The Goo 1
MAR-APR 24 ØXN - Vicar Steet With the protesting
environs of Vicar Street swarming with acolytes and devotees, Ana Palindromes' dry, looped violins backed by an antediluvian rhythm cast a strange swooping spell over the throng. Painting in shades of John Cale and the Velvet Underground, the insistent, beguiling spell of ‘Thank You, A Million’ jitters with the nervous textures that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have been slinging all over Hollywood. There’s not much more I can say about ØXN without risking a restraining order, such is the depth of my admiration for what these four people do. The loose and jubilant celebration that described the first Dublin shows in the Sugar Club has evolved into an assured, commanding beast that lords over we grateful disciples. With the stage draped in Palestinian flags, the band launched into ‘The Trees They Do Grow High’. The immensity of ‘CYRM’ live cannot be overstated. The entire album was represented this evening, with ‘Farmer in the City’ reaching a truly harrowing crux. Alongside those six masterpieces, we also saw a beautiful cut from Radie Peats forthcoming solo record, an arrangement of ‘Heavy Lightning’ from Katie Kim, a cover of ‘Happier Than Ever’ by Billie Eilish, and a personal highlight, ‘O Death’. Ellie Mylers arrangement of this Appalachian standard is the finest I have ever heard with Percolator bandmate ‘Spud’ Murphy’s unmistakable low end and the trio of voices onstage building to a sustained dissonance, a tense crescendo. Undoubtedly one of the finest acts to emerge from these shores in the last decade. And the last decade has been pretty good. AOC Lavery (Seisiún Le Cairde) - The Hut, Phibsboro After a solid set from openers, Boring Brown Eyes, wherein one enthusiastic fan turned out to be a guest for the finale, the jazz outfit headed up by Lily May Craig delivered an electric set. Overcoming amp issues, they launched into a set of truly wonderful, kaleidoscopic soul. WIth some electric soloing between guitar and saxophone, and some breathtaking vocals, their tight, sublime set left me an avid new fan. This was the first Seisiún Le Cairde I had attended, and if this little gem of a monthly show keeps up this kind of quality booking, I have no real choice but to go to every single one. Speaking of quality, Lavery followed suit with possibly the most outrageous interpretation of latin inflected neo soul that I have yet heard. There’s something timeless about the music they make, and more importantly, the way they play together that sets them apart from contemporary peers. Something more authentic. More rooted. Their collective musicianship is beyond compare, with my solo of the night going to Yankari/Grand Theft Audio saxophonist Richard Ng, and the overall performance of the night to drummer Jordan Keith, though the entire band was on fire. They are closer to the living, breathing jazz organisations of the 60’s than the polished predictability of so many modern groups. Serious music for serious people. An essential act, deeply recommended if you like your Hiatus Kaiyote spiked with a little Hermeto Pascoal. AOC .. THEIR COLLECTIVE MUSICIANSHIP IS BEYOND COMPARE .. In February, the first TiLT Showcase of 2024 took place at the regular spot of The Button Factory. The first act of the night was the electronic musician, producer, artist and poet, Olive Hatake. Olive gave an earnest, impassioned and attention demanding performance. For me, the highlight of his set was the harrowing unreleased track (whose name I, unfortunately, didn’t catch) about watching the Dublin riots from last November. Next was Ro Yourell. Despite releasing material under his own name for about a year, this was Ro’s debut gig as a solo artist. Best known as the frontman of Delorentos, Ro’s solo stuff offers more delicately arranged, glassy folk, which is the auditory equivalent of the watercolour art from the cover of his first single, and the synchronicity from him and his backing band on the night was pitch perfect. Capping the night off was Dose, a new band fronted by Bitch Falcon and Coolgirl’s Lizzie Fitzpatrick. Dose took full advantage of the venue’s lighting and projection tech, incorporating archive footage overlayed with the word “DOSE” in ever-changing fonts in the background, while they were draped in washed-out colours. This stage production added to the band’s hazy, dreamy sound and aided the audience in floating along with Dose on their Wings of Desire-esque stratospheric journey. AK TiLT #24 Showcase (feat. Dose, Ro Yourell, and Olive Hatake) - The Button Factory DOSE AT THE BUTTON FACTORY PAGE 29