“This is good,” quips Daragh Dukes. “We’re trying to keep it cult, so if you like it, don’t tell anyone.”
The joke’s actually on him, because no bastard’s turned up to see his band. At the best of times, the sheer choice in London keeps people away from bands in the ‘maybe’ pile. But on a Tuesday? And up against Chelsea vs Liverpool? They didn’t stand a chance.
Ignoring the lack of audience, Limerick’s resident musical genius and his accomplices battle on. Kicking off with ‘Halibut’ – former Hot Press single of the fortnight, no less – it introduces the room to the band’s multi-layered sounds. But it’s with ‘Upper (A Melodrama)’ from their debut eponymous album that they show their true mettle. In this, Dukes’ voice is reminiscent of Thom Yorke – both sing their aching heart out in a way that makes the listener wince with empathy.
But while the duration of the set sees him lean towards the vocals of The Flaming Lips, Shane McGowan and, my god, even just his own husky self sometimes, the musicianship remains more consistent, if only just. That there’s a grand total of three guitars, four singers, bass, keys and a drummer that beats the hell out of his kit, is a hint at the complexity of what’s going on, the scope of which gives Radiohead a run for their money. To see it happen before your very eyes in tidal wave crescendos with not one extraneous sound in the whole affair is humbling.
Even if the absent footie fans' team won tonight, it’s still very much their loss.