gig in The Greysones Theatre

More Tiny Giants

At

The Greystones Theatre

6/ 03/ ‘09

I’ve been quite curious about this new gig venue. So on hearing that my good friends ‘More Tiny Giants’ were coming out of hibernation, with a new sound and a bigger line-up, I ventured down the M50 to Wicklow.

This band, an explosive combination of raps, beats and melody has become my all time favourite unsigned act. I was looking forward to the unveiling of some new material, extra instruments and even more oomph added to an already unique Alt/ Punk sound!

On arrival I had a drink in the small but cosy bar. From three or four people, the number increased within a short space and before long there was a nice crowd waiting to go inside. The Theatre is very modern and although small, is excellently designed to be compact and comfortable. It’s simple, with the auditorium surrounding a large floor space, where cubic wooden benches were placed for further seating. I picked a good vantage point for both listening to the music and taking one or two photos.

The first set was performed by a funky blues band; Almost Funk Band. Slapping baselines, husky male vocals and jazzy discords expertly played on guitars, created an appealing sound.
They did a song; Blues by the man where the singer uses falsetto notes for a high pitched ‘Why’. I liked the jazz riffs which were blurted out intermittently by the fabulous lead guitar. The small crowd lapped this act up and with this band’s cool charisma, I wasn’t too surprised.

They did a choppy number; Who’s the bomb. Jazzy at the beginning, it included this amazing Jimi Hendrix screaming lead solo in the middle that blew me away and somehow diverted the whole mood away from jazz to rock. Very interesting!

What the f..ck was a fun number which put a smile on people’s faces. It had a catchy chorus which was easy to sing to. There’s a line that I love; Would you give a dog a number, would you give a dog a bone.
Swishing cymbals, distortion packed guitars and rhythmic bass continued throughout the song.
They did quite a few more songs, but I particularly enjoyed one called Everybody’s good. This has jazz chords, bending guitar riffs and each instrument including the jazzy voice of the lead singer, was well and truly put through its paces!


Next up were Zealots, with a female vocalist Ruth who plays keyboards too. From the minute they got up onstage, I was intrigued. This lady is so young, in neat black attire and along with her band, made a big impression on all present.
Scully – Drums, Colum – Bass and Dan – Guitar are in the line-up, which has been tweaked a little since this act started off. Now happy with their sound, they seem to blend very well and definitely could not be termed boring.

Depeche Mode/Interpol/Muse- inspired creations kept me mesmerised. Rhythmic notes combined with Ruth’s Toyah Wilcox-style of singing were a treat to the senses.

They did nine songs beginning with ‘Go to drive’, which has a sweet riff with an echo effect in it. Ruth’s voice is light here as she sings the chorus; I can see your head’s on fire!

Contrition – I find that Ruth brings to mind all of my heroines from yesteryear. In this song she reminds me of Debbie Harry from Blondie, with that ability to perform the chorus seductively, yet maintaining certain indifference in her attitude. Dan’s baselines are very audible as are his backing vocals which I find a bit iffy. Riffs on keyboards are catchy too!

And So They Shivered – This number is fast, with lovely chords and a delicious distortion packed riff. Keyboards amazing!
The beat is fast and then becomes choppy after the first chorus, which involves Ruth’s vocals sliding up to falsetto notes giving a creepy effect. This style is really unique I have to say!

Eva was fourth with a tick tock style of beat in it. Dramatic chords and a baseline that’s almost like the throbbing of a heartbeat, lends to the atmosphere!
They followed this with Chalklines, Kontract, Exitbag, Fastone and The Glitch. Of these my favourites were Exitbag and The Glitch.

Exitbag – A fan of Fight like Apes, I found this number remarkably similar to that type of sound but perhaps a tad tamer. Emotionally sung lyrics and a haunting melody plus delicious riffs played on guitars made this number, with electronic beeps and blips on boards constantly hypnotising the audience!

