Mother of Pearl

The evening opened with the 5-piece shoegaze from Limerick, Mother of Pearl. Filling the room with textured and layered guitar elements, the audience was soon swaying in time to lead singer Síofra’s lamenting vocals, intertwined with lead guitarist Aaron’s backing vocals. Leading on with a brooding guitar opening to their song ‘Shattered’, Mother of Pearl finished out their salty set with flowing basslines and shimmering percussion, wrapping up with a thank you and “we love Cork“. We love you guys too.

The Guilteens

The Guilteens opened with lyrics of being “born evil” with thick and gooey sounds that would be right at home on the soundtrack of any Breaking Bad episode. Their track ‘Long Lost Version‘ oozes with bending guitar chords, dragging the rhythm of the drums behind them. The venue was transformed into a dusty saloon with swinging doors and tumbleweeds blowing outside, and all the patrons swaying to the lilt of The Guilteens. For those of you that have yet to hear them, imagine a collab between The Eels and Radiohead, atmospheric downtempo alternative. Filthy.

Therapy Horse

The Cork trio composed of Emily Dollery, Cormac Donovan O’Neill and Eoin Schuch (he’s from Laois, but they don’t talk about that) trace their roots back to UCC FM, when Emily and Cormac hosted rival radio shows. Taking influence from 70’s experimental music, Therapy Horse are expanding their sound to get louder, with new material and Emily learning how to scream without shredding her vocal cords.

Their set is best described as a soundscape of electricity with a “kick you in the face” attitude. Emily and Cormac’s vocals blend together nicely adding a softness to their sound, backed up with lyrics about putting up a fight and sleeping for 1000 years. The song ‘Like Water‘ is a nice love song sidestepping typical romantic cliches, with an upbeat and catchy melody.

Though their music addresses serious topics, they themselves aren’t serious on stage. Between their songs, exist polite thank yous and goofy stories, making it impossible not to like them. With upcoming shows in Dali in July and Whelan’s in September, do yourself a favour and grab a ticket.

You won’t regret it.