Drop-d Party Like Apes

Posted on 5th Mar 07 by Contributor | 0

Artist: Anacrusis" Fight Like Apes and Exit the Street
Author: Jason Golden

I could start by praising Drop"d for another astounding night of aural pleasure. I could commend them for rock bottom door prices and free pizza but self"praise is no praise so I"ll stick to the music for fear of stroking the Drop"d ego. Talk of a mysterious documentary and an uber"cool line"up" which included Anacrusis" Fight Like Apes and Exit the Street" drew a hefty crowd to Cyprus Avenue on this dirty February night and from the moment Anacrusis bound on stage and lurch into Hi Fi Fighters it is clear that the evening is going to dazzle and delight.

Anacrusis are a guitar "Liam Golding"" bass " Aaron Frahill" and drum " Diego Ramirez" instrumental trio" which toy with idiosyncratic melodic takes on metal and garage rock mixed with some standard jazz ploys. Their music flows with a maturity that belies their youth and although Anacrusis play a relatively short set they get the show off to a flyer and are well received by tonight"s crowd.

Next up are synth"punk/pop newcomers Fight Like Apes. Seeing as it is their first appearance in Cork" the crowd seem unsure what to expect but from the moment lead vocalist MayKay opens her mouth we knew we were in for quite a ride. Fight Like Apes smack you so hard in the kidneys that your jaw drops to the floor and eyes bulge in amazement. Tonight they put on a performance that reinforces the faith in live music" its energy" passion and dance"your"ass"off quality tunes of the highest order. On stage you can see the possibilities glinting in MayKay"s eyes.

With songs like Digifucker and Battlestations" the Apes dazzle and show a promise bigger than anything we"ve witnessed on these shores in a long long time. MayKay "Vocals/Synths/Recorder" and heartbeat I might add" is backed by Pockets "Synths/Samples/Vocals"" Tom "Bass" and Adrian "Drums"" as she writhes around barefoot on the stage like a manic Karen"O on ketemine with bigger balls than most of the male dominated Irish music scene. Leaning heavily on the electronic/synth/punk stylings" tracks like Jake Somers and Lend Me Your Face are blisteringly good and have the crowd gleefully showing their appreciation. Fight Like Apes leave the crowd baying for more but promise to return to play for us again in April so mark it in your diary people" don"t miss out.

Final act of the night are Exit The Street and they effortlessly continue the nights high standards. Hailing from East Cork Exit The Street are almost seasoned pros at this stage having already been finalists for Murphys Live 2005 and winning TG4's Deic Roc final 2006. Their sound is a cool mix of rock" indie" and pop but not pop in a bad way. Pop music" when used correctly" is a powerful tool for reinvention. It can transform the awkward into heroes and this is its effect on Exit The Street. The band quickly find their rhythm" flawlessly delivering tracks such as the anthemic Waiting For a New Sun and the sublime Thought You Should Know. The only downside for the band is as the set progresses the buzz created by Fight Like Apes begins to wear thin. It was a tough act to follow but Exit The Street just show enough promise to convince us they really do have a bright future in this business.

And so ended the latest Drop"d party. Some said it was the best ever. Some said it could never be topped. Some said they got no pizza. But everyone said thank fuck for great music. It was a night of wild abandon" lights" camera and plenty of action.

www.myspace.com/exitthestreet

www.myspace.com/fightlikeapesmusic
www.myspace.com/anacrusis0

Photo Credit: Donal O Caoimh donal.wordpress.com