First Thursday of the month that means The New Love & Terror Cult are hosting an event in Sin É Dublin. Who’s playing?… Sun Mahshene with support from The Thrash Blues and Stitch Jones. Nice cosy venue, comfy seats, electric atmosphere and Red Hot Chili Peppers playing in the background it’s a good start.

The Thrash Blues kicked the night off with their blend of bluesy rock and roll. There’s no messing around with this duo once the “one two” mic check is over they blast straight into their set with ‘Wicked Man’. No banter just solid hip shaking riff driven rock and roll. Displaying a strong set with some heavy pounding drum elements and slick guitar manoeuvres they perform a raw gritty set. Tracks like ‘Rambler’ which took a more rapid grittier persona on the night compared to the recorded version added a country twang and whiskey soaked roughness to their set. What you see seems to be what you get with these two. There is no flouncing about it’s straight to business all about the tunes and there is no doubt these guys can play Liz is like a beast on the drums and Ro’s simple stance lets his guitar skills speak for themselves. It’s a head bopping neat set from The Thrash Blues.

Ah yes enter Led Zeppelin no sorry Ched Zeppelin oh it’s Stitch Jones the cheeky chappies that seem to be everywhere lately. What can I say about these guys that I haven’t said before. There is a new addition to the band Minty Watchorn the new slick bass possessed by Mr. Watchy. ‘Nothing War’ kicks off the set soaked in a heavy meaty bassline and pounding drums raising the energy in the room. Live these guys are getting better and better.  With a plethora of banter and stage presence they engage the crowd like only Stitch Jones can from LCD Soundsystem tickets and life lessons to getting dumped in Sin É and being friend-zoned by a Brazilian girl, the Casserole Casanovas are never stuck for something to say. Their heavy pounding brain bleeding sound makes for a great show with songs that stick in your head. At breakfast, the next day someone mentioned a full Irish and all I could think of was the lads shouting “All of which is an Irish breakfast”.  The duo finish their set with an unforgettable version of Queen’s ‘I Want To Break Free’.

The Indie, Psychedelic, Dream Rock band Sun Mahshene take to the stage. The live line up on the night Nathan Henderson (Guitars, Vocals), Ian McGinn (guitars), Ryan Daffy (guitar, backing vocals), Darren Hughes (bass), David Murray (drums) and Ray Burke (Percussion, backing vocals with the help of Edward Ãspel at times -a speed demon on tambourine). The lads cramped on the stage, begin their blissfully divine set. It becomes fast apparent these guys have something amazing the melodies are liquid gold, honey drizzled and euphoric backed by a mirage of hallucinogenic mind-bending soundscapes. Henderson’s sweet vocals are velvety smooth and soothing lulling you safely into the swirling abyss of their sound. The shrilling sharp guitar stings with hypnotic wah wah and distortion it’s absolutely mind melting. The sound is crisp raw yet refined while also placing you in a trance-like opiate state of ecstasy. They exude an effortless cool laid-back swagger and charm without even trying. Live these guys are simply amazing they don’t need much space they don’t need to move around. The floppy narcotic tunes dig deep with nostalgic melodies and interweaving guitars the sound is just sublime. From the groovy, elastic ‘Shine Your Light’ to the 90’s tinged sweet ‘Love Jam’ their tracks ooze a sense of longing and yearning. There is a subtle heft and weight droning throughout even in the most weightless and floaty moments this makes for a fantastic wholly enthralling live experience. Everything else disappears it’s just you and the blissful captivating sound that is Sun Mahshene. Finishing their set with the attention grabbing ‘When the Bomb Drops’ they hold the attention of the room. The audience members move forward to the stage to mosh as the 10 minute track concludes with a exploding instrumental. Symbols in the air they raised the roof. These guys are a must see live and have fast become one of my favourite bands.