The Jesus Lizard, Bats, The Button Factory

Posted on 23rd Sep 09 by Martin O Mahoney | 2

The gig starts off normal enough, the crowd were nice and relaxed for a Tuesday. Bats are extraordinarily well rehearsed. I think the last time I saw a band as tight with complicated material was Chrome Hoof or Fantomas.

The Jesus Lizard

They remind me a little of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum for some reason. I enjoyed the set, songs about operations and evolution are all good with me. The three guitarists spun off each other brilliantly without cheesing it up like (my beloved) Iron Maiden. Overall a generous helping of a curious mix of metal riffs and math rock or whatever terms are used; it was great music, fun to listen to and the big stage really suited these guys. Tap into the future and all that. I will be back to their gigs.

The wait for the main act then. Shuffling of feet, finishing off pints before refuelling. I head to the jacks and on the way back up meet David Yow signing an autograph. The gig gets off to a running start with the first song Puss, the song that brought me to this band way back in the distant past. A mate of mine had a copy of split single Oh The Guilt/Puss when we were teenagers. We were stunned by the ferocity of the song. I have to say, all these years later, none of that passion has dissipated.

Yow introduces himself by calling us all assholes. Brilliant! Dennison proves to be one of the best guitarist I’ve seen live. His style is pretty unique. Only on recently revisiting The Jesus Lizard‘s stuff do I realise how much of Tomahawk‘s sound is down to him. Helmet probably heard a few of his records way back in their early days too.

At numerous times Yow looks like a man possessed, slugging from a beer can, sneering at the crowd, shouting abuse at the gym junkie security dude.

The rest of the show goes on with more stage dives than I’ve ever seen from a front man. At one point he ends up getting carried past the sound desk of the venue and literally to the back of the crowd. There were beverages at stake! His feet perched on the ceiling near the bar like some sort of bat with velcro feet. You expect to be safe at the back of a venue. There was no way he was letting you just check out the gig passively. Oh no. He wanted your full attention, and if he had to put his light frame and limbs on the line to do it, well so be it.

At numerous times Yow looks like a man possessed, slugging from a beer can, sneering at the crowd, shouting abuse at the gym junkie security dude (he had one of those faces that tells me he doesn’t understand any music that doesn’t help him pump iron so he must have been baffled). Then he can switch over and stare menacingly into the crowd.

Then Yow apologies for calling us all assholes and says only the guys between the stage and the railing are assholes. He says thanks and something else I don’t hear properly. The drummer and bass player bang out the rhythm, the bassist switching from manic pounding to calmly surveying the action. Yow himself looks deep in contemplation a few times, like a modern day druid or shaman.

We get an encore, the crowd are hungry for more, which is thankfully delivered, but only until it’s finally time for the show to come to the end. The band strolls off stage, the house music comes on, and one of the most amazing live bands I have ever seen leave Dublin for another lucky town.

The Jesus Lizard

Bats

Tags: BATS, Chrome Hoof, David Yow, Fantomas., Helmet, Iron Maiden, Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum, The Jesus Lizard, Tomahawk