Artwork - You Make Business A PleasureWatching coverage of this year’s Fleadh Cheoil in Co. Derry it was striking to see the amount of new-age folk artists mixing quite comfortably with traditional Irish musicians. As the years go by could the festival become so diverse that rock music forms a large part of it? As Irish culture evolves, it’s a question with no definitive answer but if it ever does happen Letterkenny band HumanShield may be noted as early pioneers. They’re much heavier than Horslips ever were, but the slant is similiar and the melodies and arrangements are just as intricate with rock very much at the forefront and just a hint of trad lurking underneath.

Their 2011 debut EP  ‘Money on the Streets, Medals in the Dojo’ was well received by the critics and was heavily rotated on the airwaves of BBC Northern Ireland. It was a rough affair and representative of a band in their infancy. Regular gigging since has allowed their sound on new EP ‘You Make Business A Pleasure’ to morph into a more considered, searching sphere while retaining the rawness and heavy rock leanings that made them what they are.

Bad For The Engine is a blistering instrumental with its searing guitar, shaking bass and rattling drums that points to a love of Fugazi, hardcore and the heavy American-influenced guitar rock that coloured HumanShield’s early career. From The Slip To The Sliabh contrasts scorching guitar riffs with lyrics with celtic overtones and rhythms that are fast and hard.

Swan Meat/Neck/Death/Ball Bearing is unconventional, almost medieval sounding, with speeding riffs, phased vocals and several musical shifts that tap into The Who, At The Drive In and again, earthy rock informed by a layer of trad underneath the surface. It’s an interesting combination and there is an undercurrent of bands like HumanShield and Limerick’s Iron Mountain starting to rise to the surface that are operating in this area.