East Cork Showcase w/ Goldifsh Syndrome, MAKO, Time Is A Thief, Toy Soldier

East Cork seems to have had a knack of turning out some great acts in recent times, and last night at Midleton’s McDaids some of its best bands took to the stage for a full-on showcase. With four amazing acts, four diverse styles and some genuine legends on the bill, the show promised much and delivered even more.

First up were Electro-pop group Toy Soldier. With one third of the three-piece suffering from a stomach bug, you would expect at least a minor falter in the show, but none could be seen. The band breezed through their set that included their recent single Sunset Girl and the band’s future classics, Summertime and So Far Away.

Their live setup is in a bit of a transitional phase, as they move from a rock sound to a more electronic sound. The stripped back sound takes out the majority of the live kit, leaving behind a kick drum and a variety of cymbals, and combines them with a multitude of triggers and pads. This setup seems to be still in its early stages, so there are a couple of hiccups here and there, but once they crack that sound, it’s going to be massive. (8/10)

Next up were hard-rock four-piece, and Drop-D favourites, Time Is A Thief. Conducting their set with their trademark tightness, efficiency and energy, TIAT blew the crowd away with their short set.

Following the recent release of their single Our Game, the band have been playing incessantly. In fact, they’ve been playing incessantly even when they didn’t have a single to promote. They are quite possibly one of the most hard working unsigned bands in the country when it comes to gigging and it shows. Their stage presence, crowd interaction and tightness are all at an extremely high level, and that’s experience that only coming from touring. Great things lie ahead for this band. (8/10)

Third on the bill were MAKO and in all truth, they were the band this reviewer was most excited to see, having heard a lot about this band over the last couple of years. Spearheaded by Declan O’ Shea and Christian Montagne, two members of the legendary group CYCLEFLY, the band is the artistic and creative outlet for the two, and a very possible return to the limelight. Declan and Christian were joined onstage by Rulers of the Planet guitarist and drummer, Ian O’ Connell and Kieran O’ Neill, and by CYCLEFLY guitarist, producer, and brother to Declan, Ciarán O’ Shea.

With such a line-up, they were sure to give one hell of a show, and they did. Playing for just about fourty-five minutes, MAKO made their way through a set of songs that they performed with an such proficiency, such style, and such class that showcased their combined experience and skill. There really isn’t much more to say about them. They are almost beyond description. They are simply one of the best bands this reviewer has seen in a long, long time. (10/10)

Closing the show were straight up alt-rock aficionados Goldfish Syndrome. A set of nicely pinned rock songs, with a tinge of Oasis and early Radiohead, they performed as skilfully as any of the other acts on the night. Unfortunately for them, MAKO seemed to be a tough act to follow, and by the time they took to the stage, the once receptive crowd had morphed into a loud and drunken one, so they weren’t received as well as they could have been. Still, they’re a meticulously crafted band have some greats songs, and play them expertly. (9/10)

It was a night that showcased the talent of some of the up-and-comers, some of the staples, and some of the legends of East Cork music. But taking it a bit further, this was a showcase of great Irish music. The future is bright.

Published on Drop-D.ie - August 29th, 2011

A Plastic Rose w/Time Is A Thief - Crane Lane Theatre, 10th June, 2011

Last night saw Belfast post-hardcore band, A Plastic Rose, take to the stage in Cork’s Crane Lane Theatre and support came in the form of Drop-D favourites Time Is A Thief.

I was the first in the door, but thankfully I wasn’t the last. As is the way with gigs for small bands, and gigs in the Crane Lane for that matter, the crowd can vary, but luckily for the two acts, there was a good sized, receptive audience by the time Time Is A Thief took the stage.

I’ll tell you one thing; the ‘Thief’ boys are one hell of a group. They are the tightest rock band I have seen live for a very long time, and more than that, they’re probably the most ‘rock’ band I’ve seen in a very long time. There’s an energy and a fury that comes across in their live shows, that is seldom equalled by a band at their level. Their audience wasn’t substantial, but you wouldn’t know it by their performance. Never once did their façade drop, and that made their show all the better.

Their set wasn’t long, but it was extensive, showing off the band’s live prowess and song writing skill. The sound in the Crane Lane can be a bit off at times, and there were instances where the balance between the instruments was a bit off. Parts of the drums were lower than others, and the bass volume was never totally constant, but that isn’t the fault of the band. There was a good clarity to guitarist Jimmy’s sound, and Adam’s vocals were perfect, attributes that will shine through in any venue.

After Time Is A Thief concluded their all too brief set, it was time for headliners, A Plastic Rose, to take to the stage. I hadn’t heard much of their material, save for a brief stream of their album on their Bandcamp page, so this was very much a first impressions kind of a gig. Their set got off to a pretty good start and I was impressed by the vocal range of both the band’s joint lead singers, reminding me of a strange mix between R.E.M. and Biffy Clyro.

As the band finished their first song, there appeared to be technical issues with one of the guitars, an issue that the band deigned suitable to share with the entire venue by speaking it into the microphone. And that wasn’t the end of their troubles. A rack tom fell from the drum kit as the band were half way through their current single, ‘Oceans’ prompting them to stop, mid-song, and fix it, again making light to the crowd about their poor luck. Now this brings me to a point I feel I have to make…

As I mentioned with Time Is A Thief, the façade of the band never dropped. You never felt like you were watching a whole load of technical equipment onstage with a few guys operating it, trying to keep the stuff in control. For TIAT, the instruments were an extension of themselves and they performed. With the A Plastic Rose, you felt that they were just keeping it together, because they were telling you they were just keeping it together. You felt that any minute something else would go wrong. You were watching the instruments, reading the looks on their faces, waiting for the next problem and not enjoying/interacting with the music they were making.

I think that’s a big problem with a lot of bands at this level. There’s a mix of not giving a shit, and not knowing/caring about how to put on a show. I’m not saying that it’s necessary for every band to either pretend their audience isn’t there or pretend there isn’t something going wrong onstage if there. I just think that band’s need to think about their performance and if they do, people like me won’t cringe every time they go see a new band.

Of course none of this was helped by A Plastic Rose’s songs. Though there were some interesting vocals here and there, there were just too many parts in the songs, they were too mid-tempo and there were too many time signature changes for there to be any kind of flow. Of course there were people dancing to the band, but there wasn’t much to keep them going. Except for alcohol of course, which was flowing free by the time the band had finished their set, proving that with enough drink, you can sit through anything. Sláinte!

You can download A Plastic Rose’s album ‘The Promise Notes’ from their Bandcamp page here. Time Is A Thief release their new single in Cork’s Cyprus Avenue on July 1^st.

As yet published.