When you think of an instrumental band you probably think lengthy songs and a tedious set without lyrics, vocals or a swagger soaked larger than life frontman/ woman to engross you. Well this was not the case last Friday night. Dublin instrumental and experimental duo Bicurious were holding their ‘T.O.I’, single launch upstairs in Whelan’s (where the proceeds from the ticket sales went to the Dublin Simon Community). They invited us along to check it out and boy was it explosive.
Indie Folk Singer Songwriter Mike Paterson kicked off the night, originally the frontman of the rock group Travis Oaks, Paterson’s solo work takes a different approach to the gritty anthemic bluesy tinged sound we are used to hearing from the band Travis Oaks. Establishing himself as a solo artist he has peeled back his sound focusing on creating and crafting simple vocal melody driven tunes. He still packs all the punches, just with a more refined emotive approach. Timidly he takes to the stage for his first gig in Dublin as a solo artist. ‘Outside Lines’ introduces his soulful passionate sound, it’s simple emotive and raw displaying Paterson’s crisp vocals and sharp falsetto range. There’s something to be said for a solo performer especially when they can grab your attention and draw you into their performance with ease and Paterson does this perfectly. His songs speak for themselves from warm country bouncy tunes to edgy indie folk melodies. He performs a diverse, striking yet beautifully simple set. Bantering through the slightly awkward guitar retuning , he is unfazed and relaxed. A refreshing refined stripped back set that makes Paterson stand out as a performer.
Rabble Babble begin their set with a groovy instrumental vibe while vocalist Molly Callan Cassidy warms up with lunges and stretches. They deliver a set drenched in blissful wobbly guitar and slick elastic bass backed by buoyant steady drums. Kicking off their set with a cruising almost jazz and blues club cover of The Velvet Underground’s ‘I’m Waiting for The Man’ with a tropical wavy guitar feature and powerful expressive vocals. Theses guys are slick and gloriously eccentric with random jingles mixed with intense soulful passion and swagger infused attitude. With shimmy ready tunes, chilled back vibes and narrative lyrics their set is a quirky mixed bag. New single ‘Joe’s Bust’ goes down well with the crowd as they bounce and bop to the groovy rhythm while psychedelic whine on guitar adds a hazy trippy glaze over the expressive punchy track. These guys are an experience for sure.
Bicurious take to the stage and waste no time in blasting the crowd with their mosh ready heavy tunes drizzled with sweet luscious guitar melodies. They constantly shake things up showing off some really proficient and nimble guitar skills while packing in a decent spray of showmanship. Taran Plouzané-Brady jumps, moshes and strides across the stage making the most of the space. Swift slick pedal manoeuvres are effortlessly managed with agility and finesse while Gavin Purcell acutely belts those drums with fierce relentless stamina. From the thrilling ‘Fake News’ to the slick swagger soaked ‘Caged’ the set is brimming with altering grooves, meaty punches and sweet elevator-like jingles thrown into the mix to break up the sticky hot messy mosh. These guys like to keep the crowd on their toes. When the tune is heavy, oh boy, it is skull pounding mania and when it’s light and sweet, its the most blissful toned deliciously honeyed melody you can imagine. All this is mixed and blended meticulously to create the most thrilling live experience possible. Plouzané-Brady plays the role of frontman with ease, keeps banter to a minimum but interacts with the crowd by moshing and playing amongst them. With stage hands at the ready like ninjas (nod to Oisín Wolfe) any little hiccup is swiftly dealt with instantly. ‘Sugar Beats’ brings a clap along feature for the now tightly squished to the front crowd as they mosh manically. Hair everywhere and pints spilling it’s a feverish manic chaos. The crowd lift Plouzané-Brady above their heads like a hero as he plays horizontal in a triumphant wobbly crowd surf. New single ‘T.O.I’ is the final song on the Bicurious set, another staggering powerhouse and floor shaking mosh ready track with gentle melodic interludes. The crowd cheerfully “whoo” in time with this mighty euphoric track while the duo blast us with relentless energy and intensity.
A surprise at the end of the show (which unfortunately for a certain hopeful member of the crowd was not cake) the duo invite Mike Paterson back on stage along with Aran Mcgillick (Bass Player in Travis Oaks) and Josh McClorey (guitarist in The Strypes) for a stellar rendition of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’. With Paterson on vocals flicking and swooshing hair everywhere in true rock and roll manner and Mcgillick standing on Purcell’s drums, its all roaring male guitar testosterone. A fiery way to end a fantastic night. Bicurious are a talented duo and they excel beyond belief in a raw live setting.