Live Report: CHERYM deliver non-stop punk power at Whelan's Upstairs

You'd struggle to find friendlier fans than those that were in attendance at CHERYM's Upstairs at Whelan's gig on Thursday evening. A crowd, made up of people of all ages and backgrounds, huddled together, chatting, laughing, and, at one point, ballroom dancing – most with a Guinness in hand. That was my first indicator of the kind of night this was going to be.

If you, your friends, or even your friends' friends, are under the assumption that the queer punk rock scene is dying out, then I urge you to go and see the Derry punk trio.

I was lucky enough to run into lead singer Hannah in the bathroom before their gig, where they told me how surprisingly nervous they were. I can assure you that this did not translate into their performance.

Running onto the stage at 9:30pm, dressed in all-black, CHERYM wasted no time – yelling, "Let's fucking go!", before diving into 'Alpha Beta Sigma', the hit track off their new Album, Take it or leave it.

Do you remember that nice, pleasant crowd that I told you about? The ones who were ballroom dancing? This slow form of movement went out the window as drummer Alannagh began to lean in and pound down – replaced, instead, with head banging, moshing, and the sound of vegan Doc Martens stomping the floor.

But this is simply the effect CHERYM has on their audience – it was impossible not to move in some form. This sentiment was echoed on stage as the band members ran around, grinning from ear to ear at each other.

Lead singer Hannah's vocals made it impossible not to notice them. Of course, the luminous red hair and purple lipstick also worked in their favour. Still, it was the perfectly-timed scream that they would bellow into the microphone, or how they could teeter on the edge of a whisper and then burst it into a large, daring note that rocked the entire room and made them effortlessly captivating.

Bassist Emer, a recent addition to the band – she was asked to submit her six-month review up on stage (which unexpectedly turned into a very clean transition of 'Am I Enough') – also had her fair share of vocals, particularly in the final song, 'It's Not Me, It's You', which the band voted as their favourite track off of the new LP.

It is refreshing to see a band that so clearly enjoyed being up there on stage giving it their all. When Hannah would scream, "I want to hear every single fucker in this room" – as they did when performing 'Kisses On My Cards' – it felt like a genuine conversation between performer and audience in the intimate setting.

Of course, like all enthusiastic Irish crowds, fans called CHERYM back on stage with the classic 'One more tune' chant – a demand that the band took very seriously as they rushed back on stage to perform 'Take It Back'.

CHERYM once again broke the barrier between 'us and them' when Hannah leapt into the crowd, shouting, "Part the sea!" – igniting a mosh-pit before leaving the crowd slightly sweaty but mainly entranced by what they had just witnessed.