It’s Friday evening, you may be exhausted after a long working week or perhaps wrecked from being a full-time arse-scratcher? You’re indecisive on whether to head to a gig to be jostled by teenagers with more energy than a neutron star or wait impatiently to get served while you grow a hump on your back. What if we told you that this can be resolved and all you have to do is perch your posterior on a sofa and crack open a can at your own discretion? Intrigued? Well you should be! Lazies and gentlemopes, we present to you… HomeBeat.
HomeBeat brings talented musicians into your front room. The creators of this master plan are Emmet Condon and Fergus O’Toole. We rapped out a complementary drum roll vigorously for you both! Their concept of HomeBeat is ‘why go out to see our favorite bands? When we could just invite them to play right here!’. Right here being, your living room! You provide the space – big or small, comfortable seats and floors and a welcoming smile, then Emmet & Fergus will do the rest. Each HomeBeat serves up an exhilarating night of 3 bands/songwriters/producers/troubadours/chanteuse’s.
HomeBeat celebrated their 14th night on Friday May 10th 2013. The mysterious location was revealed to us earlier in the day; Pembroke Road. We kept our eyes peeled for number 62 but our wandering eyes were soon fastened to the mysterious HomeBeat symbol emblazoned on the front door, like the bat symbol for homebound acoustic sessions. A former resident of this house was legendary Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh, a fact which certainly added to the rustic atmosphere of HomeBeat on the night.
We arrived there at 8pm and were welcomed in to this spectacular home with people scattered everywhere; some eating their dinner, many drinking tins and others huddled around an open fire sharing stories, shits and giggles.
Emmet introduced the night and thanked the hosts for their hospitality before proudly announcing that they will have their own stage at this year’s Castlepalooza. Top work!
Whilst the first band were doing their sound check my eyes were drawn to a particular couple sitting by the window. I thought to myself ‘if they are singing tonight we are in for a real treat’ – The Alpaca Jamboree. I recognised this folk harmony duo from a gig they had in The Grand Social last September where the played two beautiful Fleetwood Mac covers. Things were looking good.
Running slightly late, the opening act were worth the wait. Mukai are made up of brothers Cian and Conor MacSweeney from Cork. Cian sings and plays acoustic guitar while Conor jams along on the Cajon box drum and adds some subtle backing vocals. They played a mixture of original tracks and covers; opening song ‘Reinvent‘ settling the crowd in nicely with its meandering chord progressions and refrain of ‘don’t be afraid’. The jovial Cian announced that it was the band’s first gig much to our astonishment and delight! We would certainly contend that the lads showcased a heap of talent and set the bar for a sweet night of live performances. Job done.
The Alpaca Jamboree were up next; Alex and Sam have such a great live presence and connection with each other and the crowd. Their sean-nós, sea-shanty folk slowed proceedings down to a relaxed and contented timbre. The vocal harmonies backed up by Sams exquisite guitar picking style complimented each other perfectly. We would recommend that you catch the pair of troubadours live for yourselves on Saturday 18th May in The Little Green.
Final act of the night, Lisa Mc Laughlin, got people up off the floor and onto their feet with an energetic performance of shimmering acoustic and electric guitars with a voice reminiscent of Sinead O’ Connor in her prime. Lisa runs Saucy Sunday’s in The Grand Social every, you guessed it, Sunday evening. Emer Brady, a multi-instrumentalist/songwriter supported Lisa with percussion and backing vocals while Edward Tapceanu completed the lineup of this sublime trio on electric guitar. Emer will also be jamming away at this year’s Life Festival. Their surf-bluesy sound ended the night well and left us feeling hungry for more HomeBeat nights in future. We can’t wait for the next installment!
HomeBeat, coming to a living room near you.
