Review by: Robert O’ Connor
The eighties are well and truly back if tonight’s crowd in Twisted Pepper is anything to go by. In between all the blood soaked nurses attending an anatomy themed disco downstairs is a horde of fancy Morrissey look-alikes and oddly enough, a Teresa Lowe replica in full on ‘Where In The World’ getup. A decade that needed revival? We thinks not, but the vibe is certainly odd enough for Humanzi front man, Shaun Mulrooney to launch his new solo persona, Admiral Black on Dublin’s unsuspecting trend sheep…eh, followers.
Opening the night is up and coming north-siders, The Murder Clues. It’s been a couple of years since Goldenplec saw the young band and one minute into their latest single, Any Other Way it’s clear the lads have been using that time wisely. Despite the small crowd in attendance, the lads put on a great show with minimal chat or breaks and just tightly preformed, catchy indie rock out cuts. Things That By Myself I Just Can’t Find, The Manic and Sound Of Sirens notch things up and leave the band with a set more than strong enough to keep the crowd in the venue and keep us well distracted from the cheesy porn on display above the stage. Expect to hear more from these lads in the near future.
Next up, former Neosupervital and Chalets girls hit the stage to display their latest endeavor, Talulah Does The Hula. Unfortunately things just don’t seem to come together for the group and we’re left with a poorly performed set of predictable, bland indie-pop numbers with harmonies performed by off-key Chipmunks. Although almost all the girls taking lead duties throughout the night show they can sing and play perfectly well on their own, their choruses curdle the milk and the songs have little or no appeal to keep things interesting.
With the crowd nearing capacity, The Admiral takes the stage in full black attire and kicks things off with Is This Living, followed by The Fisherman and His Soul. Although Shaun has written and recorded all his own material, he’s accompanied tonight by members of The Cheap Freaks and Humanzi and after only a few rehearsals the band already sound like they’ve been playing together for years. Tracks like Got Love If You Want It, Such A Nice MAn (3 legged Mule) and The Worm Of The Third Song show a new side to Shaun’s writing with the general themes focused more on love than politics.
With just a handful of shows under their belts, Admiral Black is already bearing fruits. Tonight’s set may be short but the songs played cut a character strong enough to hold their own and are only enhanced by the bands onstage professionalism. With some high profile supports in the bag and an album written and ready to roll, it’s only a matter of time before the Admiral returns to these shores for a much larger show. For now, they’ve done enough to make their first Dublin headlining show and unarguable success.
Check out Admiral Black @ https://myspace.com/admiralblackmusic