Last Thursday night Cork’s “Best Rock n Roll Bar & Venue” Fred Zeppelins whipped up another fiery night of alternative rock frenzy with up-and-comers Reserved for Rehab and special guests The Luminesc and Ether.
The venue had a bustling atmosphere as first act Ether took to the stage. Chris Kett, Rob Cashman and Shao Tampus presented their Grungy-Shoegaze sound to the eager crowd. Filled with sweet guitar melodies, buoyant drums and tantalizing bass grooves the band displayed a tight and fun presence for their debut show. Each member has other musical projects and on the night they performed newly written songs and a refreshing encore that showcased Rob Cashman’s solo material. Ether’s performance was a solid debut.
The Luminesc took to the stage with a heavier sound that reverbed through the venue with a thrilling frequency. There’s a 90’s rock vibe about this band’s sound as they put a modern twist on The Smashing Pumpkins -esque melodies. Their melodic groovy sounds and strong riff-based tunes engrossed the crowd from start to finish. Rob Doherty, Diarmuid, Francis Hayden and Ryan O’Dwyer gave us a diverse energetic set with polished bass riffs, robust drums and zealous guitar. The band’s tracks showed off Doherty’s strong vocals as he effortlessly slid into falsetto between howling out angst-riddled lyrics. It was a brilliant and fiery performance from The Luminesc.
Reserved For Rehab wasted no time and steamrolled into their set of powerful and melodic tracks. Each tune showcased mature lyrical content, rich musical diversity and refined musicianship as the band ventured between rock, indie, shoegaze and hints of moody grunge. The crowd were enamoured from the start; dancing, moshing and bellowing back the lyrics with enthusiasm and an excited frenzy that is rare for a new band to inflict. Covers of ‘Teenage Kicks’ and ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ thrilled the young audience. However, it’s the band’s original songs that hooked the crowd. They bellowed back the lyrics of ‘Guerrilla’ and ‘Ivory’ without any prompt as they manically moshed throughout and it’s easy to notice why. The young band’s original work is very impressive. Each song has an instrumental that draws you in and the encouraging energy on stage from the four-piece is infectious. These guys play with such skill and passion it leaves much to be admired. Mikilaj Musko’s hair flicks between slick guitar manoeuvers while Shao Tampus’ (also performed with Ether) flips between intricate drum taps and mighty belts. Chris Kett’s (also performed with Ether) slick bass grooves are a joy to listen to and Ramah Kinane- Kumar’s nonchalant yet charming stage presence between grungy vocals and rasp-filled howls is an entrancing sight to behold. Even the time-stopping final track ‘Hollow’, which has a slower pace and more moody tone had the crowd in a trance. It was a moving tune that displayed Kinane-Kumar’s vocal ability and exposed a vulnerability we haven’t seen from this band before, sparking the audience to shout for an encore.
It’s exciting to witness new bands showcase their sound and watch them grow over numerous performances. All three bands put on an impressive performance last Thursday night. It will be interesting to see how more gigging and experience will shape these extremely talented musicians.
Author: Danu
