Sleep Thieves, The Holy Roman Army, Nakatomi Towers, The Underground

Posted on 29th Sep 09 by Stanton Dowd | 2

The Underground is teeming with optimism from the second I walk through the front door. Without doubt it is the most well-hidden venue in Dublin, offering a stage more suitable for a poetry recital than a gig. Perhaps that only serves to amplify the effect any performance will have on the enclosed surroundings. Even accounting for that, the show that follows brings more than enough entertainment on its own to reward any adventurers from outside.

Sounds issues were always going to be a problem with three primarily electronic bands. Some soundmen have nightmares and a gig like this has the potential to be nothing short of apocalyptic.  The darkness of the venue permeated only by the intermittent opening of the front door as the public slowly flows in.

Nakatomi Towers jump onstage and give it socks, converse, spats and any other stylish footwear you can throw at an audience from start to finish. Clocking in with a set just over a quarter of an hour, they dance, shake and power through tune after tune, culminating in their new single Cut Me Out. A strong performance from the relatively new Belfast duo, we anticipate they’ll announce another Dublin gig before long. For the moment, the have half-dozen gigs lined up for Belfast in the next month – catch them on myspace.

Band in the middle, The Holy Roman Army, provide a set packed with half-Tricky, half Amnesiac-era-Radiohead-inspired tunes. Siblings Laura and Chris Coffey deliver nice, spacey, dynamic vocals throughout. The backing band serves to give them a presence that leaves the listener full of visuals and grooves long after they stop playing. The crowd, still building after missing the opening act, gives its united approval. The trouble with trip-hop is that it leads one into such a lull that a loud climax can be jarring. As such, the end of HRA’s set is a suitably anti-climactic, yet it leaves an unfinished feeling. An improper end to an enjoyable set, or a teaser that the best is yet to come from the next gig?

Only one way to find out: The Holy Roman Army play Twisted Pepper on the 17th of October as part of the Hard Working Class Heroes festival.

Headliners and momentum-surfers Sleep Thieves know how to hit the spot. Thumping backbeats abound ab initio, thunderous in places, tender in others. The trio, formed last summer, have quickly gathered an impressive amount of attention and not without merit. Their synthesis of keyboards, guitars and processed rhythms is one they mix well. The audience is treated to a varied set that ends up being slightly short (from a personal perspective, you understand – as a suite it lasts a quite perfect length). The vocals maybe aren’t as exciting and ambitious as they should be, but are note-perfect to their recorded tracks. Closing with the smooth-pop beeps and boops of Osumi, the band depart the stage to much rapture and smiles. Their new single City Lights is available online now and they play Twisted Pepper this Thursday.

A good thing happened here tonight. Death Via Satellite has long been promoting solid artists from around Ireland (and in some cases much further afield). Its return is most welcome and is a thing to be rejoiced and heralded. Let the city of Dublin know that good music is back.

Tags: Belfast, dance, Deatj Via Satellite, Dublin, DVS< Radiohead, electronica, hard working class heroes, Kennedy's, myspace, Nakatomi Towers, sleep thieves, The Holy Roman Army, Tricky, trip-hop, Twisted Pepper