Review: Richter Collective Christmas Party, The Button Factory, 16th December 2011
Review: Oisin Tormey
Photos: Kieran Frost
Following on from the festivities of the GP Christmas party the night before, it was the turn of the Richter lads to show what they had to offer, with 5 bands, a DJ set and the whole thing streaming live online for everyone to see.
Noticing a microphone on the floor in front of the stage, I assumed it was for introductions to begin the night. Instead it was the setup for first band of the night ‘Hands Up Who Wants To Die’, whose lead singer Barry Lennon takes a confrontational and energetic approach to fronting a band. His stage presence was clear for all to see, but his vocals came across as muffled for much of the gig, becoming indecipherable mumblings over heavy riffs. The instrumentals were well worked, but with the lyrics unhearable I can’t judge them. Hopefully I’ll catch them again soon.
Next up after some short tinkering around were Jogging, who began by saying they would be trying out a few new songs throughout their set. The band themselves fuse early Foals-style math rock along with heavier riffs to mixed results. The band themselves were once again very tight musically, but again fell to the failure of the microphones, with lyrics difficult to hear. This seemed to be adjusted towards the end of the set, when the strong lyrics of the band were well on show. They seemed to take the ideas of the first band of the night, and further them a bit more cohesively. Ultimately, they are a band I would gladly go see again, with memorable riffs, hard and pulsating drumming combined with well-worked harmonies (once they could be heard).
After this it was the turn of Logikparty to show what they have on offer. And ultimately, I’m not sure what that was. The band attempt to combine quick drumming with indie and electro tones and it all just comes across as a bit over-complicated. The female lead singer has commanding control of the stage, but the music is ultimately what counts and the set was a bit of a let-down and ultimately the most forgettable part of the night. This was my first encounter with Logikparty, whom have had a lot of praise around the net, perhaps it’s just not my type of music.
After this what I assumed was a musical interlude before the next band started was actually the DJ set from some of the Richter crew to get the party atmosphere going. I expected this would finish off the night after all the bands had played, but with two bands still to play it was a good way to break up the night with tunes as diverse as Phil Collins to Will Smith being played. It certainly added some life to the dance floor, and hearing ‘Will 2K’ for the first time in a long while (and being a proud owner of the song on tape) was a big bonus for me.
Getting the band side of the night going again were Squarehead. With a mix of Ash-like feel-good indie and Beach Boys-styled melodies, the band really impressed. The band showed that simplicity can work to great effect musically, with the back to basics sounds something which the band before them should take note of. 2012 is going to be a big year for this band if there’s any sense in the world.
If I thought ‘Squarehead’ were a good live band, the last band of the night BATS really ended the night with a balls-out rocking high. With the perfect blend of indie and rock and bass-lines that would have Flea cowering in a corner, ‘BATS’ were the stand-out performance of the night and justified headliners in the process. The band are ferocious live, a five piece whose sound is big, loud and unrelenting. They’re a band who would wake up even the heaviest sleeper straight into a moshing frenzy even at their late stage time of 2.15 am.
This for me was the one downside of the night. With the gig opening at a later time of 8.30, and The Button Factory having a late licence, the gig was needlessly dragged out, with long waits between bands especially at the start of the night. As an out-of-towner who fortunately had a place sorted to stay for the night, reliance on buses to get home would have had me leaving in normal circumstances before 11.30 to hop on the last one home. If I had left at this time, I would have missed almost half the gig. Despite this minor cribble, the Richter Collective Christmas party was an enjoyable night out, with some top quality bands and an enjoyable DJ set for a very reasonable price. A full night out in Dublin for a €12 is rare, and one I would hope to have again. Already responsible for some of the top bands around Dublin, The Richter lads are set to have another good year, with some fantastic talent at their disposal to rock out 2012.
