“For my brothers and my sisters in Palestine, freedom for Palestinians,” said Kurdish/Syrian artist Mohammad Syfkhan when he stepped onto the stage of the Music for Gaza Benefit at The Button Factory in Dublin yesterday.

In any other context, it would have been difficult to find a common thread between Pretty Happy's experimental punk; Junior Brother’s rage-filled, unruly folk sound; Syfkhan’s traditional Middle-Eastern, Bouzouki-driven approach; and ØXN’s atmospheric and adventurous take on folk.

Mohammad at the Gig for Gaza at The Button Factory, Dublin, 11 June 2024. Copyright Bailey Shropshire/hotpress.com

Yet, this eclectic ensemble of some of Ireland’s most thrilling artists came together yesterday to raise urgent funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians, a few days after Israel's attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp, which, as reported by Al Jazeera, killed nearly 300 Palestinians.

From the first reverberated strum of Syfkhan’s strings, it was clear that this was going to be a special gig, the fast-paced melody of his Bouzouki blending into tradition-oriented drum machine beats.

Mohammad at the Gig for Gaza at The Button Factory, Dublin, 11 June 2024. Copyright Bailey Shropshire/hotpress.com

Carried by the musician’s throaty, vibrato-heavy vocals, all sung in Arabic, the short four-song set was transporting – Syfkhan offering a cutting-edge, almost dancey take on traditional Middle-Eastern sounds while sitting alone in the centre of the illuminated stage in an elegant three-piece suit.

Only ten minutes after the end of the first set, out came art-punk trio Pretty Happy, shifting to a bass-heavy sound that could not have been more different to their predecessor. The switch did not, however, cheapen the stirring quality of either of the performances, instead highlighting their brilliance by proving how guttural any genre can be.

Pretty Happy at the Gig for Gaza at The Button Factory, Dublin, 11 June 2024. Copyright Bailey Shropshire/hotpress.com

Pretty Happy played a growling set of innovative punk tunes, vocals from Abbey Blake sitting at the crossroads between melody, spoken words and throat-ripping shouts – with Abbey even singing into an old telephone at one point.

She wasn't afraid to play around with her instrument – using a bow to create a drone that beautifully rounded out the heavy-hitting sound.

Next in line was the fiery folk musician Junior Brother and his immensely talented band, opening with the enticing 'Welcome To My Mountain'. The track had a pastoral, punky quality that made you feel like you were walking through endless fields of green on top of an Alpine mountain.

Junior Brother at the Gig for Gaza at The Button Factory, Dublin, 11 June 2024. Copyright Bailey Shropshire/hotpress.com

Oscillating between dreamy openings of flute and mandolin, and riotous bridges of soaring vocals and fury-fuelled instrumentals on songs such as ‘The Back of Her’, Ronan Kealy maintained the delicate balance between melody and anger. Just like his predecessor, the singer's music seemed to ask: “How are you not furious at the state of the world?”

Echoing Junior Brother’s carefully crafted harmonies, closing act ØXN sat in U-shaped formation, leaning into the bonfire folk session feel of their sound. Accompanying the band’s otherworldly vocal performances with raw bass lines, gentle piano chords and the occasional use of accordion on ‘Love Henry’, the performance was filled with a sense of doom and an undeniable haunting quality.

ØXN at the Gig for Gaza at The Button Factory, Dublin, 11 June 2024. Copyright Bailey Shropshire/hotpress.com

Sometimes taking you on a journey through decaying forest grounds and other times hitting you with nostalgic reverberated notes, ØXN set stayed profoundly eerie throughout, reaching deep within your chest and leaving a layer of existential dread.

No matter how transporting the gig was, Gaza stayed on everyone’s mind until the end, and as ØXN exited the Button Factory stage, the audience burst out in chants for Palestine.

You can donate to Medical Aid For Palestinians here.