Drop-d showcase

Posted on 29th Jan 07 by Contributor | 0

Artist: The Buds" The Grunts" Styliaga
Author: Ann Marie McCarthy

2007 officially began in Cyprus Avenue at the start of the month with another outstanding night of Drop"d madness" music and" of course" pizza.. We know you were all holding your breath.
The night opened with Styliaga" one of the newest and most stylish bands on the Cork music scene and they couldn"t have got it off to a better start. Lead singer Irene O"Connor sits spread"eagled in the middle of the stage behind a keyboard yet still manages to be a commanding stage presence" even more than if she was moving around. Their songs" including stand"out numbers such as "Cup of Tea" manage to be strong" funky and even hint at silliness without going near novelty ideas. Tracks are epitomised by a smooth" graceful yet bouncy sound" which is so good that it could definitely do with being stronger at times. With notable vocal performances and Elton John"esque pieces" they"re definitely a band to watch out for in the future.

Established Cork band The Grunts are the second band to entertain the chilly January crowd. Despite the lead singer"s unfortunate choice of a red frilly shirt" the band has an interesting jumbled motley crew look. The opening number "If the Leader of a Doomsday
Cult Said…' is quite a rocky track and gets them off to a good start. The group have great song titles " "Every Strange Trip Brings You To Mind" " and their set also includes the recent "Old Man Christmas" which features on the brilliant recent Christmas Freakscene CD release. Lead Max"s speed at guitar is also impressive. However" where the band falls down is originality. When they dedicate "Crawl Right Back" to Rory Gallagher is suddenly becomes clear exactly where I"ve heard this particular mixture of muffled blues and rock. The Grunts write quite good songs" but that doesn"t mean that they can be called a good band and that element of entertainment and uniqueness just seems to be a stranger to them.

The crowd definitely appreciates the last set by established group The Buds. This is a band that has done the traditional rock group thing and has gained the confidence and talent to move on to a more experimental pasture. Twitchy frontman Jim Lee takes over the stage by seeming to dance with his head to the music. Their songs take inspiration from everything from serial killer clowns " "because everyone"s afraid of clowns" " to a "full weekend of nothing but debauchery". The latter is a manic circus"style song with frighteningly good whistling from the lads on guitar and is an immaculate blend of different styles.

The Buds are also fond of slating their latest release" which I can"t decide is a good thing or not considering that it does nothing to reflect their charmingly insane streak while onstage. "Hanging On" is definitely the highlight of the show. Starting off slow and mournful it turns into one of the fastest songs I"ve ever heard live. The warning at the beginning was right it did make me want to dance. Between the crazy guitar work "a guitar is played behind the back at one point" and frantic drumming and the styles from honky"tonk to funky experimental to horror"movie theme it"s no surprise that the gig ends with the chant "one more tune" one more tune""