Here's a review I wrote on the ATL site.
I have to say, the Menagerie is a great wee venue since they've changed it about a bit. Last time I was there, the stage was to the left when you come downstairs, and it was a bit of a mess trying to move around the place at all. Much better where they have it now. It's got a great wee vibe about it too - feels a bit like being in a gig in someone's house, it's very cosy and welcoming feeling and quirky without being too trendy or hipster.
I really enjoyed War Hole too. They have a very messy, "we don't really care that much, we're just here for the craic" sort of thing going on, but they're awful craic chatting back and forth to the crowd and telling daft stories and what not, and they seem very at ease on the stage, even when there's only a few people there.
Documenta could've done with taking a leaf out of their book. Musically, they're not bad, but there's nothing that wildly original about them, and it takes more than a few half decent riffs to stand out in this town.
The Jane Bradfords have long been favourites of mine on the local scene, so I suppose it's no great surprise that I have nothing bad to say about them. The stuff from the new album, which I believe is almost ready for release, is sounding really great, and it's a huge indicator of the talent and musiciality they possess in bucketloads that they really do sound like they're progressing from the last album. It's not more of the same, it's not a wild leap in a different direction just for the sake of it. It feels organic and right, for want of a better word. As for the gig itself - I wouldn't say it was their best performance ever, but it wasn't a bad one in any way at all. They're bringing a lot more to the table when they play the old stuff these days, and it's hard not to be blown away by the sophistication of song writing. Hopefully the new album gets them some of the attention they deserve.
By the way, I feel like I should issue a disclaimer and point out at this stage that I have absolutely no idea what the hell I'm talking about when I write gig reviews. I'm not a musician in any way, shape or form (many, many years of violin desecretion, or 'playing' as I called it at the time, testify to that). I got into doing this sort of thing just cos I love music, and I think the local scene here in NI is pretty damn great at the minute. I'm not the most knowledgable person in the world, and I've been a little out of the loop the last year or so, but I do take an interest in alternative music - by which I mean, I'm not a Radio 1 listener pertaining to be a cool indie kid. There's nothing cool about me, I assure you. I confess that I do wear black rimmed glasses, but I have a prescription, and they're not the super-sized hipster ones that yer woman off of Britain's Next Top Model wears. Ok, disclaimer-ramble over.
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