FIGHT LIKE APES, Whelan’s, Dublin Friday 9, SOLD OUT
There’ll be a few tears among the cheers tonight, as Fight Like Apes call it a day with their last gig after 10 years — back to where they first played live.
Over the decade, they weathered the storm up against weary acoustic dudes, Script wannabes and dreary indie landfill, but their wry take on synth-pop and leftfield rock wasn’t going to pay the bills forever. “Stick a fork in us, we’re done,” as they said in their farewell Facebook message last month.
They still leave us with maybe the best Irish album title ever (The Body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner), and dozens of raucous, celebratory gigs and festival slots over the years. Cheers.
NO SPILL BLOOD, Grand Social, Dublin, Friday 9, €8
Dublin act No Spill Blood released one of the Irish albums of last year — Heavy Electricity, a snarling, frazzled bass-heavy storm.
Featuring members of Adebisi Shank, Elk and Magic Pockets, the trio channel the ferocity of 80s industrial Ministry, Mastodon and new age krautrock gone wrong in the best way.
Heavier than a band with guitars should sound, they process everything through synths, busted pedals and cover it in the kind of street grime you’d find on a Blade Runner replicant’s shoe.
OVERHEAD, THE ALBATROSS, Vicar Street, Dublin, Friday 9, €20
Dublin post-rock act Overhead, the Albatross will be up there in the album of the year lists with their debut Learning To Growl.
An intense experience live, they deal in classic post-rock shimmers, builds and releases, with nods to Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Mogwai and even Swans when they really push it.
They launched the album at the Workmans Club early this year and they’ve already been bumped up to Vicar Street, so it gives you an idea of the buzz around them right now.
PLACEBO, 3Arena, Dublin, Saturday 9, €49.50-€54.50
I initially did a WTF when I saw Placebo were headlining the 3Arena for their 20th anniversary, another band on the never-ending heritage indie circuit.
But it’s easy to forget how huge Brian Molko and the rest were in 1996 — touring with David Bowie, recording with himself and landing a spot at Bowie’s 50th birthday concert alongside The Cure, Pixies and Sonic Youth.
They played the Olympia last year and ditched all the ‘classics’ to focus on their more recent albums Loud Like Love and Battle For the Sun, but they’ll be bottled off if they don’t play indie-glam monster hits Nancy Boy and Pure Morning tomorrow night.
- Originally in Irish Star
Moo Kid 