Not a common way to start a review but it turns out that a great way to judge a band’s live performance is by gauging how much it makes you forget that you are on the verge of collapsing from a 24 hour bug; if Cry Monster Cry’s performance in The Sugar Club is anything to go by they are the perfect remedy for a mystery illness.

On their website, Cry Monster Cry state that there is “No harmony like brotherly harmony” and that became very clear throughout their performance.  The way in which their music enraptured the crowd (even the sickly members) proved that there is something different, something special about the brotherly bond between these two talent men, that seeps through ever note in their soft, folk-ish music.

The intimate surroundings of the Sugar Club only served to enhance the beauty of Cry Monster Cry’s tender music.  The echoing of excited revelry was contrasted by the bare stage for a hauntingly delightful rendition of The Fallen; the vocal harmonies are astonishing and render the audience almost silent.  Each song was delivered in similarly harmonic synchronicity, creating a chilled out, slightly emotional atmosphere in the South City Centre venue.

A few awestruck looks are exchanged among music fans when On Tangled Shores is in full swing; the twee-pop song, poignant on a recording, is absolutely heart-wrenching live.  Their touching lyrics, perfect vocals and their weeping guitars fill the room with a strange air; the crowd are moved, emotionally, by what could be labelled as the most beautiful song of the evening, but are also stunned to silence by the natural talent of these brothers.  The best song of the night was As Long As You’re Left To Carry On.  It is a sleepy song, and perhaps it was the dizziness, but it felt some what enchanting to listen to the two very similar vocals harmonise over lamenting lyrics and the tinkering of acoustic guitar strings.

Overall the gig can be viewed  as a success by Cry Monster Cry. The audience was buzzing with admiration by the end and each song was met with an appreciative applause. It was a display of musical talent in its rawest form; a practically empty stage and a full room made for an intimate and aurally stunning concert.  There is no denying that these two men are not brimming with on-stage presence, nor do they exude enviable confidence in their musical abilities, but it is safe to say that this could have been what made this gig such a wonderful experience.  This is just a two-man band of brothers with a penchant for writing beautiful songs, and they just played on the stage that has seen quite a few careers launch into the stratosphere.  Based on Friday’s performance, there is no reason this band can’t soon become a reason to be proud of being Irish.