Midlake (live in Vicar Street, Dublin) Review Snapshot: Everything from the way the instruments sounded to the almost perfect set list, it was a night to remember.  Vicar Street was the perfect venue for this walking anachronism. Bigger than their previous Dublin venue (the Village) but not so big that it made us feel like strangers to them. Midlake: another act for concert lovers to add to the list of bands who are great live. The Cluas Verdict? 9 out of 10 Full Review: The opening act, Texan woman Sarah Jaffe, was the perfect warm-up for the main act. Her tones smooth and inviting, the drums a harsh and exciting contrast. The crowd of mainly students in grungy jumpers was only just beginning to form.  Shortly after her set Midlake ambled on. Unassuming, shy, even awkward, there was a real sense that the crowd’s welcome was unexpected. Their previous Dublin gig drew a much smaller crowd (which guitarist and vocalist Eric Pulidio joke... [Read on]

Tindersticks (live in Vicar Street, Dublin) Review Snapshot:  At a time of year when the ‘Best album’ gongs and baubles are being handed out, tonight’s impeccable performance serves as a reminder that ‘The Hungry Saw’ is as good as any record released this calendar year. It also served notice of Tindersticks’ return to form as a compelling live act. The Cluas Verdict?  9.5 out of 10 Full Review: It has been a remarkable year for Tindersticks. Rumours of the band’s demise had seemingly been concretized once Stuart Staples embarked upon his own solo career – in the process releasing the quite wonderful ‘Leaving Songs’ – whilst in-band politics rendered it impossible for them to remain as they once were. Exit Dickon Hinchcliffe - to concentrate on film scores - and enter a new era for the band.   The evening begins, appropriately enough, with ‘Introduction’ – the first sound... [Read on]

Dan Deacon and Jape (live in Vicar Street, Dublin) Review Snapshot: Anyone in Vicar Street for last Saturday's Future Days Festival was in for a treat: Deerhunter, Dan Deacon, White Williams and Jape were all outstanding. Jape was somewhat of an anti-climax after Dan Deacon (who should have headlined), but the love at the venue was massive and the buzz after Dan was sweaty, electric, otherworldly.  The Cluas Verdict? 9 out of 10 Full Review: It was strange being at Vicar Street so early. The venue was close to empty when Brooklyn duo High Places came onstage. The gig warmed up slowly with a couple of curious onlookers nodding their heads to the beats. Though High Places knocked out a couple of wickedly intense tribal percussion pieces, the pair just didn't have enough charisma to warrant looking at. Ping-pong ball noises, shaky and scratchy erratic beats led into a more ambient Buddhist lounge style; Mary Pearson's vocals however sounded flat and she held... [Read on]

Broken Social Scene (live in Vicar Street) Review Snapshot: Broken Social Scene played a long set at over two hours - the result was euphoric and full, but there was a bit of a lull for a couple of tracks. There was also the issue of the small man in front of me, whose Guinness farts threatened to ruin the overall sensory experience.  The Cluas Verdict? 7.5 out of 10 Full Review: I'm 5'4". At some venues I end up standing tiptoed to get a glimpse of a head-banging blurred face onstage. The result? Painful soles and a poor visual experience. At Vicar Street though, no matter where a 5'4" girl stands, she still manages to be able to see everyone on stage. The Broken Social Scene gig was my second at Vicar St. and the venue is proving to be kind on the ears and eyes - I had a perfect view of the full band. The night began with Charles Spearin’s Happiness Project - a quirky, fun introduction to Broken Social Scene. Charles played intervie... [Read on]

Battles (live in Vicar St, Dublin) Review Snapshot: More boring than bawlah. The Cluas Verdict? 5 out of 10 Full Review: Last night, apparently, Vicar St. was the place to be; three bands, a sell out show, and more people than I’ve ever seen packed into this venue. The Red Neck Manifesto took to the stage shortly after nine o’clock, an expectant crowd wound up… and waited. The Manifesto are a hard band to pin point, they play a super tight no nonsense style of instrumental indie jazz that is easy to appreciate, but apparently a good deal harder to enjoy. I can’t explain why - all the ingredients are there - but it just ain’t funky. Somehow, amidst all the finesse, between the precise licks and subtle changes, life is lost. The gig, and the tunes, never kick off, never pull in the audience, never really get under your skin and make you wanna get up offa your thing. A packed venue, a crowd in the mood to party, an electric, expe... [Read on]

Os Mutantes live in Vicar Street, Dublin Review Snapshot: If one were to go and watch a football match featuring a returning from retirement Pele, Jairzihno and Tostao, you would probably expect, in spite of the brilliance that they demonstrated in their youth, for them to not be very good. Why should we expect better from recently unretired band of their countrymen? The CLUAS Verdict? 5 out of 10 Full review: Aside from in one of the episodes of David O’Doherty’s recent TV series where the comedian played a lunchtime show with no advertising to a crowd of about 7 I don’t think I’ve ever seen Vicar St. so empty as it is tonight.  Did you know that if a disastrously low number of people buy tickets for a gig they can draw the curtains across the balcony so the room doesn’t look as pathetically empty? I didn’t.  My skills at estimating crowds are really rather poor so it’s hard to gauge precisely how many people... [Read on]