The Riptide Movement at The Academy on April 21st 2012
Hot off the heels of the release of their second album ‘Keep On, Keepin’ On’, The Riptide Movement took to The Academy to launch their sophomore effort in what was their biggest headline show to date. Attracting a large crowd, the self-described swamp rockers opened the show behind a white screen projecting video of train tracks, dropping to reveal the four piece.
Playing a mix of tracks from their latest release and début album ‘What About The Tip Jars?’, those in attendance were treated to a top class, energetic performance. Surprisingly the majority of this energy was coming from the harmonica playing dancing bassist, Ger McGarry, and Keith Moon’s reincarnation on drums, Gar Byrne.
Recently selected to represent the Irish music scene at the Jameson Global Party in Prague, the band performed for us a cover previously only played to the Prague audience, a rendition of traditional folk song Rattlin’ Bog. Definitely a unique performance of the song , from singer Mal Touhy’s mesmerising vocal to guitarist J.P. R. Dalton’s knee slide.
Following on was Hard To Explain, met word for word by the enthusiastic crowd, no easy feat given the album had only been released the previous day. Latest single, Thieves In The Gallery, saw the group joined by a five piece brass section and guest vocalist Sive, adding a haunting air and complimenting Touhy’s vocals perfectly.
Being one of the few, if not the only Irish album to feature didgeridoo, it was only fitting that the stage was graced with a fist pumping didgeridoo player for a frankly bizarre yet compelling performance of Roll On Train. Shake Shake, Keep On, Keepin’ On and an extended version of Hot Tramp were met with the loudest response of the evening.
If there was one song that personifies The Riptide Movement’s live performance it is without a doubt closing number Eye Of The Storm. It featured a man playing drums with his head before proceeding to wear a drum as a mask. Once you’ve seen that I’m not sure what else you could want in your gig going experiences.
A simple but effective way of beginning the show, lights that should come with a sunglasses warning, guests performers that complimented the band, engaging and captivating the audience from beginning to end. The Riptide Movement have proved that all the hype is in this case most definitely deserved. An act to definitely catch during the forthcoming festival season.