The Mountain Goats in Whelan’s, Dublin, 14 November 2015

The Mountain Goats’ new album, ‘Beat The Champ’, marked the fifteenth release for the band, one focused ostensibly around professional wrestling. John Darnielle doesn’t just deal in novelty concepts though – existentialism, emotion, and humour are the hallmarks of any Mountain Goats record, and this year’s is no different. It’s probably a safe bet that the record didn’t win the sport many new converts, but the wrestling fans will have been content with the way things kick off in Whelan’s tonight.

Darnielle sits at the keyboard to begin Southwestern Territory, getting stuck straight into ‘Beat The Champ’s selection, prefacing Animal Mask with a rundown of some choice events and moves – the battle royale, the suplex, the Boston Crab from the 14^th century. Han Solo firing the first shot at Greedo is our analogy to illustrate the meaning behind Heel Turn 2, with Darnielle downing guitar midway through to return to the keys as the band exit the stage to leave him alone. Or at least as alone as you can be in a sold-out venue.

Tonight’s is the most easy-going and amiable of gigs, and any time that Darnielle isn’t tethered to a microphone he’s wearing a giant grin, introducing the songs with a wry tale or a comedic preamble. “When I get lost lyrically in that one it’s a catastrophe” he says as Get Lonely falters, but John Wurster remains solid behind the kit, keeping the snare tap going as the audience whoop, even more vocally as Darnielle reaches the “I will find a crowd” line. Similarly, the space in the brief pause he inserts into the frantic rhythm guitar of Love Cuts the Strings is filled by shouts of approval from the crowd. They take every opportunity to show the love, but when the band is playing – or Darnielle is going it alone – there’s barely an intake of breath in the room.

That silence is at its most profound during Steal Smoked Fish, “a companion piece to the song we’re going to play when the guys come back.” Darnielle’s hands fall that bit heavier on the keys, his vocal becoming that bit more forceful as the song reaches its conclusion and the band rejoin for The Diaz Brothers – transcendental, indeed.

Things get a bit more raucous with Damn These Vampires, and a chant goes up for bassist Peter Hughes as they keep things rocking into Game Shows Touch Our Lives. Darnielle seems to be positively infected with the increased buzz in the crowd, downing guitar to jump around to Never Quite Free until the venue’s fire alarm adds its voice to the quartet. Wurster takes the opportunity to crack out the drumbeat to Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak. “Will we just do it, guys?” Darnielle asks his colleagues, before switching things up with The Boys Are Back in Town, a song that will never outstay its welcome when a visiting band wants to offer it up.

The encore that closes the night off is quietly euphoric, and there’s amusement all round to one guy’s ambitious request of “from the top!” Instead we get a magical threesome. The entire crowd sings every word of This Year, and likewise Up the Wolves, until The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton proves The Best Ever Way to End a Gig, and a roomful of people go smiling into the night.

A Mountain Goats show is certainly one way to achieve a state of blissful contentment without pharmaceuticals.