A bit of a weird auld day is Arthur’s Day. In what other country would a marketing strategy for a alcoholic drink be embraced with the fervour of a religious movement? Is it a big corporate con? Well yeah, but feck it, when else does Dublin get so many decent acts at once? Anyway I’m not one to talk about resisting Diageo marketing strategies, I’m the proud owner of a pair of fluffy Guinness slippers.
Town is buzzing on Thursday night, the type of vibe you normally only see at events like Oxege. Everyone wanders around visibly excited but slightly confused about where they should go and what they should see. The sheer numbers of venues and acts and the promise of surprise appearances in pubs means rumours fly around. There’s almost too much choice, deciding on a pub to go to is fraught with regrets and second-guessing. Luckily I’ve tickets to Vicar Street where The Maccabees, The Hoosiers, The Courteeners, Eliza Doolittle and The Script are playing. It’s a mixed bag of a line-up, rock, pop-rock and then just pop. Festivities kick off with the 17:59 to Arthur. You feel a bit ridiculous doing it, but if it’s treated as this massive python-esque in-joke between Irish people then it’s actually grand – at least that’s what I tell myself as I enthusiastically take part in the mass glass-raising.
The mixed-bag of acts hasn’t led to a mixed bag of an audience, this is the Script’s unofficial homecoming show and a surprisingly old-ish crowd are here to welcome them. The Hoosiers kick things off with their pop rock, ‘Worried About Ray’ getting the best response. The short sets don’t lend themselves to in-depth analysis of an of the acts repertoire’s, so the Hoosiers were..fine. Good musicians, not annoying…fine. Eliza Doolittle follows them, her voice is better live than you’d imagine. Sometimes with these come-from-nowhere indie pop princesses raise suspicions that they were engineered in a record label’s secret lab, Eliza dismisses that thought in her short, lively set. The Courteeners workmanlike Oasis-light rock jars slightly after the freshness of Doolittle but again it’s good, decent fun – that word ‘fine’ springs to mind again. ‘Fine’ sticks around in the head again for The Hoosiers, teenage girls who don’t yet know what’s crap will go crazy for them, a hugely patronizing thing to say but, you know, true.
The it’s time for the main act, the venue doesn’t properly fill until The Script prepare to enter the stage. It’s hard to review a band like the Script, I’m not a fan but their music isn’t grossly offensive and they seem to be likable, hard working lads. Music-wise it is what it is, they preform well and you can tell they take their stagecraft seriously. You’d have to be a really hater of pop not to enjoy the enjoyment they get from being here. The have banter with the audience, picking out a few familiar faces from the crowd and talk about how special it is to be home. And they mean it, Arthur’s Day be dammned, this is The Script’s return home, they’re delighted to be here and happily I’m not bitter enough yet to begrudge them.
So Arthur’s Day mark II is over, will it last? Possibly, Dublin had a buzz around it you wouldn’t normally see last night. Next year I’ll be sticking to a pub though, it feels more appropriate for a day celebrating the black stuff. And no matter what the pub it’ll be better than just fine.
Were hoping to have photos to add to the review in the near future.