Well i was invited along last night by MCD to a showcase of 3 up and coming Irish bands who really are pushing now to break out a bit and were showcasing their wares in Whelans last night.
3 top Irish bands in one venue. definitely seemed appropriate to pop along and lend an ear.
The first band up were Funeral Suits are a 3 piece from Dublin/Limerick. The are an Indie Electro type band with distorted guitars and synths and clever drum beats. As opening acts go if these are supposed to be the worst of the 3 then bring on the other 2 because i quite enjoyed Funeral Suits set. It was fun, i thought the drummer was great and the songs generally quite catchy, they mixed between slow melodic and upbeat fun, with guitar and bass harmonising vocally.
Second to take the stage in this showcase were The Chakras who took to the stage of Whelans a full on 6 piece. Clean Cut and well dress, These guys made an effort. Let me tell you the Whelans stage was barely built for 3 let alone 6. How and ever it didn’t seem to affect them as they produced a quality show filled with an Indie Rock/Dream Rock type sound which i could imagine in my head hearing a few of their songs being music in adverts (i don’t mean that in a they could sell out type sense, more their sound was commercially viable).
The band were extremely tight, i really enjoyed their set, They were almost like a Indie/Rock version of The Script (and again that’s no insult, the clean cut imagine, their melodic, dream rock type sound being catchy and fun i could imagine radio play), The Lead Singer has the voice but i felt that if i could give one suggestion back it would be that he flailing his arms and legs like a kid having a tantrum at times. It got less at the set went on (maybe nerves) but it made him come off as awkward and unsettled. He would switch hands holding the mike every 2 seconds and a free hand would flail behind him and a leg would kick. I can see he’s trying to get into the song and not just stand there lifeless and i always have a lot of respect for anyone who gives it 100%. i just think he could improve his overall stage performance if he was more defined. That said, for all the flailing his vocals were spotless and i wouldn’t fault him otherwise, its a small side note.
Finally was Planet Parade. The headline act, and potentially with good reason. They were one of our highlight, a band with a sound that’s not dissimilar to the popular Kooks, Orson or Vampire Weekend. They are upbeat, fun, play off the crowd and enjoy themselves on stage.
I thoroughly enjoyed this set from Planet Parade, going into the gig expecting them to be decent (having seen them before and the fact they were headlining this gig) i was hoping for a great finale to the night. I wasn’t disappointed.
They burst into life and had catchy beats and jangly chords which was fun and got people dancing. They got a crowd participation from this small but interested crowd with an instrumental song which i thought was rather impressive. They truly are one of Ireland’s most promising bands, and i do reservedly say that as so many bands get labelled with this kind of tag and disappear. They really could be the Irish Vampire Weekend and push themselves all the way with a bit of luck.
Only time will tell on these 3 bands.
I’d give the night an 8/10 i had a good time. if the crowd had been bigger the bands might have enjoyed a slightly better atmosphere but all 3 bands impressed and produced a quality night of music.