With bands like Airbourne and the Answer reviving that type of simplistic Rock n Roll exactly what it says on the tin (rock your socks off!), they have in turn sparked new life into the creators, AC:DC, along with inspiring new acts to rekindle the flame. Everyone knows I’m a sucker for judging a book by its cover, especially when it comes to the name a band gives itself. You can imagine my excitement and anticipation for seeing Dublin based band Shoctopus live on Saturday 11th. The band played Radio city and after checking them out on myspace I was optimistic about the quality in their live performances.
Their sound isn’t a million miles away from Motorhead or The Sword with vocals similar to a pre-solo career Ozzy Osborne. Unfortunately the turn-out on the night was far from what I expected but nothing prepared me for the performance itself.
As the guitarist belted out riff after riff the front mans voice began to drown. His over enthusiastic desperation for everyone to “rock out” fell on deaf ears which was made worse by his constant demand for people to crowd around him after every song. Have you no shame Sir? While the Drummer made repeated mistakes in an attempt to keep up with a tempo he was supposed to be setting for the rest of the band, the bassist stood motionless and seemed uncomfortable in his own skin. These were still overshadowed by the lead singer who can only be compared (by me) to a hard rock Doppelganger of Morrissey’s personality with none of the talent. This beast does exist, for I have seen him with my own eyes and I can assure you, cringe-worthy is an understatement.
The only talent was the guitarist who has font fantastic ability in a type of guitar playing that is getting a second wind in popularity thanks to bands like the Answer. This guy needs to pack up his guitar and his awesome riffs and sail away on a life raft because the Shoctopus boat is sinking. They don’t even need an Iceberg to speed up the disaster, the lead singer is a perfect fit for the job.
Words by Dave Quinn