The Glitch – With ten times more punch than all of the set, this song was outstanding!
It starts with a simple keyboard riff that is so catchy. Then there’s an explosion of sound to take you into the verse. The riff continues throughout this number and Ruth sings the line ‘They put a big star beside your name’ with such expression!
Thumping drumbeats and weird guitar riffs add drama, then the chorus; ‘This is my survival’ starts out being sung in a normal way, gradually increasing in emphasis until Ruth actually screams it out. If this didn’t wake us all up for the headliners, I don’t know what could!
From such a cool calm looking young woman, she transforms herself to a manic banshee when she sings. I’d like whatever she’s having barman!


More Tiny Giants

With new bassist Ben onboard, Stevie and Rian on guitars, Oisin on drums and Paul Finan on vocals and piano/organ and rhythm guitar, the stage was filled up for the main attraction of the night.
They have come a long way since the ‘Wolves at the Door’ debut E.P. two years ago. Having explored new sounds and genres, they have injected hip-hop and jazz into the Punk/ Folk rock music that has been their signature to date.

They started off with a new song; King Heshame which has an intro performed on trombone by Paul himself. This is followed by a big burst of sound from all instruments. The verse is quiet, but the chorus is really catchy. I was impressed with it and thought it a great opener.

War on my Back – This song has a Fairground style intro, with a strange tempo in it. Haunting discords and a mysterious feel to the melody made it memorable, but a little weird.

Hocus Pocus – I felt this was more like what I have come to like about the M.T.G. sound. Rian went on keyboards for this one and Paul took his guitar up. It’s fascinating how effortlessly these guys can switch from one instrument to another and play both excellently!

Mr. Universe – This I really loved! Close harmony in the chorus, a creepy part in the middle and great backing vocals created great drama and interest. The lyrics mentioned something about ‘Dancing in circles’ and it changed tempo for that bit, to a three four fast waltz. There was a catchy guitar riff and with the simple melody and the full band sound, this was really enjoyable.

A church Organ type of intro took us into Burn us all, which commanded the audiences attention. Thumping drums, close harmony and brilliant riffs again stole the show. A delightful mandolin solo was performed here by Rian. Paul’s vocals passionate!

Paul did the count in for Buxton Blues next, to the delight of all in the theatre, especially yours truly!
We all sang (shouted) the chorus along with the band. That baseline is magic and the lyrics are ‘Crazy’!
Stevie used a slider on the lead guitar which was really sweet and added a Cowboy twang to the equation!
They of course did a few more old favourites such as Heroes and Buildings with its dramatic chorus and complex discords. This number always reminds me of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust days.

Wolves at the Door – With its slinky intro, the creepy song as my son refers to it began. Paul’s vocals slide up and down in a wolf like way, bass is absolutely amazing and those words of warning in the chorus; I’ll make you so cold you’ll scare the blossoms away are the components of this band’s most popular song.

I don’t like Formulas was the last oldie and was as enjoyable as ever. They finished with a new song called Aqua. Huge shouts of ‘One more song’ went up as they left the stage.
I’ve clocked up quite a few M.T.G.gigs and never yet saw them perform an encore!
But as I was about to go to the bar for a 7up, lo and behold out they came!

They played the choppy intro to You wanna sell and with its threatening lyrics, the fab build up sung by the backing vocals and then the fun ‘Bah bah’ in the middle eight, it sounded better than ever!

The new material will probably become as popular as the older songs in time. There is definitely a huge improvement with the extra musicians and the way they have expanded their sound. Anything this fun bunch of geniuses produced would draw my attention. I like to hear something that absolutely nobody can copy. Plus it is done well and with conviction!
Greystones from Rathcoole was a bit of a journey for me. But I’d hop a shuttle to outer space to see them, because they definitely hit a nerve for me every time I hear them on my mp3, or see them live!

A lovely venue, three quirky but brilliant bands!

Angela Macari O’Looney