Finbar Hoban Presents returns after a long dark January month next Saturday night February 6 for the first weekend of spring as the long evenings begin to draw in. This is a re-scheduled gig from November, which was postponed due to bad weather. Bats who have toured Ireland with Adebisi Shank before could well be Ireland’s best kept secret. More bands like Bats need to write songs as snappy as the opener from their first EP Cruel Sea Scientist titled ‘Death to Kent Hovind’, heck it should be made compulsory.
Despite the song being only 1.36 long, this aggressive attack on the America’s young earth creationist does its job in portraying the incredibly black humour Bats convey in their music. Where Bats excel is in their approach to their song writing, which is an everything including the kitchen sink and the dirty dishwasher affair. So you get bursts of weird almost pop madness alongside heavier riffs and quirky, bouncy, little passages all mixed up with their unusual approach to vocals.
There’s one almost spoken, sometimes biting, angry voice but then there are parts where it seems like almost everyone in the band decides to jump in and lend a throat.
Bats thankfully seem not to be paying attention to what’s going on around them at all musically, which is utterly refreshing in this day and age where you are almost looking at musicians as if they have an agenda. There’s actually nothing cool about Bats, but fans of oddball music will adore them.
Bats have just released their new album, titled Red Tooth and Claw, to rave reviews, for those of you who are sick to the back teeth of indie-dance-pop bands and want some relief in the form of the darker side of post-punk rock, then check out Bats who will be performing at Bar Ritz in Castlebar next Saturday.
Support for this show will come from brand new group Mia Sparrow. Formed from the ashes of shoe gazing group Story of Hair, Mia Sparrow consist of two local Castlebar lads Ger Staunton on drums/percussion and Paul Brett on lead vocals and bass/keyboards with Tipperary woman Caroline Carew on lead guitar.
Mia Sparrow hatched in an aviary in June 2009. The band employ guitars, bass, drums, omnichord, drum machines, samples, and effects to create noise firmly rooted in melody. This will be Mia Sparrow’s first performance on home turf. Special DJ guest on the night will be Josh Clarke from i102-104radio who will be performing his own blend of alternative music in between the live bands, plus the drinks promotion is back on the menu with bottles of Polish Lech Beer and Strapomeen Prague €3. Coming soon to Bar Ritz, Director.
