Your reviewer's enjoyed a variety of surroundings on the gig trail over the years, but it must be said that a matinee performance in a lap dancing club is a first.
Actually, regardless of its' function when the sun sinks beyond the yardarm, the Met Bar's quite a decent venue with a large dancefloor and generous balcony. Typically, it's still pretty empty when DIS' FUNK open up, and - as usual - you feel for them for drawing that short straw.
Nevertheless, DIS' FUNK aren't easily fazed and they turn in a competent enough set. Curiously, their elasticated grooves remind this writer of early '80s Scottish funkers APB, which is slightly quixotic when you consider that DIS' FUNK were probably barely out of nappies at the time. Still, they have a sassy girl singer and could be good under different circumstances.
FLY ON THE WALL, meantime, released a fine debut with their "Breakthrough" EP recently, and since the departure of singer Aibhlin have regrouped as a BIG STAR-ish trio with drummer Ali Dunne and our very own MJ McCarthy (guitar/ vocals) joining bassist Mark Laren.
It's only this line-up's second-ever gig and considering the lack of soundcheck, you'd excuse them for being ramshackle. However, even at this early stage there are some cool songs being buffed up in this set, not least the scratchy, circular riffing of "Friendly Politician" and MJ's freshly-minted "Orange" that closes the set. Mark pulls up a stool for the gentle "Eyes Closed" and - rightly - the audience shut up and listen. Give FLY ON THE WALL six months and they'll be an attractive proposition. Mark these words.
I'd not caught THE EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE BAND previously, but in some cases their songs actually live up to the group's name in terms of tweaking and twisting new routes out of the standard guitar/ bass/ drums format. In a few places they're uncomfortably close to THE SMITHS or more obscure '80s UK six-stringers like HURRAH! (ask your Dad), but the musicianship is guy-rope tight and with songs like the pithy "Gary Glitter" and the topical, Roy Keane-baiting "He Never Played For His Country" they're undoubtedly doing something right.
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Of course, most of the (predominantly) under-18s here are champing at the bit for Donegal's THE REVS, who are seemingly omnipresent nationwide just now.
Your reviewer initially watches them from the back of the hall with a few other older campaigners, making grumpy faces and thinking "it's like 1977 never happened" as songs like "Hold Me Now" pummel the walls of the venue.
From a moshpit-eye view, though, THE REVS do make more sense; generating the kind of excitement palpable amongst the young kids here. It's also tough to fault THE REVS ultra-tight playing (especially on the svangali-bashing "Louis Walsh" and the cover of THE VAPORS' "Turning Japanese") even though most of the moves are obviously copped from any number of previous three-chord tricksters.
Indeed, while this writer remains unconvinced about THE REVS as potential superstars, their undoubted commitment and energy sends most of this crowd home happy and sweaty and even old curmudgeons can't really argue with that.
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