Republic Of Loose live at The Academy, Dublin
Quite simply, ROL are a band who like to let the good times roll. To judge by this impressive performance, it’s an approach that’s paying dividends.
Colm Russell, 11 Apr 2008
Even though he dresses like a walking jumble sale and his between-song mutterings resemble a Colin Farrell parody, it’s difficult not to warm to Mick Pyro when he’s dropping the mic, crap-moonwalking or seeking “reassurance” from the audience about the quality of his band’s new material.
Republic Of Loose are previewing songs from their forthcoming album over a month of Fridays at The Academy, and it’s the album’s lead single that promises most. ‘I Like Music’ is built around a densely layered vocal loop, and Pyro’s weather beaten, soulful croak fits the song’s bar-talk narrative perfectly. Of the other newbies aired, ‘Got’ is a sort of list-rant (“Got no booze, got no cocaine”) as is ‘Things I Don’t Like’, in which the singer lists… er, things he doesn’t like.
Proving they’re no fools, they offer eventual rewards for facing the "all-new material" challenge. They introduce Jape for an ROL-ified ‘Floating’ but it’s the performance of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ by Sinéad O’Connor that's likely to linger longest in the memories of those in attendance. It’s a rare moment of plaintive reflection in a show that's otherwise heavily slanted in favour of fun and frolics.
Quite simply, ROL are a band who like to let the good times roll. To judge by this impressive performance, it’s an approach that’s paying dividends.
Colm Russell
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