wo
rkmans Cellar A BLISTERING SET PICS: DANNY BUTCHER GARRY BAYLON PADDY HANNA Workmans Cellar MELODRAMA, TRAGEDY AND COMEDY “Welcome to hell” was the call from the stage, but hell this was not as Mr Hanna launched into an hour long set of his intelligent, uniquely crafted songs. With a four piece band behind him and a back catalogue of three solo albums firmly tucked away in his wedding jacket breast pocket, Hanna was raring to go after a two year absence from the stage. Hanna’s music cannot be labelled within the usual music NIALL MCGUIRK THE OH SEES and CRACK CLOUD Button Factory NOISY GARAGE PSYCHEDELIA PAGE 18 I made sure to get to the Button Factory early as I was primed in advance for Crack Cloud. When I saw the drum kit front and centre of the stage I knew I’d be happy. A glorious post punk sound with 5 vocalists at times and a crescendo of instruments. A perfect warm up for Oh Sees. The rugs then came on centre stage to host the 2 drum kits for the Oh Sees. It was a sonic wall of noise with the Button Factory dripping with sweat after just a few songs. This gig was originally scheduled for May 2020. As the pandemic gigs get refixed the sweat levels seem to increase. Nobody seemed to care as bodies surfed and drinks flew. It was hot, we weren’t bothered and the Oh Sees were sparkling with their barrage of noisy garage psychedelia. Well worth the wait. genres of indie, pop or rock. The musical magpie instead conjures up the cinematic emotional heft of drama, melodrama, tragedy and comedy as his songs unique selling points and his stagecraft and delivery had the crowd thoughtful, smiling, laughing and something very close to dancing on the floor tonight. The superbly offbeat new single “Yoko Ono’ succinctly encapsulates Hanna’s maverick spirit and was one of the set’s many highlights. Big ups also to young Dublin singer/songwriter, Daire Heffernan who opened tonight playing a stripped down acoustic set. Showcasing well crafted songs with haunting vocals and melodic hooks, Heffernan performed a confident set which included her debut single ‘Skeletons’ and songs from her upcoming EP ‘Wasters’, which is due for release this summer. FIFA Records have expanded their label roster over lockdown and tonight we were treated to two of its recent signings. First Class And Coach are a Cork based alt rock group who create a thrilling cacophony of noise that’s punctuated by lead vocalist Geraldine Thomas’s dynamic vocal delivery, a great band. The brilliantly named Klubber Lang are a Dublin based four piece who had a brief moment in the sun a few decades ago and have now reformed over lockdown. Two great singles on FIFA, ‘Sleep Well’ and ‘I Will Not Wait’ blasted onto the airwaves over the last year to great acclaim and an eagerly expectant crowd lay in wait for their first headline gig. Within minutes of their entrance into the ring it was apparent that the band’s sledgehammer sound was going to rip apart any reservations about their ability to reproduce their music in a live setting. Songs like ‘This Place’ ‘There There’ and ‘Not My Day’ were banged out with youthful energy while the rhythm section channelled a ferocious grunge/punk groove throughout. McHugh’s Hammond organ motifs sweetened Tallon’s chainsaw guitar riffs at the right moments offering pleasing melodic interludes and the aforementioned singles went down a treat. A blistering set.