Gurriers in Whelan’s, Dublin, on Tuesday 26th November 2024

Circle pits weren’t invented with Tuesday nights in mind, but that didn’t seem to stop those in attendance at Gurriers’ triumphant homecoming show in celebration of their debut album ‘Come And See’, which was released earlier this year, throwing their bodies around with complete and utter abandon.

The night began with hotly tipped Affection to Rent who look and sound like they’ve just taken to the stage in Buffy Summers’ favourite haunt The Bronze. Still in their infancy, the group is propelled by Abbey Addenbroke-Sheriff’s eerie vocals and a nostalgic, gothic, garage rock sound. Their debut single If We Fall is the standout and is a fine calling card for them to build upon. It’ll be very interesting to see how Affection to Rent develop in the next year or so.

Ahead of the release of his debut album in January, Skinner did himself no harm showcasing his wears to Irish music fans. His effervescent mix of bongo-tinged indie echoes The B52’s, Devo and Talking Heads. Saxophonist Mason McMillan adds an extra layer of unhinged funk to proceedings. It’s hard to standout in Ireland’s music scene, but there’s nobody doing anything remotely close to what Skinner is doing right now and if nothing else, you have to give him props for that.

Gurriers arrive onstage to the soothing sounds of Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, with singer Dan Hoff leading the crowd through a momentary singalong of the easy listening classic. “Are you ready to go fucking mad then?” he interjects as the strobe lights kick in and the band unleashes the opening strains of the pulsating Nausea with Dan Hoff goading the crowd into motion. They duly oblige, and it doesn’t take long until the first crowd surfer dips their toe.

During Close Call one of the guitars gets in on the action and the band almost have to plead with the crowd to have it returned to the stage. Des Goblin, meanwhile, resembles a terrace anthem as the crowd sing it back to the band with gusto. Perhaps jealous of the guitar’s earlier adventure, bassist Charlie McCarthy enters the crowd prompting a circle pit to form. He displays considerable control of his instrument here and later in the show when he crowd surfs with his bass and doesn’t miss a note.

Dipping Out is gargantuan live with Dan Hoff lamenting the brain drain of his generation. With the band now in full flow, No More Photos brings forth yet another circle pit. Prayers showcases a more introspective vein to Gurriers’ songwriting before a stunning double jolt of Top Of The Bill and Sign of The Times bring proceeding back to fever pitch. We are treated to an early glimpse of new song Dissolve, which sees the band incorporating elements of Nine Inch Nails and Korn into their sound – it’ll be extremely interesting to see how this one transfers to tape but if this is an indication of the direction the band is heading, it’s certainly welcome.

The band take a moment to encourage people to vote in the general election ahead of Approachable with Dan Hoff declaring “Fuck the Irish Freedom Party…this is an antifascist song.” Lord knows the world needs more bands that are prepared to stand up for what they believe in and when it comes to politics, there’s no fear of Gurriers being silent any time soon.

Having toured considerably in recent times, Gurriers are a well-oiled machine and tonight prove that they belong in the mix with their international post-punk peers. Their momentum may well dictate that Gurriers never play Whelan’s again. If that comes to pass, they can rest assured that they delivered one of the best shows the venue has ever witnessed.