IMRO Showcase - Limelights/Katy Dalys - Belfast
Amidships,Bomb City 7, Bright Falls, Morning Claws, runaway GO, Seven Summits, Southern
Katy Dalys and The Limelight, Belfast
Wednesday the 7th of September 2011
With the festival season over for another year, September makes no haste in preparing us for another wet autumn. Luckily, the IMRO Showcase is back just in time to ease the post-summer blues. Kicking off its nationwide exposé in Belfast, this evening boasts seven uniquely talented bands, a healthy mix of the established and the eager.
Starting things in the Limelight are runaway GO, a peculiar choice of opening band given the band’s perpetual growth in popularity. Nevertheless, opening with the heart stopping ‘Alligator’ has the audience shaking its collective head in disbelief at the 5-piece’s consummate delivery. For thirty solid minutes, the crowd is theirs.
Given the unfortunate overlapping of bands, ATL have to peel ourselves away to catch Morning Claws in Katy Daly’s. While demonstrating real pop awareness, a trio of synthesizers seem to be clambering over each other for dominance. It creates a piercing cacophony that’s hard to withstand, while the guitar is rendered inaudible. Perhaps switching to the Limelight stage would have allowed their sound to flourish rather than these more confining surroundings.
Things go off the boil with Amidships. Though thoroughly competent, there seems to be a style over substance issue at play here. Overemphasized guitars null the presence of a violin, and the keys do little to offer up any sort of unique sound, leaving the feeling that the band would be better understood in a more low-key environment. Ultimately, the sails are up, but the wind isn’t blowing.
With Bright Falls, we learn that appearances can be deceiving. Armed with instruments possessing an excess of strings, you’d think a relentless metal assault would ensue. Surprisingly, the young four-piece take math rock intricacy and fuse it with indie sensibilities. Lacking a clutch of memorable songs, they leave little impression, but they behold an intriguing formula that could see them evolve into something unique.
Brother/Sister outfit Southern, the most stripped down band on the bill, also don’t get to sell themselves being placed on the Limelight stage. Their low key acoustics and humble harmonies are something to be appreciated in a more intimate setting.
On the other hand, Seven Summits seem like a well-oiled operation and deliver a show stealing performance. Laying down intricate chords, grandiose synths, and lyrics that display a keen wit, it feels like an education in cerebral but soulful alternative rock. A particularly searing ‘Play Dominos’ is aging gracefully , while the dazzling ‘Burning Heart’ rings with the tones of a Northern Irish classic.
Final act Bomb City 7 seem like a strange addition to the bill. Their over-enthused efforts to have the crowd gather closer renders the punters feeling uncomfortable. When Faith No More-esque grooves kick in, the conservative airs lessen somewhat and the crowd relax a little, but ultimately, the band’s extroverted presence remains contrasting the more self-effacing artists of the evening.
Aside from assigning certain bands to unfitting stages, this year’s IMRO Belfast showcase has proved a success. Ranging from the acoustic to the eclectic, it’s a real testament to how diverse the Northern Irish music scene really is.
Chris Johnson
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