Firebird, The Lower Deck,
Posted on 9th Jun 09 by Paul Groome | 
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I am constantly amazed at how few people have heard of Firebird. Their association that each member of the band has with previous metal acts (Carcass, Cathedral, Spirital Beggars, etc) you’d think would be enough to draw a crowd, but then again if you’re going along to a Firebird gig expecting a modern rendition of [...]
I am constantly amazed at how few people have heard of Firebird. Their association that each member of the band has with previous metal acts (Carcass, Cathedral, Spirital Beggars, etc) you’d think would be enough to draw a crowd, but then again if you’re going along to a Firebird gig expecting a modern rendition of “Incarnated Solvent Abuse”, you’ll be disappointed.
However, if you like Cream, Allman Brothers, Humble Pie, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Duster Bennet or James Taylor, and you WEREN’T at the Firebird show, then you missed out. BIG TIME! You should be ashamed of yourself.
Having waited for quite a while for Firebird to return to Dublin, this was their very first show in support of their fifth album, Grand Union. An album that was completed in May of 2008, but wasn’t released until all parties concerned were available for a tour schedule.
The primary delay being Bill Steers involvement in the well-documented Carcass reunion tour. With all previous engagements behind them and joined by Smok Smoczkiewicz and Ludwig Witt, Firebird appear to have been saving up all of their specfic brand of blues for a gig like this.
Two support acts warmed up the venue before Firebird. Skypilot from Doagh in Northern Ireland and Gentlemens Pistols from Leeds in England. I would recommend keeping an eye out for both bands, although I thought Gentlemens Pistols deserved medals for their performance. Big medals.Big shiney ones. You’ll be reading more about these lads on Drop-D soon.
They were full of beans and absolutely awesome!
By the time Firebird got to the stage it was about 10:30pm. They were full of beans and absolutely awesome! Good thing too. 11:30pm curfew. No time to dilly dally. Beginning with the aforemention Duster Bennetts Worried Mind, they kicked into a set that included 7 songs from Grand Union, their new album, and approximately 6 from previous releases.
The new songs sound fresh, ballsy and confident. Bill Steers vocals sound a lot stronger than previous Firebird shows, and I have to wonder if his confidence playing live has taken an adrenaline hit as a result of his recent festival stint with Carcass. At several points during the set, the harmonica makes an appearance displaying not only Bill Steer’s musical aptitude using an alternative to the guitar, but also the band’s ability to jam without a rhythm guitar.
An old Humble Pie number, Four Day Creep, picks the energy levels up again followed by Wild Honey and Zoltana, an oldie from the Deluxe album. Slow Blues, a final harmonica based tune that’s anything but slow, brings the set to a close. After shouting for an encore, the three lads make a final appearance for one last tune. It’s nearly 11:30pm. Bill apologises on behalf of the band for the early finish, blaming a 2am departure from Hackney that morning. But we know the real reason, and lack of energy has nothing to do with it. Curfew. Stupid rules.
Tags: allman brothers, bill steer, carcass, cream, duster bennet, firebird, humble pie, james taylor, johnny winters, ludwig witt, rory gallagher, Smok Smoczkiewicz
Firebird fucking rule!!! Gentlemans Pistols were excellent, and Skypilot were very impwessive. Andall for €10! How fucking good is that?!? If you like delta blues and Rory Gallagher, get your arse to Firebird next time their here. Or just buy/copy/steal the albums. An outstanding night. Just wish that Godforsaken curfew didn’t exist.
Agreed! We need to do that again. That was a deadly night!