The Goo 1
JAN-FEB 23 ANDREW LAMBERT ANNA MIEKE Whelans A TR
IUMPH FROM START TO FINISH Despite her self-professed fear of competing with the Late Late Toy Show, Anna Mieke undoubtedly enchanted a spellbound crowd on a late winters night in Whelans main room. In most cases it would be seen as a negative for an audience remain silent for the majority of the artist’s performance - on this occasion however, it indicates nothing but the purest of respect for the Wicklow woman as a hushed crowd CRAIG MCCOMISH TEAZE, CALLUM WALL, GENMA & SAOIRSE MONCRIEFF The Workman’s Opening the show Saoirse Moncrieff performs solo with sparse, subdued alto vocals and a glassy electric guitar, an intimate and moody brand of indie channelling The Bends era Radiohead, Girl in Red and Soccer Mommy Genma’s unique brand of Indie rock channels Bloc Party and The National with the instrumental sensibilities of Biffy Clyro. Rhys’ Thumper shirt makes clear the influences of this hard-hitting outfit on their GARRY BAYLON CLARA TRACEY Bello Bar QUIRKY, OFFBEAT, MATURE, CAPTIVATING A full Bello Bar greeted Clara Tracey for the launch of her superb debut album - Black Forest - unsurprisingly, as there is quite a buzz around the Co. Fermanagh native. Having listened to her album I can confirm that the buzz is justified, and as my +1 on the night succinctly put it, “it’s all about the songs”. The songs could be described as quirky, offbeat, etc, but they are also solid, well written, mature songs and Clara’s performance of them all is theatrical, mesmerising and heartfelt. Clara has played keyboards in Aoife Nessa Frances and Paddy Hanna’s bands but tonight was her moment in the spotlight and she grabbed it with an alluring and captivating performance. It has been quite a journey for Clara over the last few years to get the album out and gig ready, and although her nerves were palpable at times, the quality of the songs eventually broke through. All in all, tonight’s show was a solid start to a journey that’s bound to see Tracey playing much larger venues in the near future. GB PAGE 17 own path separate from Post punk. The strong core of Genma’s rhythm section is the stone of the avocado and doesn’t shy from pushing the Precision Bass as far as it goes, but can still confidently hold a room with a halftime rock ballad (lighters included). Callum Wall’s performance exudes individuality and a unique, unusual vocal tone is heavily leaned into and reflected by a mishmash of musical textures. Heavily featuring a new wave aesthetic, almost an amalgamation of the busy bass melodicism of The Jam, with the vocal blending of Fleetwood Mac, especially for ‘bloodmoon’ Headlining this strong line-up Teaze bring their own interpretation of a genre Dublin has a strong history of producing, blending flavours of The Academic, Swimming Girls, The Cranberries and Weezer with masterclass drum work by Greyface alumnus Korey Thomas. CMC are more than happy to enjoy Mieke’s ethereal fairy tales without interruption. In many ways, the show has a feel of gathering around to hear someone perform in the front room of their home on a cosy Friday evening, with Mieke’s conversation in between songs gifting us personal insights into highlights new (‘Mannequin’) and old (‘Epitaph’), the latter having been penned while cycling to Paris.‘Warped Window’ is the stripped down standout of this set, with a shiveringly beautiful vocal performance that puts Mieke’s voice front and centre to contrast with the hazy echo effect present on certain dreamscape ballads earlier in the set. A triumph from start to finish, Mieke confirms here that she is a true folk star in the making with an intimate and instrumentally rich celebration to match the brilliance of Theatre.AL