Dublin masked melody makers Meltybrains? have been busy bees lately. They’ve released 3 new singles in as many months and are about to embark on an Irish/UK tour starting this Friday.
Never a band to bow to convention, they released the first song ‘New Don’ on a limited edition run of 100 signature red masks. The song starts with an inviting yet slightly unnerving melody before developing into a haunting soundtrack you can imagine being chased through the woods to.
‘Wiggly Worms’ tells the age old tale of meeting your partner’s parents for the first time from the perspective of both parties. It features uplifting choruses and is delivered in their unmistakable style.
‘Heartfelt Hummer’ is a laid back song with groove to burn. Check the video’s description for the hilarious stories behind the lyrics.
Meltybrains? are a sight to behold live and the stage is where they are truly in their element. `Their energy is infectious and their tight displays of musical prowess are well worth a watch. Get yourself down to one of these shows and see for yourself!
Are you sick to death of the same old Christmas songs from Mariah Carey and The Pogues? Looking for something new to share with friends and family this festive season? Well TMFTML has you covered!
Dublin grunge duo Pranks dropped into Today FM to see Fergal D’Arcy recently and recorded a riffed up version of Mitch Miller’s 1960 classic ‘Must Be Santa’, apparently pulling it off in one take!
Cork/Kerry two piece Electro Funk band White Boys have released a really unique version of ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ featuring beat-boxing and a Talkbox.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’ has become synonymous with Christmas since being used in the John Lewis advert in 2012. Cronin have released a new cover of the song featuring Matt McManamon from the Dead 60’s.
Croupier may have broken up, but we’ll always have their delightful Math Rock version of ‘Carol of the Bells’ to get us through the winter months, this is one of my absolute favourites!
Thumper, the noisy brainchild of Oisín Furlong, have recorded a distorted cover of Darlene Love’s ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’.
The first original on the list comes from Dublin indie band Blades Club with their track ‘What You Get Me (For Christmas)’
Next up, another original! This one comes from Dublin singer-songwriter Sinead McConville. It’s a classic sounding pop song with some clever little arrangements including bells and glockenspiel .
Some of the tracks in this list along with a whole sleigh load more feature on a compilation that the good people over at The Co-Present have compiled just for Christmas!
Overhead the Albatross took over the Workman’s Club in Dublin last Saturday for what promised to be a night to remember. Participant started things off, playing some of the songs off his new EP ‘Content’. These songs are really great, but the live iterations were less fully formed than I was expecting. While everything was there, the energy seemed to dip in parts that were heavy on the backing tracks. Participant could definitely benefit from more involved live arrangements or possibly a live band. Either way I’m very interested to see what he does next.
The crowd started to swell for Galway Electro-Rockers Race The Flux. The band made their presence felt immediately, bursting in to ‘Olympus Mons’ from their Olympians EP. These guys really set the tone for the evening, coaxing the crowd into coming closer and rewarding them for their bravery with song after song of chest thumping RAWK! Upcoming single ‘Matty Rusko’ is a welcome addition and the instantly recognisable ‘Can I’ threatens to bring the house down. If you get the chance to see these guys don’t hesitate, their recent Electric Arena set at Electric Picnic suggest that they won’t be gracing such small stages for long.
At last the main event! Overhead, The Albatross made their way to the stage to greet a now completely sold out crowd. The guys really outdid themselves in terms of lighting and stage production and it really adds to the already electric atmosphere. ‘Flubirds’ is first up, starting slow to ease the crowd in to things before building to a triumphant climax. Every person in the room now knows what they’re in for. ‘Telekinetic Forest Guard‘ comes sweeping in next followed by some new tracks ‘Bara’ and ‘Daeku’. Could these be from the fabled first album? Let’s hope so, because they’re both fantastic! Just when things were starting to get sweaty, disaster struck. 2 minutes into the bands most recent release Big River Man, the power in the entire venue(and half of Temple Bar) just went. It was a strange moment, it happened really suddenly so the crowd we’re still jumping and Ben was still playing the drums along side some really tinny sounding unamplified electric guitars. Than everyone was just standing around confused for a second before they realised what had happened. Someone actually captured the moment here:
Frontman Joe, never one to let a good crowd go unsurfed launched himself off the stage and got carried all the way to the back of the room.
Lot’s of chants of ‘LADDER, LADDER, LADDER’ ensued and then it just kind of….ended. Well, although a little disappointing it was definitely memorable and for me that’s enough. Here’s the full version of ‘Big River Man’ for anyone who’s jonesing for it after the show! Make sure to check out the photos below.
Last night I went to Whelans to see Adebisi Shank perform their second last show in Ireland. The math-rock trio have decided to call it a day and true to their form they’ve decided to go out with a BANG. An Album Launch/ last ever show, albeit a strange combination, results in one hell of a party. The venue was packed to capacity and I was shot back in time to their second album launch in this very same room 4 years ago. A lot has changed in 4 years but one thing remains the same, Adebisi Shank are a force to behold. They are epilepsy for the ears, a joyous apocalypse. People rejoiced, soldiers fell in the frenzied pit and were pulled to their feet by the comrades who surrounded them. Shouts of “Take of the mask” went unanswered. Will we ever know what Vinny looks like? Probably. Chants of “one more tune!” morphed into “ten more tunes!” and soon “ten more years!”. They pumped out song after song of vocoder infused tunage that I once heard best described as ‘the sound of spaceships battling’.
As much as we all wanted to deny it, all good things must come to an end. As they announced that the next song would be their last, people got prepared. Battle lines were drawn, pairs of glasses were pocketed and the audience held it’s collective breath. The last hurrah was a blur of bodies and swinging heads, when the band hit the breakdown I vaulted from the stage and was lifted above the crowd. The feeling was hard to describe, a mixture of pure elation mixed with the utter dread of knowing it would all be over soon. As the last note rang out the crowd erupted, screaming for more. But that was it, the end of an era. Adebisi Shank departed, leaving us to bask in the glory of having witnessed a true phenomenon. That was the end of a band called Adebisi Shank.
Too often Irish bands sputter out, fading into obscurity without telling anyone. Adebisi Shank did it right. Luckily though it’s onwards and upwards for all the members it seems. Lar is making music in the recently renamed All Tvvins (with Conor Adams of The Cast of Cheers fame), Vinny is producing/mixing, working on video games and other cool stuff as VMC Sound, and is also one half of Speed of Snakes (along with Rupert from the mighty Bats). Mick, according to the band, will continue to train for his UFC career! He also heads the Europe wing of Sargent House, the record label which is home to And So I Watch You From Afar, No Spill Blood, Mylets and lots of other amazing acts.
I’ll leave you with some great advice from Adebisi Shanks breakup announcement.
“To any kids starting bands we offer one piece of advice – play music you love, with people you love, for the people you love.
We saw a million faces
Vin, Lar + Mick (-_-) xxx”
So long Adebisi Shank, and Shanks for the Memories….
