I almost went into a siesure a few weeks back when I found out that three of my current favourite bands are playing back-to-back gigs in Dublin’s Crawdaddy / Tripod venue next week. If there were three bands I had to conjure up for some desert island live set, these would be them, so to have all play one after the other at the beginning of a random week in August seemed like some kind of divine intervention. Anyways, I had to tell y’all about it, because it’s just not fair to keep music this good to oneself.
Megafaun, Monday August 23rd, Crawdaddy
I discovered Megafaun when watching a repeat of the RTE programme Other Voices one cold and stormy night and was completely enchanted by these beardy American folk singers. If you like Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, Band of Horses of any of that type of thing, you’ll love this. At only €13 entry it’s a cheaper and more rewarding experience than a cinema ticket and a bucket of popcorn to see some god-awful blockbuster.
Beirut, Tuesday August 24th, Tripod
I have been unhealthily obsessed by Beirut for about four years now. Zach Condon is the unnaturally talented and highly prolific main man behind the outfit and his music gets under your skin, transports you to bygone eras and pretty much blows you away with its beauty. He dropped out of high school and left his native New Mexico aged 16, trumpet in hand, to travel around Europe, leaving his music heavily tinged with French and Balkan folk influences. I’ve been dying to see them live and have only had their La Blogotheque performances on YouTube to keep my appetite sated, so I can’t wait for this show. Once again the price is reasonable at €34. Believe me, it’s worth it.
Bear in Heaven, Wednesday August 25th, Crawdaddy
Brooklynites Bear in Heaven have been making waves on the alt scene for a while now, helped along by the fact that their second album Beast Rest Forth Mouth was named one of Pitchfork‘s Top 50 albums of 2009. I discovered them through a music blog I subscribe to called The Blisslist (if you’re an epically huge fan of The National, the writer is probably still a bigger fan than you. Seriously, it’s bordering on disordered). Bear in Heaven are nothing like either Megafaun or Beirut, in case you felt I only listen to alternative, folk-tinged music by hairy people. Okay, they might be a bit hairy, but their music sure ‘aint. It defies definition really; a marraige of synths, insistent drums, rock guitar and distorted vocals. In a word, it’s amazing. Again at only €13 it’s SO well worth checking out, I can’t begin to explain.
“Come on, come with us / We are falling straight down, so don’t lose hope /Loud and clear, before we crash into the ground”
P.S. The Bear in Heaven video above is an unofficial fan video, which I think is pretty damn impressive, no?
