Codes at Whelan's | Review

Codes at Whelan’s, Dublin, 30th May 2014

Since relocating to London, it’s rare that Codes grace their hometown with a live performance. But when you see a fire extinguisher on a drum kit, you know it’s going to be a gig to remember…

The night opened with The Choir Invisible, a four piece band with jangly indie melodies and sounds remnant of The Smiths and The Cure. They were followed by Dublin duo Carriages who delivered their blend of folk and electronica between anecdotes and endearing crowd interactions.

The surroundings of Whelan’s were the perfect place for Codes to showcase songs off their upcoming sophomore effort, ‘AALTARS’, as well as playing a selection of songs off their debut album, ‘Trees Dream in Algebra’. It’s been five years since ‘Trees Dream in Algebra’ was released, but the songs sound as fresh as ever in a live setting where they are delivered with an energy that is prevalent throughout the entire set.

Codes opened with two new songs – Outposts, which served as an intro to their current single, Astraea which is definitely one of the more laid back tracks of the night, and one of the softer tracks showcased from ‘AALTARS.’

Guided By Ghosts is an older track that is greeted by roars of approval from a crowd who sang every word back the the band who shared smirks and grins throughout. Shapeshifter was another high point of the set, featuring explosive rhythms and infectious melodies.

The main set is closed by Bleed Blue [I & II], a new track that is split into two parts. Both parts vary greatly, with the latter growing to a climatic post-rock like ending with soaring guitars and deafening amounts of feedback, at which point the band exited the stage.

After no longer than 30 seconds, the foursome re-emerged to an audience that always knew they were going to be treated to more songs before the night was through. The encore consisted of three old songs and ended with one new track, which proved to get the biggest reaction of the night. It was titled NINTH, and it grew from something small into a cataclysmic explosion that ended the night on the highest of highs, and left the crowd hungry for more.

After a live performance so sublime and a taster of new material, it’s hard not to be excited for the release of AALTARS and for more performances of this calibre from a band who really seem to have grown and found their sound.