Fight like Apes at Whelan's

Fight Like Apes at Whelan’s, Dublin on Friday 20/12/2013

This year has seen Fight Like Apes return to the gigging circuit, announce their third album, announce a Fund-it for that new album and succeed in reaching their target. No small feat when you’re looking for 20’000 before you even showcase a product.

But first it’s the opening act that take the crowds attention. At first glance, Bouts are a far flung opening act from the sound you expect to play alongside the headliners tonight. But with a new album recently released and a string of live shows behind them this year along, Bouts look set to take on larger venues in the coming months.

Prior to all this, Flapes have been pretty quiet, apparently focusing on their latest musical endeavour and tonight’s gig shows they are set to dive right back into it all with the kind of vigor we’ve come to expect from the foursome. With a set list that’s comprised mostly of fan favourites, made even clearer by a dancing ecstatic crowd filling the floors of Whelan’s main room, Fight Like Apes don’t need new tracks to attract their audience, they’re already here.

This cult like phenom is one of the worst kept secrets in Ireland, with people hanging onto every word and lyrics flowing for MayKays mouth as she bounces around the stage, jumping right into the set with Lend Me Your Face.

This is a set that leads the crowd in safely, if not rambunctiously with the big hitters before introducing some new material to the set. With the crowd clearly not in the know, the inevitable lull hits where no one knows what to do except the band. Don’t worry, this time next year these new tracks will be receiving the same kind of reaction as Jake Summers does when it eventually drops halfway through the set.

It’s not Fight Like Apes without the crowd banter, from insulting their sound engineer, all in good fun of course, to getting right down into the middle of the crowd. MayKay throws herself right right in the midst of the crowd jumping around and screaming, with people scrambling to take their turn at the mic.

This is the epitome of madness expected from the band, with screaming and shouting and all out insanity culminating in a night of inexplicable fun.

An exuberant and newly demoed Pretty Keen On Centrefolds is eventually unleashed, and it seems that nothing can spoil the gregarious mood, Fight Like Apes are back on full form and set to storm the scene in 2014 with their new album.

Encoring with Christmas single ‘Carousel’ slotted neatly between Digifucker and Battle Stations, FLApes end on an endearing note, as if to say “we’re going nowhere yet” to anyone that doubted them during their Fund-it campaign.