Dog Is Dead at the Academy 2 on the 29th of October

The five-piece Nottingham band Dog is Dead brought their brand of indie-pop to Dublin as part of an extensive UK and Ireland tour to promote their debut album; ‘All Our Favourite Stories’.

The band opened well with Get Low, a song which builds up majestically with a catchy bass hook that allows Robert Milton to showcase his obvious vocal talent. Talk Through The Night builds on the bright start made by Get Low with a heart-warming chorus. River Jordan was an attempt to be a bit rockier, but they couldn’t quite pull it off. It had a pleasant start, with soft keyboards and neat harmonies, but speeding up the tempo and turning up their guitars made it seem like they were trying too hard to do something different, and was ultimately a little uninspiring.

Any Movement and Burial Ground feature a saxophone, which really seems like a novelty, as the instrument doesn’t really add anything new to the sound, and the band seem to lose a little momentum at this point. However stand-out track Two Devils quickly rectifies this. The band really express themselves on this one, the soft start with keyboards creates a slightly sadder atmosphere, before bursting into a wonderful up-lifting chorus and an outro that raises the hairs on the back of your neck. New single Teenage Daughter is another top-quality tune with an infectious chorus and strong backing vocals that again allow Milton to show off his voice. The Well was a minimalistic song with emphasis on harmonies, and was perhaps a bit overdone but Glockenspiel Song saw the return of the sax which successfully added a new dimension to a bright and chirpy ending.

Dog is Dead are excellent when they stick to what they’re good at; that is making up-beat, exciting indie-pop. It’s promising to see they are trying different things, but their rock experiment and the songs with sax, just don’t work as well as the songs packed with indie charm. But they were lively and energetic, and they connected well with the crowd who responded enthusiastically. The live experience certainly has a depth and a rawness that isn’t clear on the album, and Dog Is Dead prove themselves to be a formidable live act.

Setlist:

Get Low
Talk Through The Night
River Jordan
Do The Right Thing
Any Movement
Burial Ground
Two Devils
Teenage Daughter

Encore:
The Well
Glockenspiel Song

(Photo taken by Kieran Frost at previous Dog Is Dead concert in The Olympia.)