GiggingNI.com

The Hubris

With Nietzsche's Last Days; Beyond Neon; The Zhuks;

Teaming up for yet another wicked night of local music talent, Audio-Ill and Gigging Northern Ireland turned the last Saturday of September into somewhat of a classic, inside the Pavilion Bar on the Ormeau Road. Featuring bands from various towns and cities around the country, all the bands got together and, despite being a mix of many genres, provided the crowd with classic riffage, tasty indie tunes and a finish which deserved to be performed in a packed out cinema for a Jim Carrey movie.

Up first were Fifth Province who were popping their live-performance-cherry on the night. It's great to see another new band bursting onto the scene as it just proves that there is still a never-ending bag of passion for music out there and the desire to share it with other people to enjoy and hear what another has to offer. Fifth Province aren't your average rock or indie band - they strike strong similarities to System of a Down's Serj Tankian and that definitely proves that they are willing to stand up and be counted whilst maintaining their integrity to do what they want and love. 'Dawn Song' is definitely a song to define them to the tee - still take time to check out others such as 'The Three Sisters' and 'The Old Gate' - I'll be keeping an eye on them.

Magherafelt-based classic rockers The Zhuks were next to grace the stage and what a job these guys did. Ripping straight into, the anthem that is, 'Pieces' and, damn, what a bloody tune! With plenty of hair, and on-stage attitude, to fit seamlessly within the category of classic rock, the four-piece tore apart the stage and with no-where to hide, they gave it all they got. Shea Tohill was a maniac on the lead guitar, shredding away at any available opportunity, whilst Jake Lennox was drilling holes in the toms and smashing the cymbals to pulps - special mention should also go to Stevie Lennox who provided the stage presence of a true rockstar accompanied alongside David Thornton who did a fantastic job on the bass. Really, they are the perfect classic rock band with bags of talent and tons of potential.

Beyond Neon are a band I've seen before and I enjoyed their set however I was hoping they wouldn't fade away amongst the tons of other indie bands out there. Despite this, watching them perform the second time made me realise that they are quite different. Kevin Downey provides the frontline alongside bass-tormenting John McCann whilst Alan Gillett rips open their set to the sound of 'Hunger' - a fine tune indeed. Every time you catch them live expect to hear the tune 'SOS' - quite simply a song that won't leave your head for days. A special mention should also go out to set-finisher 'Regina' which ended their set off quite tastefully and I must admit, Beyond Neon are a great three-piece who enjoy playing music and showing what they've got. And trust me, take a listen to 'SOS' - a great tune!

Travelling all the way up from Carrickfergus, Nietzsche's Last Days took to the stage and wasted no time kicking things into touch. Bassist Chris Wilson sent thundering basslines into the Pavilion-air for their diverse opener 'Pro-Ana' - a track which sums them up - powerful vocals with well-structured, unpredictable music which will have you moshing about like a lunatic before slowing things down to a mere nodding of your head. Their set was gripping and kept everyone on their toes with a variety of different styles of rock all led by frontman James McCallum - who did a fantastic job commanding the audience and was vocally excellent - and powered on by Matt McCabrey, who was sitting behind the drums. Keen to keep their set fresh, Dan Crowe ensured just that and provided some additional variety in the form of the organ/keys and the joyful theramin - there's an instrument you don't see very often at gigs. 'Tear Yourself Away' was definitely the highlight of the night. Take a listen on their MySpace page - it's a cracking tune! But even better live!

The Hubris was the band to finish things off after an already fantastic night of music - but they were here, and eager, to put on their own show and that's exactly what they did! As I said before, suitable for a Jim Carrey movie, The Hubris stepped up and fired out delicious tunes such as 'New Song Playing' and 'The Dole' - both filled with hilarious lyrics and infectious pop-punk music which would put them strongly alongside comedy-geniuses Bowling for Soup, who hail from the US. I really enjoyed their set and I was very keen to hear more because it was evident that the punters were really enjoying it and, because the crowd was diminishing at this hour and many more didn't attend, a lot of people missed out on a really good performance from a great band. If you ever get the catch to see them, I highly recommend it. They will give you a great laugh whilst maintaining a solid stage performance and presence - a joy to watch!