I Know What You Did Last Hallowe’en comes to Bar Ritz (Mulroy’s Bar ) Castlebar
next Saturday night October 31 at Finbar Hoban Presents with a fancy dress party and treble headliners House of Cosy Cushions, Percolator, and Black Robots. Ireland has a history of exporting talented musicians and sending them on their way in the big bad world, but rarely do we import acts intent on carving out a niche for themselves in our corner of the globe.
When Dutchman Richard Bolhuis moved to Ireland in 2005 and started taking his role as a bandleader seriously, what followed was an impressive EP, Palace For the Lost Ones. Much has being made of parallels between House of Cosy Cushions and The Bad Seeds, but if it’s a predictable comparison, it’s also an accurate one. These are dark pensive alt-rock songs, cloaked in a wispy veil of menace and atmosphere. There are constituents of Calexico and even Soulwax, while the likes of Cathy Davy and Cora Venus Lunny join the ranks at various points on their debut album Animal Dream adding as much texture to the songs as the hellish violins, spluttering harmonica, and portentous trombone intervals.
Waterford group Percolator make a welcome return to Castlebar. A fascinating combination, their distinctive straight raw punk is supported by heavy drum backbone and at times sways into sparse melodic brilliance thanks to inspired guitar work. Their influences include Autoflux and the truly great Minor Threat. They have just released their EP titled Flicker which is well worth checking out.
Black Robots, who have also performed at Bar Ritz in May of this year, also return to Castlebar next Saturday night. Their debut EP Zero One was released two months ago. Building on a reputation as one of the most exciting new bands in Ireland at the moment, their shows are renowned for a mixture of energy and chaos. You will want to watch out for things that go bump in the night as the witching hour draws close at Bar Ritz next Saturday night October 31 at Finbar Hoban Presents.
Don’t forget to wear your best costume as prizes for the best dressed will include first €100, second €50, and third €30, plus the new drinks promotion is set to continue. Coming soon to Bar Ritz, The Rye back by popular demand.
